Shawn Johnson finally got her Olympic gold medal in the last event of the women's gymnastics competition today on the balance beam. When her routine, chock-full of difficult tricks, earned a 16.225, Johnson's grin was a thousand times wider than the 4-inch-wide beam she had just conquered.
The world champ, who already had a silver behind fellow American Nastia Liukin in the all-around and a silver on the floor in the team event, edged Liukin, who finished with a gold, three silvers, and a bronze. Cheng Fei of China took the bronze, giving China six women's medals, two behind the US. (More 2008 Beijing Olympics stories.)