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Nastia Liukin made Olympic gymnastics history last year in Beijing and her life has not slowed down since. Hollywood Teen'Zine caught up with Nastia recently to find out what she has been up to post-olympics. Read all about it here.
 
April 4, 2009
FASHION, ACTING AND MORE GYMNASTICS AHEAD FOR OLYMPIC SUPERSTAR NASTIA LIUKIN!
(By: Bessie Sorge)
During the Olympic Games in Beijing last summer, Nastia Liukin made gymnastics history clinching five olympic medals, including the most coveted individual all-around gold medal. The rest of her Olympic medals include a team silver medal, individual silver medals on the balance beam and uneven bars, and an individual bronze medal on the floor exercise. The nine World Championship medals she received, together with the five medals from Beijing, brings Nastia to the top alongside Shannon Miller as the most decorated American gymnast.
Gymnastics has always been placed first, and continues to be, but Nastia's post-olympic stardom gave her the opportunity to pursue avenues that were only a dream before Beijing. Immediately after returning home with her Olympic medals in hand, Nastia began a collaboration with Vanilla Star Jeans, which gave her a platform she could only hope for in the creation of her very own fashion line of jeans and tops, appropriately named the Gold Collection. "It’s been really cool being able to work with them and get involved in the fashion world," Nastia tells us. Her involvement with fashion did not end there. Nastia took another leap into the fashion world just a few weeks ago with the launch of Max Azria's spring collection campaign, and has appeared at two fashion weeks.
We recently caught up with Nastia to get the scoop on her time in Beijing, her post-olympic success and what the future holds for this bright young starlet!
OLYMPICS
Let’s start with Beijing. What went through your mind as you stepped out on the floor to perform your final event before you clinched gold?
I think I was so confident and I was just so excited to be there, and I knew that if I could just go out there and perform my routine like I had been all week, that I had a really good chance of winning the gold. I just wanted to do the same routine that I had been doing so long and do anything better and not anything less.
Standing up there on the podium holding the gold medal that your father was so close to receiving 20 years prior was a huge moment for the both of you. How did you celebrate?
The next day, we actually had event finals - I made bars, beam and floor finals - so, we couldn’t really celebrate that night. We went home the next day after all the competitions were over, and when I got home there was like a thousand people at the airport waiting to greet me. I had a parade in my city that they did for me. I mean, just so (many) different things that I’ve been able to do and experience, you know, the TV shows (and) the talk shows that I’ve been on. But, as a family . . . I don’t even think we did anything that special. I feel like we were always with other people, but it was definitely a special moment and something I will always remember for the rest of my life.
The American Gymnastics team had a rough start in Beijing. How did you prepare yourself to stay focused and come out on top?
I guess with having a few falls in the team finals, but gymnastics is one of those sports where you can make mistakes and mistakes are going to happen, and unfortunately we didn’t have the best day when they counted for the team finals, but you kind of had to put that behind you and move on. And we moved on for the individual and did great.
Have you gone back and looked at the tapes of the performances?
Yeah, definitely. I’ve watched the all around and the team finals and bars. I haven’t watched beam or floor yet.
Which routine do you feel was your best performance during your Olympic experience?
Ah, I would have to say my beam and my floor routine during the all around competition.
How has your life changed since your return to the U.S.?
Very busy! I think things are finally starting to slow down just a little bit. I haven’t really been home for a weekend in a really long time. I’m looking forward to just being home and spending time with friends and family. I’m back to full time training, so that definitely takes up a lot of my time. I’m loving it, and I still have that passion for gymnastics and I'm excited to get back out there and start competing again.
You’ve got five medals from the Olympics. Where do you keep them?
Actually, in my parents closet. We haven’t put them on display or anything yet. We’re still kind of thinking of something to do with them.
TELEVISION
You made your television acting debut on Gossip Girl earlier this season. What was that experience like for you?
Oh, it was so much fun. I was so honored to be able to be even asked to have an appearance on that, and getting to meet some of the cast members. They were all so nice and welcoming and took pictures with me. If I had the chance, I would definitely love to do more of that in the future.
Were you nervous at all?
No, not really, my line was really small. No, I wasn’t really nervous. I was really excited to be there.
FASHION
You worked with Vanilla Star Jeans recently launching your very own Nastia Gold line. Have you always had an interest in fashion?
Yeah, I have. I guess growing up I’ve always been interested in that, but I’ve never had the opportunity or the time, I guess, to pursue my own line. It’s been really cool being able to work with them and get involved in the fashion world. Also, Max Azria, I just did a spring campaign for them. That was really fun to do! I’ve been to two fashion weeks since the Olympics. Just being able to have, I guess, more time on my hands and the opportunities, of course. It's definitely been really fun.
What was your inspiration behind some of the designs you created for the Nastia Gold Collection?
Most of them are all skinny jeans - the jeans collections - those are my favorites when I was creating them. Because it is called Nastia Gold (there is) a lot of gold incorporated in them - just something fun for younger kids that they can wear and feel comfortable in at the same time, and look good.
