USA gymnastics team fares well

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - After snapping yet another photo, Valeri Liukin made eye contact with his daughter on the medal stand and pumped his right arm.\nShe was up there for bronze, but this was a victory sign.\nNastia Liukin won gold in the balance beam and earned bronze in the uneven bars and floor exercise as the U.S. women's gymnastics team wrapped up a successful week at the Pan American Games by taking three of four individual events Tuesday night.\nChellsie Memmel won gold in the uneven bars. Tia Orlando waited the entire night to perform the floor exercise as the final competitor, and she won, too.\nThe only thing the Americans didn't win was the vault.\n"It was just an amazing meet," said Memmel, 15, of West Allis, Wis., who scored a 9.575 on the bars.\nShe can add her latest triumph to the golds she earned in the all-around and team competitions.\n"I definitely did better than I expected," she said. "I just wanted to hit my routines."\nThe Americans won the team competition Saturday, President Bush called with congratulations Sunday, Memmel won the all-around Monday, edging Liukin. And oh what a finish Tuesday.\nCuba's comeback girl, Leyanet Gonzales, opened the meet by winning the vault, scoring a 9.512.\nThe 24-year-old Gonzales is married to Cuban gymnastics star Eric Lopez, and they have a toddler son, Eric Jr.\nGonzales briefly retired, but returned to the gym after giving birth and got back into competition.\nMemmel also added a bronze in the balance beam. Orlando, of Macungie, Pa., scored a 9.587 to win on the floor. Her teammates cheered wildly when her score finally appeared.\n"We sat there forever," she said. "I was getting antsy. I would stand and I would sit. I was trying to keep my focus. Everything just kind of fell into place."\nThe U.S. women's team earned the first gold medal for the Americans here, beating Canada and Brazil in the team competition.\nLiukin, born in Russia and one of two 13-year-olds gymnasts in the U.S. delegation, won the U.S. junior title in June, but is too young to compete in the world championships later this month or next year's Athens Olympics.\nLiukin, who weighs 66 pounds, is coached by her father, Valeri, in Plano, Texas. Her dad won four medals, two golds, at the 1988 Olympics. Her mother, Anna, was the world rhythmic champion in 1987.\n"I'm really happy," Valeri said. "She's really tired already. It's her first big meet. This much work right away is not easy. She held up and I'm very proud of her."\nIt was at age 13 that Valeri emerged among the world's elite, though he admits he wasn't as poised as his daughter.\n"He told me he became a national champion at that age," she said. "To me it's so cool we share the same thing in a year of our lives."\nThe U.S. male competitors watched as the 31-year-old Lopez won gold in every event he entered Tuesday to leave the Pan Ams with six total. He also won the all-around and the team event.\nLopez has 18 Pan Ams golds for his career. He was first in pommel horse, rings, vault and parallel bars.\nDespite his incredible success at the Pan Ams, Lopez has yet to win an Olympic medal.\n"I want to close my career with an Olympic medal of any color," Lopez said. "Then I can retire at the top."\nThe U.S. men collected two individual medals, by Clay Strother of Jasper, Texas. He won silver in the floor exercise and bronze in pommel horse.