By Véronique Bury FIG Editor.

American gymnast Nastia Liukin, vice world champion in 2005 and Gold world medallist at the uneven bars (2005) and beam (2005 and 2007), soared her way into her two favourite apparatus finals Sunday, despite falling on her back during dismount from her bars routine.

How did you do in competition today?
It was much more stressful than we had expected because Samantha Peszek injured herself during warm-ups at her last apparatus, just before we entered the competition area. It was taxing to say the least. While we should have been concentrating on the competition, we couldn't help but worry about our team-mate. In the end, we had to focus and do our best for the team.

Tell us about your fall during dismount from the uneven bars.
I fell because I put a bit too much rotation into the swing. But I'm not overly worried about it. I know I can handle the dismount.

You were seen talking with your dad just after your routine. What did he say to you?
After falling, my father told me to let it go, to think about something else. After all, there was nothing I could do about it. A fall during dismount means 0.80 points, but with my high start value a good score was still possible. When my score was posted, my dad said, 'See, it's still a good score!' After that, I had to stop thinking about it. It was time to move on to beam.

And you wrapped up your round with a flawless performance at beam.
Ending with beam was stressful. We all gave solid routines. We're thrilled to have finished the competition on a positive note. But those were only the qualifying rounds. After this, we have to start all over again from zero! It's a good start, and I’m relieved. We were so ready, like excited horses behind the starting gate.

Do you sense any rivalry among your team-mates?
We're all really good friends. When we travel to competitions, we share hotel rooms. Once the competition has started, things change and we become contenders.

Your dad is at your side during the competition. Is he an important source of support to you?
Yes. I'm lucky to have my dad as my coach. With training and travelling, most gymnasts don't get to see their parents very often. I’m surrounded by my family.