Elegance versus power. Cool restraint versus twinkle-eyed pep. Russian roots versus Heartland purity.

Liukin’s way proved superior in 2008, yielding the then-18-year-old an Olympic all-around title and a place among the greatest American gymnasts ever.

Four years later, it’s Johnson who has made out like a winner.

She knew when to walk away from a sport that had passed her by. Liukin didn’t, and it cost her.

Last month Johnson retired from competitive gymnastics, ending her attempted comeback from ACL surgery.

Since then, she’s taken well to her new role as an ambassador of the sport: schmoozing with reporters at U.S. Trials, hyping her former training buddies from Chow’s gym and serving as a recurrent go-to for star-hungry cameras.

Johnson was an undeniable presence this weekend—even in street clothes.

A tier below on the arena floor stood Liukin—somber, defiant and so plainly an outsider among the gaggle of teen upstarts in her midst.

That tableau of past and present grew clearer every time Liukin performed. Day 1 was a struggle throughout. Liukin, by her own admission, “ran out of steam” during a ragged uneven bars routine and wasn’t much better on beam.

Day 2 brought the exclamation point, a sobering face-plant on her uneven bars routine that drew gasps from the San Jose crowd.

Liukin finished her set and the crowd rallied to her aid, but there was no erasing the fall. Among famous final athletic impressions, it belongs to the same category of woe as Brett Favre (bound to the icy turf of a college stadium) and Willie Mays (bound to the fading Mets).

Considering the zeitgeist’s appetite for five-second “fails,” you can bet Liukin’s parting shot will receive ample replay on America’s digital back-channels. And, fair or not, some people will remember Liukin by her eight-foot fall from grace.

Not most, but some.

Now, all this is hindsight, Liukin could have transcended age and expectation á la Dara Torres in 2008. And if she had, we’d all be dreaming up new adjectives to extol her grit, her resilience, her greatness.

But all the tea leaves from Visa Nationals—the last major event before Trials and a veritable exposé of Liukin’s fading skills—said something like this was coming. Maybe not with such horrific emphasis, but, then again, not even the Greeks could have scripted such tragic poignancy.

Many gymnastics fans will say that the brilliance of Liukin’s career should outweigh the fallout of her ill-conceived comeback attempt.

And I agree. But that doesn’t mean the world will.

Brigid McCarthy captures the recent surge of sentiment against Liukin in a piece posted earlier today on The Couch Gymnast (a must-read blog for fans of the sport).

Mariah Carey opened the tribute, and her voice wavered as she told stories about Houston. She recalled the last time she saw Houston last year, and how the two laughed and gossiped together.

“I miss my friend,” Carey said. “I miss hearing her voice and laughter.”

R&B singer Monica was vocally top-notch as she sang “I Love The Lord,” a gospel song once sang by Houston; Brandy sang two upbeat Houston hits, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “I’m Your Baby Tonight.” Chaka Khan blazed the stage with “I’m Every Woman,” which Houston remade. Gary Houston, Whitney’s brother, also performed; and Houston’s “Waiting to Exhale” cast mates — Angela Bassett, Lela Rochon and Loretta Devine — also honored the singer.

But it was Cissy Houston’s soaring performance that brought the audience to their feet, and had many dabbing their eyes. The tribute came five months after Houston’s death: She died the night before the Grammy Awards of an accidental drowning complicated by heart disease and cocaine use.

As compelling as that moment was, the show was also defined by its low points: Entire segments of performances, from Nicki Minaj to Rick Ross, were muted out due to foul language and obscenities, though several vulgarities were heard on air.

It started during the opening number by West’s G.O.O.D. music group, which included Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz. There were long moments of censored silence when the rappers performed “Mercy,” though not all the offending words were bleeped out. Moments later, Jackson, the show’s host, was joined by Spike Lee as they did a comedic version of Jay-Z and West’s hit song “… In Paris,” to laughs.

“Two distinguished Morehouse men,” Lee joked after the performance, referencing the alma mater of the two.

The censor police also worked overtime when Rick Ross performed with his Maybach Music Group and during Minaj’s performance and acceptance speech for best female hip-hop artist. Minaj’s win was her third consecutive time taking the prize.

“I really, really appreciate BET for keeping this category alive, and I appreciate all the female rappers doing their thing, past, present and future,” she said, before uttering an obscenity.

Best gospel winner Yolanda Adams, who also performed, gently took some of her peers to task, urging them to act mature and use their fame wisely.

“We need all of y’all,” she said onstage. “I’m saying the world needs everyone in this room. Please make sure that you use your gift responsibly, `cause we’re watching. Our babies are watching, and they want to be like us.”

Kanye West, the most nominated act of the night with seven, and Jay-Z won the ceremony’s top prize, earning video of the year for “Otis.” They also won best group.

Beyonce was the second most nominated act with six. She won video director of the year (along with Alan Ferguson) and best female R&B artist and thanked the genre and her female influences.

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