13 years ago, a four-time Olympic medalist from Des Moines was standing proud on the podium with a gold medal around her neck. But little did she know that things were going to take a drastic turn very soon. She began her gymnastics journey at the tender age of 3, and there was no turning back. At 16, she shook the stage at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and clinched gold on the balance team, making history. However, fate had a different plan for her. Thirteen years later, this vet has decided to draw the curtains on her journey. How? She gained endorsements and overnight fame just as a teenager, but trouble was lurking in the shadows. On her 18th birthday, during what should’ve been a carefree ski trip, Shawn Johnson East suffered a devastating injury—she tore her left ACL in a freak accident while navigating the slopes. The injury was so severe that it required reconstructive surgery, which not only derailed her training but also put her Olympic dreams in jeopardy. Despite the odds, she mounted a courageous comeback attempt, pushing through grueling rehab to return to competition for the 2011 Pan American Games. But something had changed. Even with all her efforts, the fire wasn’t the same. The injury had taken a physical toll, but the mental weight proved even heavier. Despite her lifelong love for gymnastics, the spark that once fueled her every move now felt dimmed.Almost 13 years later, Shawn reminisced about her glorious career and the premature retirement from the same while speaking to Maddy Kirchofer on Barrier Breakers. The 33-year-old entrepreneur and Dancing with the Stars champ laid out her perspective and sat for a 22-minute chat with Whistle Sports’ Maddy Kirchofer on June 5th to reflect on the journey. Upon being asked about her injury and the official retirement announcement, Johnson East said, “It wasn’t about injuries at the time, nothing. I just fell out of love with it. And I knew it was my time to say goodbye and let someone else take it. And I am glad I did because I met my husband. So I retired right before the Olympic trials and ended up going as a correspondent to watch and work with the Today Show at the time for the 2012 games, which was great. And I didn’t feel like I was missing out.”“Like, even sitting in the stands watching the girls compete, I knew that’s where I was supposed to be. I didn’t feel like I was supposed to be on the floor or supposed to be on that team. My time was done,” Shawn continued, explaining how being on the other side of the stands felt like. She might not have been a participant in the 2012 Olympic games, but Johnson East was present on the Today Show during the London 2012 Olympics to discuss her experience in gymnastics and the scenario of her team before the 2012 London Olympics.She was just 20 when she retired from gymnastics—an age where athletes are still in their prime. She spoke to Kelly O’Hara back in 2022 at The Players Pod in an hour-long podcast, and said that her retirement was one of the hardest decisions of her life. “I was struggling a lot mentally with the doubt. I doubted myself a lot,” she expressed in the same podcast. She had it all, the triumphs, the setbacks, and the huge sacrifices to get to the top, and now she is leading a different life with her NFL star husband, Andrew East, and their 3 kids.Life after retirement for Olympian Shawn Johnson EastIn 2012, just a week before the London Games trials, she officially put her papers down, and that started a new chapter in her life. It was just like a movie when Johnson East met her husband, Andrew East. Shawn was present at the London Olympics 2012 despite not being on the team, and guess what? The American football long snapper was present there as well because his brother Guy East was competing in the cycling events. The couple, who have a YouTube channel, shared their story there back in 2018. Ever since then, she has started a family of her own with her husband, after they tied the knot back in 2016. The couple are parents to young kids Drew, 4, Jett, 3, and their newborn son, Bear.2012 was a pretty stacked year for her because not only did she retire and meet her husband, but also went back to Dancing with the Stars All-Stars edition and wrote a memoir. Her book, ‘Winning Balance: What I’ve Learned So Far about Love, Faith, and Living Your Dreams‘, talks about her life and career.Beyond her stacked-up trophy and medal cases, she has other vital achievements —her online digital content and consulting agency, along with her company, Beam Kids. She created a superpowder that is prepared to provide a broad range of nutrients to support children’s health. Additionally, she has invested in various businesses while also appearing as a co-star on CNBC’s Adventure Capitalists. She is also involved in partnerships with Kraft Natural Cheese. Johnson East also became the winner of Season 8 of Dancing with the Stars in 2009, so her success knows no bounds. She also returned as a contestant on the All-Stars edition (Season 15) in 2012 with Derek Hough, where the pair ended as runners-up. While speaking to Maddy Kirchofer on Barrier Breakers, she narrated her experience of getting selected for the dance show and then winning it back in 2009! Johnson East also mentioned how she was much freer and could express herself in the show —a breath of fresh air from the “stoic” gymnastic training. “It was the first time I felt like I could take a breath, and it was okay to cry,” the Olympian narrated in the podcast.The icon had buried her “Olympic medals in my backyard,” as per her conversation with US Weekly back in June 2023, but never forgot the legendary moments. She also did not deny that “the proudest moment” of her career was when she was crowned the Olympic champion. But now? Johnson East has found a new purpose to keep going and striving for the best in her personal businesses and family life. The post 13 Years After Injury Forced Retirement, Gymnastics Icon Makes Heartbreaking Confession: ‘Fell Out of Love’ appeared first on EssentiallySports.