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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Gymnast Nastia Liukin of Parker brought great honor |
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to the United States of America by winning five medals in the |
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gymnastics competition at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing; and |
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WHEREAS, In a masterful demonstration of her grace and |
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athletic ability, Ms. Liukin claimed the gold medal in the Women's |
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Individual All-Around Final and added two silver medals and one |
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bronze medal in individual events as well as a silver medal in the |
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team competition; her success equals the record for the most medals |
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won by a U.S. gymnast in one Olympics and is the latest achievement |
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in her exceptional career; and |
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WHEREAS, Anastasia Liukin was born on October 30, 1989, in |
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Moscow, Russia; her mother, Anna, was a world champion in rhythmic |
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gymnastics while her father, Valeri, won two gold medals and two |
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silver medals at the 1988 Olympic Games as a member of the Soviet |
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gymnastics team; the family moved to the United States when Nastia |
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was two years old, and she began competing at age six; throughout |
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her career, she has been coached by her father, a founder of the |
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World Olympic Gymnastics Academy located in the Dallas-Fort Worth |
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area, where Ms. Liukin continues to train; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2005, she began competing at the senior |
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international elite level and that same year won the national |
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all-around title and was world champion in two events; her progress |
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was slowed the following year when she suffered a serious ankle |
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injury, but she battled back in 2007 and claimed the world title on |
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the balance beam; in June 2008 at the Visa Championships, she won |
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two events and finished second in the all-around competition to set |
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the stage for her Olympic appearance in Beijing; and |
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WHEREAS, After joining with her fellow U.S. gymnasts to place |
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second in the team competition on August 13, Ms. Liukin achieved her |
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greatest triumph two days later, when she was crowned the |
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all-around Olympic champion; this victory was made even sweeter by |
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the fact that her father had narrowly missed winning the all-around |
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title 20 years earlier in the 1988 Olympics; in the days that |
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followed, she also earned a bronze medal in floor exercise and |
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silver medals in the balance beam and uneven bars events; and |
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WHEREAS, The Olympics stand as one of the most prominent |
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athletic showcases in the world and offer a rare opportunity for |
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athletes to represent their home nations as they strive for |
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excellence; with her amazing performances in Beijing, Nastia Liukin |
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won the admiration of countless people around the globe, and she |
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stands as a notable addition to the outstanding athletic tradition |
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of the United States of America; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby congratulate Nastia Liukin on winning five medals in the |
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gymnastics competition at the 2008 Olympic Games and that she be |
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extended sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Ms. Liukin as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives and Senate. |