Alicia Sacramone Is How Old?

She's supposed to be 20 years old. But Alicia Sacramone sure is acting like she's two.

Romanian upsets Johnson, Liukin in women's floor

BEIJING (AP) -- Once more, the gold medal was within Shawn Johnson's reach. Again, it was snatched away.

Two days after Nastia Liukin edged Johnson for the all-around title, Romania's Sandra Izbasa -- the very last competitor -- grabbed the floor exercise gold that was almost in the American's hands.

After Johnson went in the unenviable first spot Sunday night and saw her 15.50 stand up through six other finalists, including Liukin, only Izbasa remained. But the Romanian wowed the judges with her soaring somersaults and solid landings, earning a 15.65.

That left Johnson, the 2007 world champion, with three silver medals in Beijing, and gave Liukin, who took bronze, one of each. Not a bad haul, with more event finals to come.

Johnson, gracious as always, wore a bright smile all night, and gave several competitors big hugs when they finished their routines. She barely flinched when Izbasa's mark came up, and the 16-year-old American also had a hug for the winner.

"I just stayed calm and had a great time out there," Johnson said. I love to perform."

The biggest upset of the night came in women's vault, with China's Cheng Fei losing for the first time in three years. The gold medalist at the last three world championships landed on her knees on her second attempt, leaving the competition wide open. North Korea's Hong Un Jong stepped in with two solid vaults and clean landings to win the title -- the first gymnastics medal for her nation.

The men's event finals were -- here's a shock -- dominated by China. Zou Kai won the floor exercise and Ziao Qin took pommel horse, making the hosts 4-for-4. Add in the women's successes, and it's been a medals feast for the Chinese.

And not at all disappointing for the U.S. women, who now have five medals. Johnson and Liukin had a hand in all of them.

"After the all-around, I was excited to have made the floor finals and a bronze medal feels great," Liukin said.

Neither of them competed in vault, where Cheng followed the best effort of the night, a 16.075, with her huge error, ending up with the bronze behind Oksana Chusovitina of Germany. Cheng also fell during her floor routine, then burst into tears as her coach tried to console her on the sideline.

Chusovitina, competing for Germany for the first time but in her fifth Olympics, won silver. A native of Uzbekistan and now a German citizen, the 33-year-old Chusovitina said she "feels 18."

"Today I concentrated only on my moves, not the medals," she said. "I felt that I had a very normal performance without surprises, and that is why I got a silver medal."

American Alicia Sacramone, who has three world championships medals in vault, felt she deserved a medal, but finished fourth.

"I'm disappointed, especially since third place had a fall and I made both of mine," she said. "I can't change her score. The judges made up their minds."

Sacramone was hoping to atone for her weak performance in the team competition, when she fell off the balance beam, then struggled on floor as the United States finished second to China.

"I definitely had to pull myself together a little bit the last few days," Sacramone admitted. "I'm sure someday I'll appreciate what I did. I still have to get to that step."

Alicia Sacramone felt that she DESERVED a medal. Sorry sweetheart but that's not how it works. You don't snap your fingers and get medals handed to you.

The bronze medalist may have fallen on her knees, but Sacramone doesn't know why she got the medal. Perhaps maybe she had a more difficult vault than Sacramone. Perhaps maybe she had a higher start value. Who knows!!

I think this has more to do with her still being pissed about falling on her ass on the floor and off the beam, rather than about not getting a bronze medal. Either way, she should stop throwing a tantrum, and start acting like the adult that she's supposed to be!!