Beijing Olympic Games

Updated: 2008-06-21

Birth Date: 01/19/1992

Program: Women’s Artistic

Level: Senior

Club: Chow’s Gymnastics

Coach: Liang Chow, Liwen Zhuang

Biography

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Johnson helped the U.S. women win the team gold medal at the 2007 World Championships, which was just the second world team title in U.S. history and the first won at a World Championships held outside of the United States. With her victory in the women’s all-around finals, Johnson joined Kim Zmeskal (1991), Shannon Miller (1993-94) and Chellsie Memmel (2005) as the only U.S. women to win a world all-around title. She also added a gold medal on floor exercise. It was the first time the USA won both the team and all-around gold medals at the same World Championships.

Johnson is the daughter of Doug and Teri. She is an honor roll student and has had three short stories published. She hopes to someday become a doctor or a gymnastics coach.

Personal Information

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Hometown: West Des Moines, IA

Began Gymnastics In: 1995

How did you get involved?: My mom says, “The wild child just needed something to do!”

Favorite Gymnastics Thing: My faovrite parts about gymnastics are the interesting places you get to go and all of the different people and friends you get to make.

Favorite Event: Balance Beam

Goals: I hope to compete in the 2008 Olympic Games.

School: Valley High School

Grade: 10th (Fall ‘07)

Favorite School Subject: English

Interests Outside the Gym

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Favorite Music/Book: Rascal Flatts/You Go Girl

Favorite TV Show: Dharma and Greg, So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With The Stars

Favorite Food: Steak and chicken kabobs, and peaches and crčme corn on the cob

Hobbies: scrapbooking, shopping

Charity: walking animal shelter dogs

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International Competition Results

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2008 Tyson American Cup, New York, N.Y.: 2nd-AA

2008 Italy-Spain-Poland-USA competition, Jesolo, Italy: 1st-Team, AA

2007 World Championships, Stuttgart, Germany: 1st-Team, AA, FX; 8th-BB

2007 Pan American Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 1st-Team, AA, UB, BB; 2nd-FX

2007 Tyson American Cup, Jacksonville, Fla.: 1st-AA

2007 USA vs Great Britain International Competition, Lisburn, Ireland: 1st-AA; 1st-BB; 1st-Team; 2nd-VT

2006 Junior Pan American Championships, Gatineau, Que., Canada: 1st-Team, BB, AA; 2nd-UB & FX (Jr. Div)

2006 International Gymnix, Montreal, Que., Canada: 3rd-AA 2nd-Vt 5th-UB 1st-FX

2006 Pacific Alliance Championships, Honolulu, Hawaii: 1st-AA , 1st-team, 1st-Vt, 1st-FX ; 2nd-BB (Jr. Div)

2006 USA/Japan/New Zealand Competition, Houston, Texas: 1st-AA 1st-Vt 3rd-UB 1st-BB 2nd-FX

2005 Top Gym Competition, Charleroi, Belgium: 1st-AA 1st-Vt 1st-FX

LEGEND: AA = All Around | VT = Vault | UB = Uneven Bars | BB = Balance Bean | FX = Floor Exercise | (T) = Tie

China announced 598 homestays in Beijing for better communication between Olympic tourists and local residents here on Friday.

As a supplement of Beijing’s hotel resources, the households can offer 726 rooms for more than 1,000 visitors, said Xiong Yumei, deputy director of Beijing Tourism Administration.

An authorization ceremony for those families was held by the bureau on Friday morning at Shichahai, a popular bar spot in central Beijing.

Zhu Rongjing (R) and Zhu Youyi play games at home beside the Olympic Homestay plate in Beijing, capital of China, July 11, 2008. Zhu’s family was honored Olympic Homestay plate Friday. To supplement Beijing’s hotel resources, 598 homestay households were selected, offering 726 rooms for more than 1,000 potential guests. An authorization ceremony for those families was held on Friday morning at Shichahai, a popular bar spot in central Beijing. The "Olympic family hotels" program, which was created in April, offers foreign visitors a chance to experience Beijing citizens’ real lives. (Xinhua)
The "Olympic homestays" program, which was created in April, offers foreign visitors a chance to experience Beijing citizens’ real lives.

Xiong said travel agencies from Japan, the United States, Canada, Chile and Singapore have considered renting rooms from these families during the Games.

Zhu Rongjing (R) and Zhu Youyi paste paper-cut decorations to the window of their house in Beijing, capital of China, July 11, 2008. Zhu’s family was honored Olympic Homestay plate Friday. (Xinhua Photo)
Up to 450,000 overseas tourists are expected to arrive in August, including 120,000 for the sporting event, she said. Beijing received 420,000 overseas visitors last August.

