Lonely Jana Bieger

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Jana Bieger is a most anonymous world all-around silver medalist, a title she won in 2006. Bieger was left home when last year’s world championships were held in Stuttgart, Germany. Bieger’s mother and coach Andrea, was German-born and the snub left Bieger feeling downcast. The team won a gold medal and Bieger continued recovering from injuries that had made her 2007 season full of fits and starts.

On Wednesday the 18-year-old from Coconut Creek, Fla., sat on a high-backed chair in a room full of her American teammates. Media was three-deep around Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin, Ivana Hong and Mattie Larson, Samantha Peszek and Bridget Sloan.

Bieger sat alone. Her smile slowly faded. ‘Yes,’ she said, ‘I guess I need to open people’s eyes about me again,’ she said. Bieger was fifth at the national championships but she had not big, big scores or standout performances.

‘Two years ago I was the world silver medalist and that shows I can do the gymnastics,’ Bieger said. ‘But the coaches always say that what you did two years ago doesn’t matter a bit. I guess that’s true.’

photo credit: Alexander Hassenstein Bongarts/Getty Images