Olympic Gymnast Shawn Johnson’s Knee Injury Forces Her To Retire

She had hoped to compete in this year’s Olympics in London, but her knee would not cooperate.

Shawn Johnson on May 8, 2012 in New York City.

Image by Paul Zimmerman / Getty Images

Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson announced Sunday on her Facebook page that she is retiring from the sport owing to the knee injury she sustained in a skiing accident in 2010. The AP reports Johnson really did a number on that knee, tearing her ACL, MCL and meniscus, along with her hamstring.

“Unfortunately, it has become obvious that my left knee is not able to sustain the demands of gymnastics any longer. All I can do now is gracefully retire and thank everyone who has believed in me and my journey,” Johnson said in the Facebook statement. The 20-year-old athlete and — and 2009 Dancing with the Stars champion — had been training to compete in this years Olympics in London.

“I am announcing this now so the focus for the next three weeks will be on the incredibly talented gymnasts who are trying to make our 2012 Olympic Team,” she continued. “I have had the honor to train and compete with them, and I am excited to join the gymnastics family and fans in cheering them on to victory. I will be there with every ounce of pride and energy to cheer on my girls and Team USA.”

Johnson won four medals in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, including a gold for her balance beam routine, in which she landed pretty much perfectly throughout. Watch her awesome beam skills here:

Video available at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9y7hxWinW_g.

Johnson will start college in the fall of 2013. She’s choosing between Stanford and Vanderbilt.