Olympic Gold Medalist Nastia Liukin to Join NBC OLYMPICS in Sochi

By: Caryn Robbins Oct. 30, 2013

Former U.S. gymnast Nastia Liukin, a winner of five Olympic medals including gold in the all-around at the 2008 Beijing Games, will join NBC Olympics for its Winter Games coverage in Sochi, Russia, it was announced today.

Liukin, a dual Russian-U.S. citizen who was born in Moscow, will serve as a reporter for NBC Olympics' multi-platform coverage and will present daily features for The Olympic Zone, NBC Olympics' 30-minute daily show for NBC affiliates covering all aspects of the Games.

Liukin's father Valeri won four gymnastics medals (two gold, two silver) for the former Soviet Union at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Her mother Anna was a rhythmic gymnast who won a world title in 1987.

Liukin joined NBCUniversal in 2012 as a contributor for NBCOlympics.com during the London Olympics, and has since served as an analyst for NBC Sports Group's gymnastics coverage.

"Nastia is a decorated Olympic champion who brings a unique perspective to Russia's first Winter Olympics, both as an athlete and a member of a family with a tremendous sports legacy dating back to the former Soviet Union," said Jim Bell, Executive Producer of NBC Olympics.

Liukin won the most medals of any gymnast at the 2008 Beijing Games (five - one gold, three silver, one bronze) and tied the U.S. gymnastics record set by Mary Lou Retton and equaled by Shannon Miller for the most medals at a single Olympics. In 2008, she became the third American woman to win the Olympic all-around competition (Mary Lou Retton, Carly Patterson).

Liukin, currently enrolled at New York University, continues to support the growth of gymnastics with her annual Nastia Liukin Cup and is an ambassador for gymnastics as an athlete representative for both the Federation of International Gymnastics and USA Gymnastics.

For more on Nastia Liukin, click here http://nastialiukin.com/bio-2/.

THE OLYMPICS BEGIN FEB. 6, 2014

With more Winter Olympic events than ever before, competition for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games from Sochi, Russia, will begin one day prior to the Opening Ceremony. As a result, NBC will begin its Primetime coverage of the 2014 Sochi Olympics on Thursday, Feb. 6, one night before the broadcast network provides its traditional Primetime coverage of the Opening Ceremony on Friday, Feb. 7. This marks the first time NBC will air Olympic Primetime coverage before the Opening Ceremony. The Primetime broadcast on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014, is scheduled to include competition in snowboard slopestyle (men's and women's), in which two-time gold medalist Shaun White is expected to compete in the slopestyle's Olympic debut; team figure skating, which is also in the Olympics for the first time; and women's freestyle moguls.