American Cup brings past gymnastics champions to suburbs

Chicago was just as much a competitor for an Olympic bid Saturday as the gymnasts themselves at the 2009 Tyson American Cup in Hoffman Estates, American Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton said.

While the athletes at the Sears Centre all have an eye on the 2012 Olympics in London, Saturday's event was a testing ground for the Windy City's chances for 2016, Retton believes.

"How successful it is is huge," Retton said.

Those selecting the site of the 2016 Olympics will be looking closely at every aspect of the Hoffman Estates event, from operations on the floor to the transportation to and from O'Hare, she said.

For Retton and such fellow Olympic gold medalists as Kerri Strug and Nastia Liukin, the return visit to the American Cup competition was a sweet reminder of the start of their own successes. All were American Cup champions before going on to win Olympic gold.

"This is one of the most prestigious events in gymnastics," said Retton, who won in 1983. "It truly is a steppingstone to the Olympics."

"Oftentimes it's a prelude for what lies ahead," said Strug, who came out on top at both the American Cup and the Olympics in 1996.

Strug said she was only 6 when she was inspired by Retton's win at the 1984 Olympics. She finds it strange that she ultimately became friends with Retton, and laughs that she feels old that her own success in 1996 has now inspired people with gold medals.

Liukin said her own life has been a whirlwind since the Beijing Olympics last summer made her a world-renowned gold medalist.

"I worked my whole life to reach this dream, and these are just the things that come with it," Liukin said. "But I'm ready for things to slow down again and get back in the gym. I just want to be part of the national team again."

It was only a year ago that Liukin became an American Cup champion in New York, making her visit to Hoffman Estates as an Olympic gold medalist Saturday a bittersweet experience.

"It's a little weird," she admitted. "Getting a glimpse of the floor makes me wish I was out there competing."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=273984">American Cup brings past gymnastics champions to suburbs</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=274002">Buffalo Grove product Sender sparkles in homecoming</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>