Source:Xinhua

Beijing, the host city of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, is expected to attract a large number of overseas visitors in the coming months.

Here are phone numbers that may be of use in Beijing:

China country code: 0086

Beijing city code: 010

EMERGENCY SERVICES

Police: 110

Fire: 119

Ambulance: 120 or 999

Traffic Accidents: 122

Traffic First Aid Hotline: 6845 5655; 6845 5665

Poisoning First Aid Hotline: 8316 3388; 8316 0233

Helping Fight Cancer Hotline: 6827 6491

Pick-pocketing Report Hotline: 6401 1327

International SOS Assistance Top: 6590 3419

Emergency Contraception Hotline: 6217 3454

Division of Aliens and Exit-Entry Administration of the BeijingPublic Security Bureau: 6525 5486; 8402 0101 (24-hour automatic inquiry)

TELEPHONE SERVICES

Local Directory Assistance: 114

International Long-distance Register: 115

National Long-distance Operator: 116

Time Inquiry: 12117

Weather Forecast: 12121

Long-distance Phone Inquiry: 176

Civil Aviation Information Inquiry: 2580

Air Ticket Booking Service: 2581

Inquiry of Railway Information: 962585

Railway Ticket Booking: 962586; 5101 6666 (for individual); 5101 6688 (for group)

Beijing Bus Public Transportation Service Hotline: 96166

Taxi Reservation Service: 6837 3399; 96103

Taxi Service Complaint Hotline: 6346 4134; 6835 1570

Reporting Illegal Taxi and Tour Guide: 96310

Construction Noise Complaint Hotline: 6841 3817

Travelers’ Cheque Inquiry: 2850

24-hour Tourist Hotline: 6513 082

Tourist Complaint Hotline at the Beijing Tourism Bureau: 6513 0828

Price Reporting: 12358

Consumer Complaint Hotline: 12315

Beijing Association of Consumers: 6224 1234

Time Inquiry for every morning’s Flag-raising Ceremony at Tian’anmen Square: 6525 7900

Hotline for Budget Hotel Information: 1601123

Anti-Drug Hotline: 6521 4111

Women- and Child-Friendly Healthcare Hotline: 6612 2429; 6618 8089

Patent Consulting Hotline: 2629 1111

Legal Aid Hotline for Environment Protection: 6226 7459

Psychological Consultation Hotline: 6605 5431 ext. 332

Beijing Emergency Center: 6525 5678

Pets Hotline: 160101011

Television Information Entertainment Service Audio Message System: 2858

Film Information Entertainment Service: 2859

Postcode Inquiry: 6303 7131; 6303 7132; 6303 3148

Rescue Hotline for Vehicle Breakdown: 6293 8888

Reporting Public Health Accidents and Complaining Public Sanitary Conditions: 12320

Food Safety Complaint Hotline: 8269 1421; 12315

Reporting Offence in Dog Keeping: 6973 8604

Beijing Municipal Hotline: 6308 8467

Beijing Mayor Hotline: 12345; 6512 8080

COURIER SERVICE

China Post Express Delivery Service and Flower Delivery: 11185

DHL-Sinotrans: 800-830-9871; 6780 6680

Federal Express: 400-889-1888; 6434 8999

TNT: 8733 2214

UPS: 800-820-8388

PHONE NUMBERS FOR MAJOR BANKS

Bank of China: 95566

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC): 95588

China Construction Bank: 95533

Agricultural Bank of China: 95599

China Merchants Bank: 95555

Citibank: 800-830-1880

HSBC: 800-820-8878

Standard Chartered Bank: 800-820-8088

CREDIT CARD HOTLINES

JCB International: 6437 3467

Diner’s Club: 6510 1868

Mastercard International: 6510 1090

Visa International: 6506 4371

American Express International: 6505 2838; 6505 2228

HOTLINES FOR BEIJING AIRPORT, MAJOR AIRLINES’ BEIJING OFFICES

Beijing Capital International Airport information (24-hour hotline): 6454 1100

Air China: 4008100999

China Southern: 95539

China Eastern: 8441 5000

Hainan Airlines: 950718

Aeroflot-Russian Airlines: 6500 2412

Qantas Airways (Australia): 800-819-0089; 6567 9006

Air France: 6588 1388; 6459 0129

All Nippon Airways: 6505 3311; 6590 9191

Japan Airlines: 6513 0822; 6459 0061

Singapore Airlines: 6505 2233; 6459 0050

British Airways: 6512 4070; 6459 0082

Emirates Airline: 5108 8696

Lufthansa German Airlines: 6465 4488; 6468 8838

United Airlines: 800-810-8282; 6463 1111

Northwest Airlines: 6505 1353; 6459 8891 (Airport Office)

Alitalia: 8511 2958; 8511 2959

Air Canada: 6468 2001

Cathay Pacific: 10800-852-1888; 8486 8532

Thai Airways International: 8515 0088

Pakistan International Airlines: 6505 2257

Swiss International Airlines: 8454 0180

Qatar Airways: 6886 6633

American Airlines: 5879 7600

Source:Xinhua

Injury can’t keep floor champion from Beijing

CALGARY, Alberta (AP)—Olympic floor exercise champion Kyle Shewfelt was selected for the Canadian gymnastics team for the Beijing Games this week, 10 months after breaking the tibias in both of his legs.

