High-flying Horton

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BEIJING -- Jonathan Horton has one more Olympic event left. He’s won a bronze medal with his U.S. teammates in the men’s gymnastics team competition and finished ninth in the individual all-around.

Still to come is the high bar final. It’s Tuesday and it is the final competitive Olympic event, left until last so the crowds walk away with oohs and aahs after they watch the most circus-like of the apparatus.

Horton is up sixth among the eight competitors and his coach, Mark Williams, said Horton would be willing to take a chance and throw in an extra trick if there is a medal waiting to be won. ‘If he has an opportunity to go big he may,’ Williams said. ‘He could add a full-twisting kovac in a layout position and raise his start value. He risks not catching the bar but if the guys ahead of him score real high Jon said he wants to be in position to compete for a medal.

‘He’s only got one event left and three days to prepare. You know, what the heck?’

What is a full-twisting kovac in a layout position?

Scary.

-- Diane Pucin