DOHA, Qatar — If you don’t look too closely, everything looks as it always did.
Liang Chow, who coached Gabby Douglas and Shawn Johnson, smiles brightly as his gymnasts make their way around the competition floor. Valeri Liukin, who led daughter Nastia to the Olympic all-around title in 2008, offers corrections after his athletes finish on uneven bars. Mihai Brestyan stands near the vault, watching as he did when Aly Raisman and Alicia Sacramone were sprinting down the runway.
Yet the three longtime staples of the U.S. team will not be with the American women Tuesday as they seek their fourth consecutive title at the world gymnastics championships. Chow is now head coach of the Chinese women’s team. Liukin is working with the Brazilians. Brestyan is Australia’s coach.
“We worked together, with Mihai and Valeri, for a number of years. Achieved wonderful, wonderful achievements,” Chow said. “Great memories. I guess we all have to move on to a new journey.”
Chow didn’t have anyone on the U.S. team for the 2016 Olympics, and none of his athletes are in the mix this quadrennium, either. So when China’s gymnastics federation called earlier this year and asked him to be the women’s coach, he couldn’t turn it down.
Though he has lived in the United States for almost 30 years, China is where he was born. His success as a coach is rooted in his time as an athlete on the Chinese national team.
And lord knows China needs his help.
The Chinese put everything into winning the team gold in Beijing, and they were successful, edging the U.S. for their first Olympic title. But China's talent level has dropped off considerably since then.
After missing the podium in London, it was third at the Rio Olympics.
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