Published: June 10, 2009 01:27 pm      

‘Dancing with the Stars’ champ, Olympic gold medalist visiting New Albany on Thursday

Shawn Johnson will be holding gymnastics clinics in area

Shawn Johnson will be dancing her way to New Albany on Thursday.

Johnson, fresh off her victory on the TV program “Dancing with the Stars,” will conduct a gymnastics clinic from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at SIGS Sportsplex in New Albany, 4343 Security Parkway.

While she’s been making headlines recently for her fancy footwork on the popular reality TV show, Johnson initially gained fame when she won two medals — a gold on the balance beam and a silver in the all-around — at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She is also the 2007 all-around world champion and the 2007 and 2008 U.S. all-around champ.

During her visit to the area, Johnson also will conduct a clinic at WildCard Gymnastics, 5564 Shepherdsville Road, in Louisville on Friday and will hold two special free events for local special-needs children. Those events will be held at the Muhammad Ali Center, 144 N. Sixth St., and St. Stephen Martyr School, 2931 Pindell Ave., in Louisville.

For more information on Johnnson’s visit to SIGS, call 812-949-7447 or visit www.sigssportsplex.com.