Shawn Johnson of the United States finally got her Olympic gold medal Tuesday.

She won it in the last event of the women's gymnastics competition, the balance beam.

Johnson, bothered by a headache before the competition, nailed her routine that was full of difficult tricks, earning a 16.225.

Shawn Johnson of the US on her way to a golden performance in the women's beam August 19 2008. [China Daily]

"I've put everything towards the beam and to finally get a gold medal, on my very last routine, it meant the world," 16-year-old Johnson told reporters. "I remember just saying, 'finally'. To finally have a gold around my neck is amazing.

"I remember seeing Nastia (Liukin) have hers from the all-around and it is so pretty. Silver is really pretty, too".

Johnson already had a silver behind fellow-American Liukin in the all-around, and a silver on floor and in the team event.

Liukin got silver with a tally of 16.025 and finished her Beijing outing with a gold, three silver and a bronze.

Cheng Fei of China took the bronze.

"This is what we expected to see," said Johnson's coach Liang Chow. "The thing I really am pleased with is she was a little under the weather and she still was able to do a wonderful routine.

"This was the right ending to conclude the Olympic Games," American team coordinator Martha Karolyi said. "I feel excellent (about Johnson). I think she needed this so much. She proved she is absolutely a great balance beam gymnast."

Johnson had been expected to go home with a stash of gold after picking up three titles at the World Championships in 2007.

"I actually did seven beam routines before I came out here. The eighth one was the charm."

As the top qualifier, China's Li Shanshan had been tipped for the title but she was one of two finalists to fall off the wood and finished sixth.

Johnson kept her poise on the beam while performing a series of solid twists and flips and was rewarded for packing her routine with a series of difficult elements.

Liukin, the world champion on the apparatus, impressed the judges with her elegant lines and artistry but could not eclipse Johnson on the overall score.

However, she was not too disappointed as she increased her own personal haul from these Games to five.

"To leave here with five Olympic medals, it's just amazing and it's more than a dream come true," said the 18-year-old Liukin.

Liukin was denied gold on the asymmetric bars on Monday through a complicated tiebreak rule despite being awarded the same score as champion He Kexin of China.

China's Li drew gasps from the crowd as she began her display by showing off a string of fast-paced backward flips.

But within seconds the crowd were hushed into silence when she slipped off the 10cm-wide wood while attempting a twisting backward flip.

She hung on for dear life by clinging on to the beam from underneath the apparatus but had to let go, and with it her medal hopes also vanished.

Agencies