Anastasia (Nastia) Liukin was born in 1989 in Moscow to a family of gymnasts. Although she says education is very important to her, gymnastics is her passion. She became involved in the sport while in elementary school and continued through high school, where she attended Spring Creek Academy in Plano, Texas.
In 2008 she was accepted to the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, but her busy schedule made her drop out until January of 2010. She is now back in school where she is majoring in international business and will focus on school until she graduates.
Nastia has been winning awards all her life. She is an Senior International Elite gymnast, the 2008 Olympic All-Around Champion, five time Olympic medalist, four time World Champion, nine time World medalist, four time U.S. National Champion and has won two American Cup titles and both a Senior and Junior Pacific Rim Championship.
Following her success in Beijing, Nastia was awarded FIG Athlete of the Year, Women’s Sports Foundation Individual Sportswoman of the Year and the United States Sports Academy’s Female Athlete of the Year. In 2007, she joined 1996 Olympic gold medalist Shannon Miller as the most decorated American gymnast.
Although currently focused on her studies, Liukin says that gymnastics is still her passion, and she plans to continue to be active in the sport.
