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Shawn Johnson will stay for the finish

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BEIJING -- Most of the gymnastics delegation is going home Friday. Not Shawn Johnson. She and her parents Doug and Teri are staying until the closing ceremony.

Because the gymnastics competition began the day after the opening ceremony, none of the athletes marched into the Bird’s Nest. Teri Johnson said there was no way her daughter was going to miss this opportunity.

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‘Shawn can hardly wait,’ Teri said. ‘That was never a question.’

Johnson’s agent, Sheryl Shade, said that Johnson had also enjoyed meeting other athletes in the village, especially track cyclist Taylor Phinney. Apparently Phinney lived in the room below the one shared by Johnson and all-around champion Nastia Liukin.

‘They were able to go out on their balconies and talk,’ Shade said. ‘But no romance. Just friends.’

-- Diane Pucin

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