Parker's Anastasia Liukin wins Olympic Gold

Nastia Liukin, the 18-year-old Moscow-born daughter of world-class gymnasts from Parker In Collin County, won the most glamorous prize of gymnastics: Olympic all-around gold. Liukin edged teammate Shawn Johnson for the all-around gold in women's gymnastics Friday. Gymnastics runs in Nastia's family. The Liukins co-own three World Olympic Gymnastics Academy gyms in Plano, Dallas and Frisco - with Yevgeny Marchenko, who coached Carly Patterson to the Olympic all-around gold in 2004. When the result was finally official, after rival Shawn Johnson's floor exercise score, Nastia embraced Valeri, her father and coach. "It's definitely been a dream come true for both of us," Liukin said. "He's worked just as hard as I have, just being with me in the gym every single day, traveling with me all over the world. I could not be more thankful." Liukin is only the third American woman to win all-around gold. Allen's Patterson, Liukin's friend and former World Olympic Gymnastics Academy teammate did it four years ago in Athens. Mary Lou Retton was the first in 1984. Friday marked the first time the U.S. had two women medal in the Olympic all-around and they are just the fourth and fifth to medal in U.S. history. Johnson was clearly the "it" girl heading to Beijing. Her emergence coincided with the hardest times of Liukin's career in 2007, when Liukin battled a lingering ankle injury. Liukin, despite being a winner of nine world championship medals, had only beat Johnson once in the last year. Johnson had surpassed Liukin, it seemed.