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Johnson gets burned at end, denied floor exercise gold

Published August 17, 2008 at 8:11 a.m.

Silver again.

Shawn Johnson can't catch a break. On Sunday, she had to go first in the women's individual floor exercise final and wait for the rest of competitors to take a shot at her 15.500 score.

It held up for the next six gymnasts, then Sandra Izbasa of Romania, the last to go, stepped up. She wowed the judges with soaring somersaults and perfect landings and earned 15.650 to win the gold medal.

That pushed Johnson back to silver and teammate Nastia Liukin, the women's all-around champion, to bronze, with 15.425.

"I am more than happy wearing another silver. I mean, a three-time Olympic medalist," Johnson said. "I have no problem with that."

Alicia Sacramone, whose mistakes cost the U.S. a chance for the team gold last week, finished out of a medal for the vault, an event in which she has three world championship medals.

Sacramone had a score of 15.537, 0.025 of a point behind bronze-medal winner Cheng Fei of China, the favorite going into the event.

Hong Un Jong of North Korea won the gold, the first gymnastics medal for her country, at 15.650. The silver went to Oksana Chusovitina of Germany (15.575).

Men's floor exercise: 1. Zou Kai, China, 16.050. 2. Gervasio Deferr, Spain, 15.775. 3. Anton Golotsutskov, Russia, 15.725. 4. Fabian Hambuechen, Germany, 15.650. 5. Kohei Uchimura, Japan, 15.575. 6. Diego Hypolito, Brazil, 15.200. 7. Marian Dragulescu, Romania, 14.850. 8. Alexandr Shatilov, Israel, 14.125.

Women's vault: 1. Hong Un Jong, North Korea (15.550, 15.750), 15.650. 2. Oksana Chusovitina, Germany (15.725, 15.425), 15.575. 3. Cheng Fei, China (16.075, 15.050), 15.562. 4. Alicia Sacramone, Winchester, Mass. (15.750, 15.325), 15.537. 5. Ariella Kaslin, Switzerland (15.400, 14.700), 15.050. 6. Carlotta Giovannini, Italy (14.925, 14.175), 14.550. 7. Jade Barbosa, Brazil (14.725, 14.250), 14.487. 8. Anna Pavlova, Russia (15.625, 0.000), 7.812.

Women's floor exercise: 1. Sandra Izbasa, Romania, 15.650. 2. Shawn Johnson, West Des Moines, Iowa, 15.500. 3. Nastia Liukin, Parker, Texas, 15.425. 4. Jiang Yuyuan, China, 15.350. 5. Ekaterina Kramarenko, Russia, 15.025. 6. Daiane Santos, Brazil, 14.975. 7. Cheng Fei, China, 14.550. 8. Anna Pavlova, Russia, 14.125.

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