Career
In 2007, Peszek competed on the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and the 2007 Pan American Games.
In March 2008, she competed at the American Cup. She placed 3rd in the all-around competition, behind teammates Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson.
After a solid performance at the 2008 U.S. National Championships, Peszek continued to prove her worth to the U.S. team at the Olympic Trials. At the conclusion of the meet, when she was invited to the final Olympic selection camp, most experts, including NBC's analysts, predicted she would be selected for the team. Indeed, she was selected on July 19, 2008 at the conclusion of the selection camp in New Waverly, Texas. Along with Peszek, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Chellsie Memmel, Alicia Sacramone, and Bridget Sloan were selected for the team.
During the 2008 Summer Olympics, Peszek was injured during warm-ups just minutes before the women's qualifier and was restricted to the Uneven Bars. She was the second gymnast to be injured on the 2008 Women's gymnastics Olympic team, the other being Chellsie Memmel. After the Beijing Olympics, Peszek expressed her desire to continue her elite gymnastics career.
After letting her ankle heal Peszek competed for the first time after the Olympics at the 2009 CoverGirl Classic, where she competed only vault and beam, placing 2nd and 9th. She then decided to compete at the VISA Championships with hopes of making the world team as a 3-event specialist, due to a torn labrum in her shoulder she was waiting until after the World Championships to have surgery on. During the Championships she placed 2nd on beam and 7th on floor. Peszek was then added to the US National Team and made it to the 2nd and final selection camp, during which she pulled out and decided to get her torn labrum fixed. She signed with UCLA and has expressed a desire to compete at both NCAA and Elite gymnastics at the same time.
In 2011, Peszek won the balance beam title at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics championship, where she became the first college gymnast to do a standing full on the beam. She was a first team All-American on beam in both 2011 and 2012.
Read more about this topic: Samantha Peszek
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