Shawn Johnson used her powerful routine on the beam to score 16.100 in the event, all but ending the all-around competition. The score, on the evening's first rotation, opened up a 3.450-point lead for the 15-year-old. She maintained it to the end, finishing with 123.650 points, to second-place finisher Shayla Worley's 120.200. Johnson also took first place in the balance beam and floor exercise while placing second in the vault. "It feels amazing," Johnson said. "I am overwhelmed with a feeling of pride. All of the hard work has paid off." Two-time defending champion Nastia Liukin, who has been hampered by an ankle injury for nearly a year, muffed her landings in both the vault and the uneven parallel bars. She ended up third at 118.500, scoring a 16.000 on the balance beam to finish the championships on a high note. "It was a little rough and not exactly what I was hoping for," Liukin said. "On the other hand, I was really happy to be out here and be able to do all four events for the first time in a year." Alicia Sacramone fell during her first-day floor exercise and skipped the uneven bars both days, finishing last in the competition. That left Ivana Hong in second place after day one. She never was able to make a move on Johnson, starting out with a disappointing 14.250 on the uneven bars and wobbling on her beam routine, which scored 14.500. In her final event, Hong stepped off the mat on her vault landing, scoring 14.700. She ended up fourth at 118.450. Worley entered the day in fourth place, behind Johnson, Hong and Bridget Sloan. On the third rotation, Worley had an outstanding routine on the uneven bars to score 15.700 and leapfrog Hong and Sloan. Johnson had lost sight of the field by then and led Worley by 3.900 entering the final rotation. That final rotation for Johnson was the uneven bars. She calmly worked through her routine, spinning around the bars in her sparkling orange and blue leotard. Johnson stuck her landing, then broke into a big smile. Once off the riser, she accepted the congratulations of her competitors. "On my bars routine, I went in like it was my first and the most important," Johnson said. "Once I stuck my landing, the reality sank in." Johnson's sights now are set firmly on the Olympics in Beijing next year. She will attempt to become the third American woman to win the Olympic all-around crown, following Mary Lou Retton in 1984 and Carly Patterson in 2004. FINAL RESULTS:
1. Shawn Johnson, 123.650
2. Shayla Worley, 120.200
3. Nastia Liukin, 118.500
4. Ivana Hong, 118.450
5. Bridget Sloan, 118.000
6. Geralen Stack-Eaton, 116.500
7. Samantha Peszek, 116.300
8. Jana Bieger, 115.600
9. Darlene Hill, 114.650
10. Natasha Kelley, 113.650
11. Amber Trani, 112.550
12. Christa Tanella, 111.850
13. Katelyn Mohr, 111.350
14. Randy Stageberg, 110.050
15. Catherine Nguyen, 109.550
16. Alaina Johnson, 109.200
Alicia Sacramone (did not compete all around), 92.400
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