Olympic Medalist Nastia Liukin Face Plants Hard, Misses Cut [VIDEO]

Sometimes life provides metaphors that cannot be ignored. Sadly, for 2008 Olympic hero Nastia Liukin, that metaphor came in the form of a hard, video-tapped face plant.

Liukin was an American hero in the last summer Olympics, winning numerous medals in the highly competitive field of female gymnastics. Unfortunately, the career window of gymnasts is a short one, and Liukin was unable to secure a spot on this year’s squad. In one of the last routines of her career, and the Olympic Qualifiers, Liukin suffered a vicious fall from the uneven beams, a fall which slammed the door on her last opportunity to make the team. Luikin retired after missing the cut.