Wilson Wins With One Arm

Grimacing in pain through some of his tricks because he was performing with an injured arm, Blaine Wilson became the first three-time repeat all-around winner in 20 years in the U.S. Gymnastics Championships on Friday night.

Competing with a torn right rotator cuff, Wilson was the first three-time winner since Kurt Thomas, in 1976-1978.

Wilson, 23 and from Columbus, Ohio, is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery Sept. 3.

“It’s something you try not to think about a whole lot,” he said of his three consecutive championships. “But once you get in here, people are talking about it non-stop.”

As the all-around champion, Wilson is eligible for the $37,000 first-place funding allotted by USA Gymnastics for living and training support. He blew away the field with a two-day combined score of 112.425.

Jason Gatson was far back at 109.625.

Wilson’s score Friday night was 55.675, highest for the evening.

“Blaine’s an extraordinary gymnast,” said former U.S. star Bart Conner, who broke Thomas’ three-year run by winning the U.S. Gymnastics Championships title in 1979. “I wish he had more competition.”

Wilson entered the all-around finals Friday with slight lead over Jay Thornton. But Thornton struggled in the second day of competition and dropped to third with 107.750 points. His score Friday was 52.450, and he fell on three of the six events.

“He’s the top guy in the country,” Thornton said of Wilson. “He has been for a couple of years. We need to push Blaine more and keep him trying harder.”

The champion was determined by the combined scores of the preliminary round on Wednesday and Friday’s results.

A bronze medalist in the all-around competition in the Goodwill Games, Wilson struggled most with his arm on the rings but turned in the highest mark in the event, a 9.900.

He had the highest marks in three of the six events Friday night, adding top scores in the parallel bars (9.800) and pommel horse (9.550).

The single highest score of the night was a 9.925 in the vault by Brent Klaus, who turned in a perfect 10.00 on the same event Wednesday night.