This will be Shewfelt’s third Olympic Games.

“I have worked so hard to earn my place on this team and now I am ready to push myself hard through the next 30 days,” Shewfelt said in a posting on his Web site, www.kyleshewfelt.com. “Gold medal or not, these Olympics might just be the best of the bunch. And that’s because of everything I’ve gone through just to make it there!”

Shewfelt’s gold on floor at the Athens Games was Canada’s first in artistic gymnastics, and he was expected to be a medal contender in Beijing on floor and vault. But while training Aug. 27 for the world championships, he landed a tumbling move stiff-legged and broke the tibias in both legs and damaged ligaments in his left knee.

He had surgery 10 days later, and underwent extensive rehab. At a national team test event last month, Shewfelt won vault and was second on floor.

Also chosen for Canada’s team were Nathan Gafuik, Grant Golding, David Kikuchi, Brandon O’Neill and Adam Wong. Ken Ikeda and Jared Walls were named alternates.

Updated: 2008-07-02

With this week’s US$600,000 Moscow 2008 Grand Slam being the next to last qualifying event for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, Tuesday’s preliminary rounds for the SWATCH FIVB World Tour stop featured several matches where women’s Beach Volleyball teams were seeking to improve their chances for August’s Summer Games in the Chinese capital.

Although the “official” entry list for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games must to certified by several groups after the final qualifying event July 15-20 in Marseille, France, the Moscow 2008 Grand Slam is the last “major” stop were additional points for each placement are available ranging from 24 points for 41st-place to 800 points for a gold medal finish. At “open” FIVB events like Marseille, 600 points is awarded for placing first and 18 points for 41st-place.

Teams starting play Tuesday with Olympic hopes sill “alive” were Morgane Faure/Virginie Sarpaux of France, Cristine “Saka” Santanna/Andrezza “Rtvelo” Martins of Georgia, Inguna Minusa/Inese Jursone of Latvia, Annie Martin/Dana Cooke of Canada, Diane Pascua/Heidi Ilustre of the Philippines, Lucilla Perrotta/Daniela Gattelli of Italy, Shinako Tanaka/Eiko Koizumi of Japan, Sarah Maxwell/Marie-Andree Lessard of Canada and Hana Klapalova/Tereza Petrova of the Czech Republic.

With Saka and Rtvelo in the last of 24 provisional spots for the Beijing Olympics with a 40-point lead over Mexico’s Bibiana Candelas and Mayra Garcia, the Georgians missed an opportunity to improve their Summer Games qualifying total by dropping a 14-21, 21-19 and 15-10 decision Karin Lundquist and Angelica Ljungquist as the Swedish pair posted two upset wins Tuesday.

While Saka and Rtevlo needed to advance to Friday’s 24-team single-elimination bracket by finishing at least third in a Main Draw pool, Candelas and Garcia will gain 20 points when Moscow 2008 Grand Slam group play starts Thursday and can add another 80 points with at least a third-place in their pool.

In Tuesday’s head-to-head meetings with Olympic hopefuls, Minusa and Jursone scored a 21-17, 18-21 and 18-16 elimination win in 49 minutes over Klapalova and Petrova while Perrotta and Gattelli ousted Pascua and Ilustre’s bid for Moscow 2008 Grand Slam “money” round berth with a 21-17 and 21-19 victory in 44 minutes.

The Latvians are 160 points behind Saka and Rtvelo with 1,440 points for their best eight SWATCH FIVB World Tour finishes since the start of the Beijing process in May 2007. Minusa and Jursone need to place ninth or higher this week to improve their Olympic qualifying total. Perrotta and Gattelli are 480 points behind the Georgians and will improve their Beijing total by reaching the elimination rounds.

Faure and Sarpaux, who have failed to improve their Olympic chances at the last seven SWATCH FIVB World Tour events the past eight weeks, advanced from Tuesday’s qualifier with a win over a team from the Netherlands. The French must place ninth or higher this week to add points to their current total of 1,500.

