Olympic Gold Medalist Nastia Liukin Joins NBC's Winter Games Coverage in Sochi
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Former U.S. gymnast Nastia Liukin, a winner of five Olympic medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, has signed on to join NBC's coverage for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, the network announced.
Liukin, a dual Russian-U.S. citizen born in Moscow, will serve as a reporter for NBC Olympics’ multi-platform coverage, presenting daily features for The Olympic Zone, NBC Olympics’ 30-minute daily show for NBC affiliates. The show will cover all aspects of the Winter Games, providing succinct, yet still in-depth coverage of the day's noteworthy events.
Of course, Liukin comes from Olympic royalty, as her father Valeri won four gymnastics medals (two gold, two silver) for the former Soviet Union at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. In addition, her mother Anna was a rhythmic gymnast who won a world championship in 1987.
“Nastia is a decorated Olympic champion who brings a unique perspective to Russia’s first Winter Olympics, both as an athlete and a member of a family with a tremendous sports legacy dating back to the former Soviet Union,” said Jim Bell, Executive Producer of NBC Olympics.
Liukin isn't new to the role as analyst, having joined NBCUniversal in 2012 as a contributor for NBCOlympics.com during the London Games. Since then, she has served as an analyst for NBC Sports Group’s gymnastics coverage, providing opinions that are more qualified than most: Liukin won the most medals of any gymnast at the 2008 Beijing Games (five – one gold, three silver, one bronze) and tied the U.S. gymnastics record set by Mary Lou Retton and equaled by Shannon Miller for the most medals at a single Olympics. In 2008, she became the third American woman to win the Olympic all-around competition after Retton and Carly Patterson.
Liukin is currently enrolled at New York University, but continues to support the growth of gymnastics with her annual Nastia Liukin Cup, in addition to serving as an ambassador for gymnastics as an athlete representative for both the Federation of International Gymnastics and USA Gymnastics.