Shawn Johnson expressed sadness when recalling "the child that was on the Olympic podium." In the age of 16, the gymnast became a decorated Olympian when she won four medals, including the gold medal on the balance beam, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The event made her the youngest person to win an individual gold medal in history. At the time, she also held the record for most career Olympic medals awarded by a female athlete (four). However, her victory was overshadowed when teammate Yang Jin-hua was discovered to be older than stated on her passport. She had claimed to be only 15 years old so she could compete in the women's vault competition. Johnson began learning gymnastics at the age of 3 from her father, Shawn Johnson Sr., who is also her coach. She grew up in St. Louis with her parents and two siblings. Her family is of African American descent. In addition to being an Olympic champion, Johnson is also a three-time world all-around champion, a two-time beam champion, and a four-time vault champion. She has represented America at five World Championships, winning three silver medals and two bronze medals. At the 2012 London Olympics, Johnson again won four medals: two golds and two bronzes.