Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson: Back or not

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BEIJING -- Nastia Liukin, 18, the gymnastics all-around champion, said Wednesday morning that she might keep in competitive shape and try to add to her total of nine world championship medals. The 2009 worlds are in London and are only for individual events. There is no team championship.

Shawn Johnson, 16, who was favored to win the all-around gold but settled for balance beam gold instead, sounded less sure she would keep competing.

‘Honestly, continuing after the Olympics, after you accomplish your greatest dreams and goals, it’s going to be hard,’ Johnson said. ‘I don’t know what other goals to set. The feelings and emotions I have, how proud I was, it was the best feeling ever. Whether I can get that feeling again for next worlds, it depends on how I feel, how my body holds up.’

-- Diane Pucin

For the record: An earlier post said Johnson settled for the floor exercise gold. She won gold for the balance beam.