2008 Olympic gymnasts aiming for spot in London

ST. PAUL  With an eye on the 2012 Olympics, gymnasts Shawn Johnson, Alicia Sacramone and Chellsie Memmel are attempting to regain form that won them team silver medals in Beijing three years ago.

They will contend with their sport's new generation this week in the Visa national championships at the Xcel Energy Center. Men's preliminaries are tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET; women's preliminaries are Thursday.

Among the 2008 Olympians, Sacramone, 23, is closest to peak form as defending world champion in vault. "That's crazy," she said. "It was something I was trying to do for so long."

Sacramone and Memmel had a rough time at the Olympics. Sacramone was inconsolable after falling from beam and in floor exercise in team competition; a broken ankle limited Memmel to uneven bars.

"When you think about your dreams coming true, you don't envision a mistake," Sacramone said Tuesday. "Those mistakes were uncharacteristic of me."

Sacramone seems to have regained the trust of women's team coordinator Martha Karolyi. "She did a tremendous job at worlds (last year)," Karolyi said. "Everything is going in a good direction."

Last month, Memmel, 23, finished second in the Cover Girl Classic and Karolyi said she could make the five-member world team that will compete in Tokyo in October.

Johnson, the 2008 all-around silver medalist and gold medalist on balance beam, also competed in the Cover Girl meet, her first since knee surgery in February 2010. Her routines were flawed, prompting her to say she was out for redemption. "I know what I do every day in the gym," she said. "I so want to show everyone what I've been working on."

Karolyi said she expects Johnson, 19, to be in the mix for 2012 if not the upcoming world meet.

Bridget Sloan, a 2008 Olympian and 2009 world all-around champ, will not compete this week as she recovers from a left biceps injury.

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The younger group is led by Jordyn Wieber, 16, and Rebecca Bross, 18, the defending U.S. all-around champion who won bronze in all-around at the 2010 world championships. Bross is trained by Valeri Liukin, who coached daughter Nastia to the 2008 Olympic all-around title. Nastia Liukin is undecided about trying for the 2012 Games.

Valeri Liukin's club in Plano, Texas, World Olympic Gymnastics Academy, has produced the last two Olympic all-around champions in his daughter and Carly Patterson in 2004. He believes Bross could be the third consecutive gold medalist.

"That's the plan, basically," he said. "Otherwise it's not fun for her to work that hard. And she's a workaholic."

The combination of youth and veterans appeals to Karolyi. "Veterans give you experience. The new generation gives you enthusiasm and energy. It's usually a good combination."

The men have one returning Olympian in Jonathan Horton but could add another if Paul Hamm, the 2004 Olympic all-around champ, makes it back from a right shoulder injury that required surgery in January. Hamm said he plans to compete in February.