Chow Grooming Next Gymnast for Rio De Janeiro Olympic Games

West Des Moines' Liang Chow has coached two gold-medal gymnasts: Shawn Johnson in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics and Gabby Douglas at the 2012 London Games.

Johnson nabbed gold on the balance beam and grabbed silver in three other events, including all-around. Douglas won the star-making all-around gold and helped the United States squad to a team gold.

So, who's next on the medal podium?

The Des Moines Register reports that Chow, owner of Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute, is working with Rachel Gowey for elite-level competition. Gowey, 15, a ninth-grader at Johnston Middle School, qualified for the junior nationals competition last year in Virginia, winning the beam and finishing second in the all-around.

The pair is focused on Gowey competing in the senior-level National Championships in Hartford, Conn., in August, the Register says. But, the long-term goal is for Gowey to make the U.S. squad at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“She has a chance for Rio. She is a great all-arounder,” Chow told the newspaper.

Gowey will start the summer at a qualifying competition in Pennsylvania in June, the Register said, followed by the U.S. Classic in Chicago in July, and then nationals. The World Championships are in Belgium in the fall.