Injured Wilson in Good Shape for Run at Title

Blaine Wilson’s right shoulder hasn’t completely healed from surgery 11 months ago. To make matters worse, he strained a muscle in his left shoulder a few days ago.

So, Wilson is in just about perfect shape for his run at an unprecedented fourth straight all-around title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships that begin Wednesday.

“If you’re healthy you’re not a gymnast, that’s the way we look at it,” said Wilson, who has a history of winning titles while recuperating from injuries.

The 25-year-old Wilson was performing on one healthy arm when he won the third of his national all-around titles last year in Indianapolis. He competed with a torn rotator cuff that required surgery last September.

The shoulder also was aching when he won a bronze medal at the Goodwill Games in July 1998, the best finish by an American man in international all-around competition since 1990.

And his body was a wreck when he won his second U.S. title in 1997, still recovering from an exhausting schedule after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Training has become a day-long ordeal that is only beginning when he finishes his workouts.

“I need an ice bag twice a day. Definitely there’s days when I’m tired,” said Wilson, a two-time NCAA all-around champion at Ohio State. “This is definitely a strain on my body, and there are days when I just want to pack it up and head back to Ohio to school.”

The four-day championships at Arco Arena will be used to help pick the U.S. team for the World Championships on Oct. 8-16 in Tianjin, China.

The top 14 men and top 14 women in the all-around competition in Sacramento advance to Kansas City for world championship team trials on Sept. 15-18. The top six men and top six women from those trials qualify for the World Championships.

Wilson, who became the first gymnast since Kurt Thomas in 1976-78 to win three straight national all-around titles, is treating the U.S. meet as a prelude to the World Championships and, ultimately, the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

“I’m not going to go out there trying to win the competition. I’m going to use the meet as a stepping stone for the World Championships,” Wilson said. “My shoulder will be about 85 percent at nationals, 100 percent at the World Championships. If you hit 12 routines right now, you might miss something at worlds.”

Blaine Carew Wilson--he’s named for former Dallas Cowboys lineman Blaine Nye and baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew--started gymnastics in Columbus, Ohio, when he was 3.

He won six NCAA titles at Ohio State and helped the Buckeyes win the 1996 team championship. At the 1997 World Championships, he gained notoriety by sticking out his pierced tongue for all to see.