Cincinnati Gymnastics product Samantha Sheehan, 16, recently shocked the American gymnastics world, not only by making the World Championship Team for the United States but by placing third in the floor exercise in her first international competition.

The Cincinnati Christian student from Villa Hills, Ky., fresh off her trip to Hungary for the competition, recently took a break from the gym to answer five questions from Enquirer sports reporter Ryan Ernst.

1. How did you first get involved with gymnastics?

When I was younger, my sister did it, and I always wanted to do whatever my sister did. So it was a fun little thing that wasn't serious. The turning point came when I started training in Cincinnati seven years ago.

2. Take me through a typical day of training and school for you.

I get up at 6:30 in the morning and leave my house around 7 for the gym. I'm usually at the gym training from 8 to 12. Then I go to school until about 1:30. I just take one class. Then I'm back at the gym from 2 to 5, before going home again.

3. As such a long shot to make the U.S. team for the World Championships, what was your goal going to Hungary?

My goal was just to make the semifinals. I thought that would be a great start for me, to get through preliminaries and into the semifinals. That was my main goal going in. But wow, things really changed after that. I wanted to make the semifinals but also just to do the best I could and what I trained to do.

4. What did you think of Hungary?

It was amazing to see how different and cool things can be in another country. It really makes you appreciate what we have here in the U.S.

I learned so much, not only from the competition, but about life in different cultures.

5. Now do you start to focus on the 2004 Olympics?

Next year the World Championships are in the U.S., so I want to make that team also and then from that hopefully start to concentrate on the Olympics. But right now I'm focusing on next year.