Liukin´s dream starts in Beijing

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During the women's all-around event, Liukin collected 63.325 points, after flawless exercises on each of the four apparatus with a strong combination of difficulty and quality.

Making her debut in her first Olympic Games, Liukin won the most-coveted gold medal, a victory she says she has been dreaming about for years.

She partly attributed her victory to her parents. They are both former Soviet Union world champions... who moved to the United States when Nastia was two years old.

Nastia also collected silver medals on the beam, asymmetric bars and in the team event. And a bronze in the floor exercise.

It is now popular for many female gymnasts to rely on strength and power to complete tumbles rather than finesse. But Liukin blends grace and elegance -- along with complicated moves -- to highlight the beauty of the sport.

Nastia says she will continue with the sport at least until the 2009 world championships. But she says that when she finally retires from gymnastics competition she will chart a new course -- in fashion design.

Editor:Meng Rui