Gymnast Shawn Johnson retired from the sport this week at the tender age of 20, citing a knee injury. She leaves the sport with a jam-packed resume, including several Olympic medals, a “Dancing With the Stars” title — and the honor of having judged a Miss America pageant with Rush Limbaugh.
Johnson, who swung into town to participate in a kids’ fitness event in Southwest D.C., told Yeas & Nays that Limbaugh was not what she was expecting. “I don’t know if he wants me to print this,” Johnson said, “but he’s actually a really nice guy. I was pleasantly surprised.”
Limbaugh was also the toughest on the judging panel, Johnson said, “grilling” the beauty queens for seven hours of interviews that weren’t shown on TV.
What did he ask them about? “Everything,” Johnson said. “…it was all the controversial issues, and seeing who stuck up for what they believed in and who said what they thought they were supposed to say.”
Though Johnson held the contestents in high regard, she doesn’t see pageantry in her future. “I would stick out like a sore thumb,” she said. “They have, like, six-foot-long legs.” (Johnson is 4’10”.)
Another unlikely avenue for the new retiree: politics. Johnson has already worked with Rep. Bruce Braley on the passage of a fitness bill that bears her name and has plenty of advocacy work under her belt. But she said she’s unlikely to pursue a political career.
“I’ve had a few people suggest that,” she admitted. “I don’t know if I ever could. I don’t know if I have a strong enough stance. I’m one of those who sees both sides.”
So what does the 20-year-old retiree want to do now? “…I’m still trying to work on that,” Johnson said. “But everything.”
