As a teenager, Nastia Liukin was part of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team and won the gold medal in the individual all-around event at the 2008 Olympics.
She won silver medals in the team, uneven bars and balance beam events, and a bronze medal in the floor exercise. In 2005, she won gold medals in the uneven bars and balance beam at the World Championships in Melbourne.
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Nastia Liukin attends the 58th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards at Ford Center at the Star on May 11, 2023 in Frisco, Texas. (Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Liukin, now retired from sports, always knew that talent and hard work were the keys to success, but could it also be genetic?
Liukin has partnered with Ancestry to Take the AncestryDNA test They studied Liukin to see if his genes influenced his athletic performance, and among their key findings were that his genes made him more flexible, more agile, more inspiring and more determined.
“For me, knowing that I have ‘good genes’ has allowed me to look at all the other traits that I can have as a person — not just as an athlete, but in everyday life,” Liukin told Fox News Digital. “I think it’s really amazing not only to be able to compete against other athletes, but just to know that for myself.”
“For example, I’ve always known I’m flexible. I never really knew if it was something I was born with or if I just worked at it. But in the end, I realized I was just born with it.”
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American gymnast Nastia Liukin (center), American gymnast Shawn Johnson (right) and Chinese gymnast Yilin Yang (left) pose after the women’s individual all-around final in artistic gymnastics at the Beijing Olympics on August 15, 2008. (Louis Jean/AFP via Getty Images)
Liukin also noted that he wasn’t born with natural strength and that he has had to work harder in the gym to achieve those goals throughout his career.
The results also showed that Liukin was unlikely to be an optimist, which was one of the things that surprised her about the results.
“I was like, wait a minute, that’s crazy,” she said. “I got a little defensive, but then I realized that as an athlete, there are some things you’re born with and some things you have to work hard and train to develop. Looking back now, I had to train myself in my brain, almost by muscle memory, to be an optimist.”
Sports fans can also use AncestryDNA to compete against more than 15 athletes using their own DNA tests, starting Thursday.
Nastia Liukin attends Variety + Sportico Sports & Entertainment Summit Presented by City National Bank at The Beverly Hilton on July 12, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. (Alberto Rodriguez/Variety via Getty Images)
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“At Ancestry, we’re committed to pushing the boundaries of DNA science and innovation to inspire personal discovery,” Ancestry chief commercial officer Brian Donnelly said in a news release. “We’re taking this to a whole new level by enabling customers to compare their own DNA traits with world champion athletes. As the spirit of competition and achievement is celebrated this summer, we want to inspire everyone around the world to explore their own DNA to discover their unique potential and understand what makes them truly exceptional.”
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