Nastia Liukin traded in her spot on the podium for a seat in the stands at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Sixteen years after taking home five medals—including gold in the individual all-around—at the 2008 Beijing Games, the retired artistic gymnast celebrated the latest athletes representing Team USA. But while she left her leotard at home, she was sure to pack her team spirit.
After all, as a former Team USA member, Nastia was inducted into a special family—and that bond long outlives the games. "You're part of this family forever, and no matter how many years pass, it's like there's a common appreciation and respect for one another based upon you knowing exactly what it takes to get to where they are right now," she explained to People in July. "I'm so grateful for what the sport and the Olympics gave me, these sisters that I have forever.
And I certainly feel that same way now, just being an older sister.” Since matching the record for a five-medal sweep by a U.S.
gymnast in 2008 that was previously set by Mary-Lou Retton in 1984, Nastia, 34, wanted to share her older sister wisdom with the 2024 U.S. women’s gymnastics team.
Her biggest advice was for the gymnasts to "try to be present and be in the moment," she shared with E! News in March. "It goes by so quickly." And she proved that she practiced what she preached during her time in the spotlight by keeping a journal during the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
"I wrote in it every single day," she noted, "and I have tha.