Brandy Johnson
Encyclopedia
Brandy Johnson, also known as Brandy Johnson-Scharpf (b. April 30, 1973, Tallahassee, Florida
) is a retired American gymnast, gymnastics judge and stuntwoman.
A member of Brown's Gymnastics club in Orlando
, Florida
, Johnson made an impressive debut in high-level competition, winning the all-around, vault, floor exercise and balance beam titles at the 1986 Junior Olympics National Championships. The following year, in her first US National Championships, Johnson won the all-around gold medal in the junior division. She also received her first international assignment, the Chunichi Cup in Japan
, where she achieved a twelfth-place finish.
During the buildup to the 1988 Olympics, Johnson moved to Houston, Texas
to be coached by Marta
and Béla Károlyi
. She placed sixth at the 1988 US Nationals and fourth at the Olympic Trials, securing a berth on the US team for the 1988 Olympics
in Seoul
. At the Olympics, Johnson's tenth-place all-around finish was the highest for an American gymnast in the meet. She qualified for an event final on the vault, where she placed fifth. She along with Kelly Garrison-Steves and Phoebe Mills, were the only U.S. women to qualify for an individual event final, .
Johnson opted to continue competing in 1989, returning to Brown's. It was a successful year for her, as she nearly swept the US National Championships, winning the all-around title and every event final, with the sole exception of uneven bars. She also achieved outstanding results as a member of the fourth-place US team at the 1989 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
, coming in second on the vault and seventh in the all-around. Her AA placement was, at the time, the highest ever achieved by an American woman at Worlds. Her silver medal was the only one for an American gymnast in the competition. For her contributions to gymnastics in 1989, Johnson was nominated for the James E. Sullivan Award
.
Johnson competed well in 1990, placing third in the all-around and winning vault and floor gold at the US Nationals and winning the Olympic Festival AA. She placed 5th AA in the 1990 World cup and was an event finalist on bars, beam, and floor. However, it also marked her last year of elite competition.
After retiring from elite gymnastics in 1990, Johnson worked for several years as a stunt double in Hollywood movies, including the film adaptation of the British comedy Bean
. She is now married, has one child, and is the owner of the Brandy Johnson's Global Gymnastics in Clermont, Florida
. Johnson also remains involved in the sport as a judge. In 2000, she was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
) is a retired American gymnast, gymnastics judge and stuntwoman.
A member of Brown's Gymnastics club in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Johnson made an impressive debut in high-level competition, winning the all-around, vault, floor exercise and balance beam titles at the 1986 Junior Olympics National Championships. The following year, in her first US National Championships, Johnson won the all-around gold medal in the junior division. She also received her first international assignment, the Chunichi Cup in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where she achieved a twelfth-place finish.
During the buildup to the 1988 Olympics, Johnson moved to Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to be coached by Marta
Marta Károlyi
Márta Károlyi , is an American gymnastics coach and the National Team Coordinator for USA Gymnastics. Károlyi is originally from Romania, she and her husband, Béla, are ethnic Hungarians, and trained athletes there as well, but defected to the United States in 1981...
and Béla Károlyi
Béla Károlyi
Béla Károlyi is a Romanian gymnastics coach. He was born in what was then Kolozsvár, Hungary, a region restored to Romanian administration after 1944. Károlyi and his wife, Márta, also of Hungarian origin, emigrated to the United States in 1981 and both have dual citizenships for Romania and the...
. She placed sixth at the 1988 US Nationals and fourth at the Olympic Trials, securing a berth on the US team for the 1988 Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
. At the Olympics, Johnson's tenth-place all-around finish was the highest for an American gymnast in the meet. She qualified for an event final on the vault, where she placed fifth. She along with Kelly Garrison-Steves and Phoebe Mills, were the only U.S. women to qualify for an individual event final, .
Johnson opted to continue competing in 1989, returning to Brown's. It was a successful year for her, as she nearly swept the US National Championships, winning the all-around title and every event final, with the sole exception of uneven bars. She also achieved outstanding results as a member of the fourth-place US team at the 1989 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
1989 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 25th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Stuttgart, West Germany, in 1989 from October 14 to October 22.The scoring rule New Life was introduced for the first time ever...
, coming in second on the vault and seventh in the all-around. Her AA placement was, at the time, the highest ever achieved by an American woman at Worlds. Her silver medal was the only one for an American gymnast in the competition. For her contributions to gymnastics in 1989, Johnson was nominated for the James E. Sullivan Award
James E. Sullivan Award
The James E. Sullivan Award, presented by the American Amateur Athletic Union , is awarded annually in April to "the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States". Often referred to as the Oscar of sports awards, it was first presented in 1930. The award is named for the AAU's founder and past...
.
Johnson competed well in 1990, placing third in the all-around and winning vault and floor gold at the US Nationals and winning the Olympic Festival AA. She placed 5th AA in the 1990 World cup and was an event finalist on bars, beam, and floor. However, it also marked her last year of elite competition.
After retiring from elite gymnastics in 1990, Johnson worked for several years as a stunt double in Hollywood movies, including the film adaptation of the British comedy Bean
Bean
Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
. She is now married, has one child, and is the owner of the Brandy Johnson's Global Gymnastics in Clermont, Florida
Clermont, Florida
Clermont is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States, west of Orlando. The population was 13,100 in 2008. The city is essentially residential in character and its economy is centered in retail trade, lodging, and food and beverage establishments, which are tourism oriented. The historic...
. Johnson also remains involved in the sport as a judge. In 2000, she was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.