Martin and Cooke won two matches Tuesday to advance to the Moscow 2008 Grand Slam Main Draw as the Canadians improved their Olympic qualifying total by 20 points to 1,200 and 400 points behind the Georgians. Canadian compatriots Maxwell and Lessard saw their Beijing bid harmed by losing 21-19 and 24-22 in 54 minutes to Brazilians Maria Antonelli and Vanilda Leão to miss advancing to the Wednesday’s “money” rounds.

Also qualifying for the Main Draw Tuesday was Katrin Holtwick and Ilka Semmler as the Germans eliminated Sara Montagnolli and Sabine Swoboda of Austria with a 21-17 and 21-15 win in 40 minutes. While Holtwick and Semmler were 2007 European Tour champions, Montagnolli and Swoboda are currently 19th on the Olympic list with 1,880 points.

Russia will have four teams in the Main Draw after Galina Boyko and Anna Markova eliminated Olympic hopefuls Tanaka and Koizumi 21-13, 14-21 and 18-16 win in 53 minutes. Other host country teams competing in pool play matches Tuesday will be Alexandra Shiryaeva/Natalya Uryadova, Maria Bratkova/Evgenia Ukolova and Viktoria Rastykus/Natalia Stepanova.

The Moscow 2008 Grand Slam also features men’s competition where the qualifier will be played Wednesday with the opening Main Draw matches Thursday. With the Russian capital hosting a SWATCH FIVB World Tour event for the first-time since 1999, the women’s medal matches will be Saturday followed by the men’s podium placement matches Sunday as the final two teams in each gender compete for the $43,500 first-place prizes.

(Credit: FIVB. Click here for further information.)

Updated: 2008-07-04

(BEIJING, July 4) — After three consecutive defeats, New Zealand finally secured an 84-71 victory over Lebanon on Wednesday night at the Jack Donohue International Classic in Canada.

The game was part of a warm-up friendly series for this month’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Athens, where New Zealand will play in Group B against Germany and Cape Verde.

Craig Bradshaw weighed in with 18 points while Kirk Penney grabbed 17 points for the Tall Blacks.

For Lebanon, Rony Fahed dished out a game high 20, with Fadi El Khatib scoring 16 points.

According to FIBA reports, Nenad Vucinic, the coach of the Tall Blacks, expressed relief over the hard-earned victory after falling to Australia and Canada in three previous games.

“Nothing beats a win,” Vucinic said, “after the first three games, when really we didn’t play well.

“Lebanon is an experienced team, (with) plenty of international experience. I was worried about the game but after a slow start we really picked it up and played a really solid basketball game.

“It was a crucial game for us in terms of morale and confidence. After another slow start we were in danger of falling away again and I really challenged the guys.”

The victory is surely significant to New Zealand as they will compete for three Olympic places in the Olympic qualifying tournament.

Updated: 2008-07-03

(BEIJING, July 3) — Canada rolled to their second big win at the Jack Donohue International Classic on Tuesday against a beleaguered New Zealand Tall Blacks.

The team from the FIBA Americas started slow but ended up claiming a decisive 90-63 victory.

Rowan Barrett led the Canadians in scoring for the second consecutive game, making five of eight shots from long range on his way to 19 points, while Olu Famutimi, the high-flying dunking artist who plays professionally in Ukraine and took part in the EuroCup All Star Game this year, had 13 points and five rebounds

Levon Kendall also buried eight of his 10 attempts from the floor in a 16-point effort.

Canada led by as many as 32 and sent the Tall Blacks to a third successive loss after their two friendly defeats to Australia.

“We’re not trying to get used to losing,” Tall Blacks coach Nenad Vucinic said.

“But I must say today’s performance was a much better performance, although the score doesn’t show that. It was a much better performance in terms of execution. The shots didn’t drop for us, we lost our confidence a little bit, and they were able to run away in the fourth and make it a 27-point game.

“Canada are a good team and they’re tough to beat at home, even if you are shooting the ball well.”

Kirk Penney, one of the Tall Black veterans who missed the two games against Australia and has just joined the side, had a game-high 26 points but he was also guilty of turning the ball over five times.

New Zealand had 19 turnovers in the game.

New Zealand were seven of 21 (33.3%) from behind the arc, compared to Canada’s 11 of 26 (42%).

Both Canada and New Zealand are warming up for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Athens, which tips off on July 14.

The Canadians are in Group C with Slovenia and Republic of Korea while New Zealand are in Group B with Germany and Cape Verde.

Vucinic’s team takes on Lebanon on Wednesday, the other side playing in the Donohue event.

Lebanon, who are in Group A of the qualifying event in Athens with Greece and Brazil, were blown out by Canada on Monday.

“They’re an international team,” Vucinic said.

“We have a chance but it will be tough with this inexperienced team. I expect a tight game and a tough game and I’m glad we get another game straight away.”

(Credit: FIBA. Click here for further information.)