Paul Hamm to skip Beijing Games
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Paul Hamm isn’t going to the Beijing Games after all.
The Olympic gold medalist said today that he has withdrawn from the U.S. team because his broken right hand hasn’t healed as quickly as anticipated. Hamm’s accelerated recovery attempt also caused an injury to his rotator cuff.
Here is a link to Diane Pucin’s story about Hamm, which is now on LATimes.com. Pucin writes that:
Hamm’s spot will be taken by one of the three alternates -- 2007 national all-around champion David Duarte; former world pommel horse medalist Alexander Artemev or 2004 Athens alternate Raj Bhavsar.The withdrawal of Hamm makes the path to individual gold much smoother for Chinese favorite Yang Wei and makes the U.S. team’s pursuit of a medal much less likely.
Here is Hamm’s statement from a USA Gymnastics press release:
I have put my heart and soul into my comeback and done everything I could to get ready in time to compete in Beijing. After returning home from the preparation camp, I had a few physical setbacks, and it became clear to me that my physical preparations would not be sufficient to properly represent the United States and contribute to the team’s efforts to win a medal. I recently strained my rotator cuff and have been unable to perform all of my skills. I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to make a comeback. At this point in time, the success of the team and fairness to the team, and the alternates, is most important. While I am very disappointed, I feel I can wait no longer to make this decision.
Here is a statement from USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny:
We admire Paul for making this difficult decision. Paul’s comeback this year has been phenomenal, made even more impressive following the injury to his hand. He has raised the level of determination among the entire team to put forth a medal winning effort in China. We respect his decision at this time, which is being made to serve the best interests of all of the athletes involved.
-- Greg Johnson