"We wanted to celebrate each other but the world told us we weren't allowed" - When Shawn Johnson opened up on friendship with Nastia Liukin

Shawn Johnson once shared that she was asked to alienate her best friend Nastia Liukin, who defeated her in the all-around competition at the 2008 Summer Games. She was just 16 when the world instilled 'negative feelings' into her and advised her to treat Liukin as her rival.

Johnson, 32, participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and walked home with four medals, a gold in the balance beam and silver in the team, all-around and floor exercise. She amassed more golds at the 2007 World Championships, Pan American Games, and other competitions before retiring in 2012.

Johnson's career graph peaked when she stood at the all-around silver podium in 2008 Beijing. Her best friend and fellow US teammate, Nastia Liukin, clinched the all-around gold, defeating her by a margin of just 0.6. Although she was 'heartbroken' after the close call, Johnson was not spiteful towards Liukin.

Their relationship was not impacted because of the results but the world pushed them into a rivalry. In an interview with People in 2022, Shawn Johnson talked about her equation with Nastia Liukin:

"The adults that surrounded us navigating competition differently, they taught us to alienate each other whereas we as kids, who truly just loved sport and loved competition, we didn't spite towards each other, we wanted to celebrate each other but the world told us we weren't allowed," she said (via The Players Pod with Kelley O'Hara).

Further on, Johnson also stated where the former gymnasts currently stand:

"We're inseparable, we are best friends."

Since the 2008 Olympic moment, Johnson claimed that the world made plans to keep them apart, which resulted in an eight-year-long communication gap.

"Right after the Olympics, the entire world like plotted us against one another. As soon as all-around hit, it was like Nastia or Shawn. ... We kind of felt like, well, they don’t want us to be friends. They won’t allow us to be friends," Johnson said (via NBC Sports).

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Nastia Liukin on her friendship with Shawn Johnson - "I have to fix this"

In 2016, Shawn Johnson was sitting in an airport near Liukin's hometown in Dallas when the thought of fixing their friendship hit her. She wrote an email to Liukin and called it 'a love letter'.

"If you don’t respond, I totally get it. Just know that I love you. I miss my best friend. I support you in everything you do," her words read as per NBC Sports.

Liukin replied within 30 seconds while on a bathroom break in between a New York Times interview. She was asked in the interview whether she would attend Johnson's wedding in April 2016. That was the moment the thought of fixing the friendship hit her as well.

"That’s when it really hit me because I was like, oh my gosh, this girl that I had been best friends with for so many years and this moment that’s about to happen in her life that is the biggest moment of her life, and I’m not going to be there. When [the reporter] said that, I was like, I have to fix this," Liukin said. (via NBC)

A few weeks later, the two met in New York and rekindled their friendship. Later, Liukin also attended Johnson's wedding.