Olympic Gold Medalist in Owensboro KY to Ride With the Blue Angels

The 2024 Owensboro Air Show is upon us and is apparently drawing the interest of a certain celebrity who arrived in town for a very special mission.

Sixteen years ago, however, her mission was quite different and took her to Beijing for the 2008 Olympics where she wowed the globe with this extraordinary performance:

It's a performance that led to this:

(I had to include that; medal ceremonies are among those special events in sports.)

Well, I don't know if she has her medal with her but Shawn Johnson--now Shawn Johnson East--is in Owensboro to take flight with the Blue Angels ahead of this weekend's Owensboro Air Show.

After winning the balance beam gold in 2008, Shawn took to the Dancing With the Stars stage in 2009 and, once again, walked--I mean, DANCED--away a winner.

Three years later, in 2012, Shawn finished second in the DWTS All-Star edition and, in 2015, hobnobbed with a future president on Celebrity Apprentice, becoming the sixth contestant fired that season.

These days, Shawn and her husband Andrew East host a podcast called Couple Things on which they cover a variety of topics like parenting and its phases; a 60-person family reunion in one cabin; their worst date stories; and, naturally, the recent Summer Olympics in Paris.

This week, however, Shawn has taken a media flight with the angels, the Blue Angels, who will perform this weekend.

The Owensboro Air Show is Friday, September 13th through Sunday, September 15th and is a rain-or-shine event.