Shannon’s Golden Moment Long Wait Pays Off For Miller With A Win On The Balance Beam

Shannon Miller waited four years for an Olympic gold medal. Now she has two.

Jair Lynch was just happy to take home any kind of medal. So was Dominique Dawes, who won a bronze in an event she wasn’t even supposed to compete in.

Miller won the gold medal Monday night with a near-flawless performance on the balance beam, where she tied for the silver in Barcelona. None of her five medals in 1992 was gold; she won her first last week with the rest of the U.S. women’s team.

“I don’t know what else to say, but it feels great,” Miller said. “It was a great note to end on.”

Lynch won the silver on the parallel bars, where he finished sixth in Barcelona. He considered quitting gymnastics after graduating from Stanford in 1994, but stuck with it in hopes of winning a medal in front of the home crowd.

He’s the only member of the U.S. men’s team to medal in these Games. He’s also the first black American to win a medal in men’s gymnastics.

Dawes was a more-than-adequate replacement in floor exercise for Kerri Strug, who had to pull out due to the sprained ankle she suffered in last week’s team competition. Dawes had a beautiful routine that left the crowd cheering and her grinning.

The Americans almost had another medal, as Dominique Moceanu finished fourth. Ukraine’s Lilia Podkopayeva won the gold and Simona Amanar of Romania the silver.

Miller had trouble in the all-around and Sunday’s vault final, but she pulled it all together on the beam. The grin on her face as she finished said it all.

The crowd, which gave her its loudest cheer since the team finals, cranked it up when Miller’s score of 9.862 flashed. When the final standings were posted, the crowd gave Miller a standing ovation and the chants of “U-S-A’ began.

Dawes, who was getting ready to compete in the floor exercise final, ran over to give her a hug.

“This is her 30th Olympic routine,” said Steve Nunno, Miller’s coach. “On her final event, her final attempt, she was just awesome.”

Podkopayeva, the all-around champion, won the silver and Gina Gogean of Romania the bronze. It was her fourth medal of the Games.

Moceanu finished sixth on the beam after a disastrous spill. The 14-year-old was trying to complete three aerial back handsprings on the 4-inch-wide beam, but missed her footing as she landed the second one.

Her right foot never landed on the beam, she couldn’t get enough height and came crashing down on the next handspring, smacking the top of her head on the beam. She got right back into the routine and finished solidly. But she started shaking her head as she walked off the podium.

Lynch almost didn’t make it to parallel bars after splitting open a dime-sized callous on his left hand during warmups. He sliced off the dead skin, applied pressure and ointment and hoped for the best.

“I’m a bloody mess,” Lynch said. “It really helped me focus on gymnastics and took away any possible distractions.”