Your most recent fashion endeavor is Max Azria's new spring campaign. The promo photos are classy and very artsy! How long did the shoot take?
It took about seven hours, I think. It was pretty long, but it was so much fun. It’s so different than anything that I am used to doing. I always loved being able to have new experiences, and it was very cool.
Was it difficult holding the poses in the photos?
Not really. I guess, I just had to do them a lot of times to try and get the perfect one, but like I said, that’s something that I like to do too. Hopefully, if I have the opportunity to do a little bit more modeling, or stuff like that, I would love to.
Have you seen the billboards yet?
No, I have not. I’m actually here in L.A. right now and one of my friends told me about it. Hopefully today I can go see it or something.
Did you get to keep the clothes?
They asked me what my favorite one was from the shoot and I got to keep that one. All that stuff is just so, I guess it’s pretty fancy so it’s something you would wear on a daily basis. When I did the red dress event at Fashion Week in New York, they actually custom made the one that I told them was my favorite and they made it in red.
So, you got to keep that one?
Yeah.
What was that like doing the runway?
I was really nervous. You know, I’ve never done anything like that. It was really cool to be involved and be part of a really great cause, and then just being able to meet so many amazing people. The whole experience was a lot of fun.
SCHOOL
We heard you're in college now? How do you manage to fit that into your schedule?
Well, actually I did. I tried to start. I went for about three or four weeks. I was still travelling a lot and, you know, I’m back to full time training, and so it got (to be) a little too much. I decided to kind of put that on hold for now until I have a break in my competitive career. For me, I feel like there is always time for school, and gymnastics is one of those things where you can’t do for the rest of your life. So, I’m really trying to get back in shape and start competing again soon.
Have you picked what major you want to pursue when you do go back to college?
International Business.
GYMNASTICS
Now your parents were both very successful gymnasts. Do you feel any pressure at all from that?
No, not at all. I never felt like that. I never felt pressure from them. If anything, I thought it was just more inspiring and cool, and I wanted to live up to that, and kind of live up to what they accomplished. I never took it as I felt like they wanted me to do it or people wanted me to kind of achieve the same things they did.
You pretty much grew up in the gym with your parents. What age did you first start taking classes?
I started gym I guess when I was about two years old and my first competition was when I was six.
When did you first realize that you wanted to take this large indoor playground you had and turn it into a worldwide competition platform?
When I was 12 I made the national team for the first time, (that's) when I really thought that I wanted to do this on a higher level and represent my country at bigger and better competitions.
Which apparatus was the hardest for you to master?
Definitely vault, because I was like one of the weaker gymnast and that was just always hard for me.
Easiest apparatus?
Either beam or bars. The learning came easier for me on those two events, rather than vault or floor.
What has been so far in your career, the hardest obstacle that you’ve had to tackle?
2006 . . . I hurt my ankle and I had to have surgery. I think I would say that was the hardest part, just trying to get through that because healing an injury is never easy. It was healed and then I reinjured it again. It took pretty much a full year and a half to two years for me to get back to where I was before the injury.
Does it still bother you today?
No.
You have traveled the world competing. Do you have a favorite place that you've visited?
Well, I would say either Australia. Yeah, probably Australia.
What was it about Australia that you liked so much?
It has always been a special place for our family. My parents actually met there, even though they are both from Russia. They were doing a 40 city gymnastics tour and they met there. I always wanted to go back to Australia with them, and it was my first world championships in 2005, and very successful for me. The country itself, it’s like half way across the world from us. It's very similar, but at the same time, it’s different. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain, but I really liked it.
What is your favorite event to compete in during the gymnastics season?
I don’t know, I like floor. I get most nervous for bars, so probably not bars, but floor just because you are able to perform and really get into the routine.
You are currently training or getting ready to train to compete in the VISA Championships in August, which is actually taking place in your hometown. Are you excited about that?
Yeah, I very excited. I have never competed in front of a hometown crowd like that. So it’s going to be exciting, but I know I will definitely be nervous. I’m not exactly sure like what events or how many events I’ll be doing yet, but I’m taking it one day at a time and just trying to get back all my skills and routines and stuff.
Now you turned down Dancing With The Stars to be able to focus competing. Explain that decision process.
Well, gymnastics is what I still have a passion for and I wanted to do. Like I said, it’s so hard to do gymnastics at an older age and I thought while I still have that motivation and desire to keep training, and while I still felt pretty healthy, then I wanted to do it and still compete. That’s pretty much what made my decision to turn it down.
We hear a new floor routine is in the works. How is that coming along?
Um, it’s still in the works, I’m still looking for music right now. We’ll see.
Will we be seeing you debut any new skills at the VISA Championships?
Hopefully. I am working on a few. We'll see. It’s still a little early to tell, but like I said, I’m just trying to get back in the swing of things and get all my other skills back, but yes, I am working on some new skills.
Will you be returning for the 2012 Olympics in London?
I’m not sure, I would love to. You know, that whole experience was one of the best experiences of my life. If I could be there, I would do anything I could. I guess, if I’m healthy and still training then yeah, I would love to be there.
For more information on Nastia Liukin check out her official website.
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