Shawn’s dad could only pace

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PHILADELPHIA -- Late Thursday night Doug Johnson, father of all-around world champion gymnast Shawn Johnson, was pacing in front of a downtown hotel. He was wearing shorts, a Chow gymnastics T-shirt and flip-flops and his right arm was in a sling.

Johnson said he tore a bicep muscle last week when he was putting down a new floor at Chow’s Gymnastics in West Des Moines, Iowa. It’s the gym owned by Shawn’s coach, Liang Chow, and the gym was damaged when the Raccoon River flooded. Johnson said he needs to have surgery on the arm next Thursday after he watches his daughter compete in the Olympic trials tonight and Sunday.

And he said he knows what everyone is thinking.

‘Better me than Shawn,’ he said.

-- Diane Pucin