Liukin was the first man to do a triple back flip on floor and both a layout Tkatchev and a Jaeger with full twist on high bar.

[3] From 16 September 2016 to 2 February 2018, he was the coordinator for the United States women's national gymnastics team, replacing Márta Károlyi.

He moved to Moscow to join the Soviet Junior National team,[8] where he made his international debut at the 1983 Friendship Cup.

[9] At the 1987 European Championships in Moscow, he won gold medals in the all-around, on the horizontal bar, and in the floor exercise where he was the first gymnast to perform a triple back somersault.

[11][12] At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, Liukin won the gold medal in the team competition and was the co-champion on the horizontal bar with fellow Soviet gymnast Vladimir Artemov.

[14] Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Liukin competed for his native Kazakhstan, most notably at the 1993 World Championships and the 1994 Asian Games, but he did not win a medal at either competition.

[19] On 16 September 2016, he was named the coordinator for the United States women's national gymnastics team, replacing the retiring Márta Károlyi.

[27] Liukin owns and runs three World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) locations with business partner Yevgeny Marchenko.