Nastia, the third woman to win the Gold Medal in the gymnastics all-around competition, is the latest woman to grace the cover of the Wheaties box (which is known to feature predominantly male athletes of various sports) behind Mary Lou Retton and Carly Patterson. After the jump, check out a photo of Nastia posing with 2 of her Wheaties boxes and find out what she had to say about appearing on the box of the so-called Breakfast of Champions …

Three American women have won gold in the gymnastics all-around competition. America’s newest sweetheart, Liukin, will follow in the footsteps of fellow all-around champions Mary Lou Retton and Carly Patterson by joining the Breakfast of Champions family. Liukin led American gymnasts by capturing five medals on the world stage in Beijing, including individual gold in the all-around, silver in the uneven bars and balance beam, and bronze in the floor exercise. She also helped lead the Americans to silver in the team competition. Both of Liukin’s parents were gymnastics champions, and, at 18, the Parker, Texas resident is already one of the most decorated American gymnasts of all time, with multiple world and national titles. “Every young athlete aspires to one day see their face on the cover of the Wheaties box,” Liukin said. “It’s been a huge inspiration to see great gymnastics champions on the box, like Mary Lou and Carly, plus the ‘Magnificent Seven’ from 1996. It’s a privilege and an honor for me to be on the box, and I’m very excited to be part of the Wheaties tradition.” Liukin credits hard work and determination for her success. “I tell young athletes all the time that if you want to become a champion, you need to stay focused, train hard, and pay attention to what you eat,” she says. Proper nutrition is a critical part of peak performance, and Liukin says that’s why Wheaties was a part of her training regimen. “I’m so thrilled for all of our athletes, but in particular to see Nastia take the gold in the all-around and now get her own Wheaties box,” Retton says. “Wheaties is arguably the first and still one of the foremost brand images in all of sports. It’s an honor for any athlete to be on the box and more than anything it epitomizes what it means to be a true champion” … The soon-to-be-released packages will be available nationally beginning in September, continuing Wheaties’ storied tradition of honoring great American champions dating back to Johnny Weismuller and Babe Didrikson in the 1930s.

Aviator Elinor Smith became the first woman to ever appear on the Wheaties box back in 1934 and Nastia Liukin becomes the latest — so congrats. Even tho appearing on the Wheaties box is basically tantamount to a product endorsement (which some might argue isn’t much of an “achievement” per se … does anyone know if she will be paid?) there is something all-American about appearing on that box of cereal. I’m sure Nastia is proud to be on the box and I say good for her! As far as appearing on cereal boxes go, I don’t think there is any higher honor than scoring the Wheaties box (take that, Michael Phelps) … so, again, congrats! Do y’all think this is worthy of praise?

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