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Samantha Peszek left Conseco Fieldhouse wearing two medals around her neck.
Good thing they weren't heavy. She couldn't endure more strain on an ailing back.
The 13-year-old from McCordsville, Ind., slipped off the balance beam and slid from fourth to seventh in the junior all-around standings Saturday at the Visa Championships.
But she achieved a gold medal on vault, a silver on floor exercise and affirmation that she bears watching as U.S. female gymnasts build toward the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
"I'm really happy that I got to win vault this year, but I'm also upset that I fell on beam because I know I could have made that routine," Peszek said.
The junior all-around was won by Natasha Kelley, 15, Katy, Texas. She was born Jan. 1, 1990, making her one day too young for senior competition.
Kelley, coming off a broken hand, scored 74.681 points for a 0.101 margin over Bianca Flohr, 14, Creston, Ohio.
Scores from Thursday and Saturday determined the all-around champion.
The top score of either day was Saturday's 37.499 by former child model Shayla Worley, 14, Orlando, Fla. She climbed from fifth to third after the first round and had a 73.515 total.
Kelley scored 9.45 in her final routine to secure the all-around and overtake Peszek for the floor exercise gold.
"I knew I had to get a score like that," Kelley said, "but I just tried not to think about it."
Peszek said she tried not to think about her back.
She strained it in last month's U.S. Classic on a vault landing and had massage therapy Saturday between warm-ups and competition. Coaches rubbed her back as she prepared for uneven bars.
Then it was off to the beam, in which Peszek's routine was steadier overall than in the first round. But her 8.483 score included a 0.5 deduction for a fall.
Her second-day score of 35.699, coupled with Thursday's 36.332, totaled 72.031. She climbed one place from last year's junior nationals, where she was flawless with lesser routines.
"Even though I would want to have a perfect meet every meet, I know that can't happen," Peszek said. "If I was going to mess up, I'm glad it happened here.
"Last year I hit all 8-for-8, and that's a hard expectation to live up to, to do that two years in a row."
Peszek had a two-day vault score of 18.832. Kelley edged her on floor, 18.783 to 18.700.
Gymnasts with more than one individual medal were Kelley (four), Flohr (three), Worley (two) and Peszek (two).
Peszek and Elizabeth McNabb represented DeVeau's School of Gymnastics, Fishers. McNabb finished 18th, narrowly missing one of 16 spots on the junior national team.