Des Moines Register
Glaring lights beamed on a Beijing morning as then-16-year-old Shawn Johnson East stepped onto the National Indoor Stadium’s powder blue mat and saluted to a panel of Olympic gymnastics judges before performing the floor exercise.
The West Des Moines, Iowa, native and world champion was the closing competitor in the last rotation of the hotly contested 2008 Olympics all-around final as she twisted and tumbled on the floor to music from 2007’s “August Rush” movie soundtrack.