Olympic Champion Gabby Douglas Announces Return to Gymnastics
Nastia Liukin is ready for some candid mat talk.
The Olympic gymnast has one lesson she hopes Team USA will take to Paris for the 2024 Summer Games. However, it has nothing to do with sports.
She just wants them to “try to be present and be in the moment,” she shared in an exclusive interview with E! News at the Gold Meets Golden event on March 9. “It goes by so quickly.”
In fact, Nastia—who won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics—remembers “having a countdown” to the last day of competition because she was so homesick at the time. But now, looking back at the experience, the 34-year-old wishes she took more time to cherish the momentous occasion.
Luckily, Nastia kept a pretty detailed journal—which is why she suggests her fellow Olympians also keep a diary.
“I wrote in it every single day,” she noted, “and I have that for the rest of my life.”
The 2024 Paris Olympics will run from July 26 through to August 11. And with Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas and Sunisa Lee vying for spots on the U.S. gymnastics team, this year’s squad could be the fiercest yet.
“They are really well-trained,” Nastia said of the Team USA hopefuls. “If anything, it’s more so a mental challenge.”
Alberto Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
And that’s especially true in the age of social media, according to the five-time Olympic medalist. As Nastia put it, blocking out negativity can be a challenging task.
“As long as you feel like you’re being the best version of you and you can stand true to yourself,” she shared, “that’s the most important thing.”
Nastia jokingly added, “I’m just glad that I competed in an era where I didn’t have social media.”
To see where your favorite Olympic gymnasts have landed, keep reading.
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