U.S.'s Shawn Johnson gets her gold

BEIJING -- Shawn Johnson finally got her Olympic gold medal in the last event of the women's competition Tuesday night, the balance beam.

Johnson, bothered by a headache before the competition, nailed her routine that is chock-full of difficult tricks, earning a 16.225. Her grin was a thousand times wider than the 4-inch-wide beam she had just conquered.

"This is what we expected to see," her coach Liang Chow said. "The thing I really am pleased with is she was a little under the weather and she still was able to do a wonderful routine."

The world champion, who already had a silver behind fellow American Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas, in the all-around, and a silver on floor. In the team event, she edged Liukin, who finished with a gold, three silvers and a bronze.

"It's crazy," Johnson said. "I remember seeing Nastia have hers from the all-around and it is so pretty. Silver is really pretty, too. ... It's the best feeling ever."

Cheng Fei of China took the bronze, giving China six women's medals, two behind the Americans.

"This was the right ending to conclude the Olympic Games," national team coordinator Martha Karolyi said. "We proved the supremacy of U.S. women's gymnastics.

"I feel excellent (about Johnson). I think she needed this so much. She proved she is absolutely a great balance beam gymnast."