Disappointment Has a Silver (Medal) Lining

Olympic figure skating gold medalist isn't dating gymnast Nastia Liukin

(NEWSER) - Never mind the rumors about Evan Lysacek dating gymnast Nastia Liukin—the Olympic champion in men's figure skating is single and looking. "I haven't had any time for dating while I'm training," Lysacek tells Entertainment Tonight . "I'm lonely." As for Liukin, herself an Olympic gold medalist, "we're very close friends and she's been such a great inspiration to me," says Lysacek, whose ex is ice dancer Tanith Belbin. "I'm honored to have her here." More»

But some of the 2000 competitors were too young, FIG says

(AP) - China's 2008 gold medal gymnasts are in the clear, after international gymnastics officials said today the documentation provided confirms the women were old enough to compete. But the Chinese team that won the bronze medal 8 years ago still faces questions about the age of two competitors. More»

0.033 margin on deductions puts American in second place in uneven bars

(NEWSER) - Chinese gymnast He Kexin won a gold medal on the women’s uneven bars today, despite exactly same score as American Nastia Liukin, the New York Times reports. Liukin and He each scored 16.725, but since gymnastics no longer gives out dual medals, He was awarded the gold, thanks to a lower average deduction total—a margin of just 0.033. More»

(AP) - Just 9 months before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government's news agency, Xinhua, reported that gymnast He Kexin was 13, which would have made her ineligible to be on the team that won a gold medal this week. In its report Nov. 3, Xinhua identified He as one of "10 big new stars" who made a splash at China's Cities Games. It gave her age as 13 and reported that she beat Yang Yilin on the uneven bars at those games. More»

New system eliminates 'perfect score' ceiling in gymnastics

(NEWSER) - When gymnasts take to the vault and the uneven bars at this summer's Olympics, viewers will notice a major change to the scoring: the perfect 10 has been eliminated. For the first time at the Games, gymnastics will be assessed on a scale with no ceiling, with gold medalists expected to receive a mark of 17. The new, supposedly fairer system has divided the sport, reports the New York Times. More»