Gatson Not Second-Class Gymnast

The Gatson is back. And so is Jason Gatson, who originated the eye-catching move on the parallel bars several years ago but didn’t use it much after reconstructive knee surgery sent him back to mastering the basics.

His dynamic rendition of the maneuver named for him catapulted him into second place behind Paul Hamm Sunday in the all-around finals at the U.S. gymnastics championships, clinching the second of two automatic berths on the U.S. team at the world championships at the Arrowhead Pond in August. The victory by Hamm, the second in a row for the hometown favorite, was solid but unspectacular. Gatson’s renaissance, however, was remarkable.

Tested for years by injuries and again Sunday by two falls on the high bar that brought him a 7.85 and put him sixth after the first rotation, Gatson proved his mettle on his last event at U.S. Cellular Arena. His meet-high 9.925, coupled with five-time champion Blaine Wilson’s 8.9 finale on the pommel horse, scripted a dramatic ending.

“After the past year, all my surgeries, this is a dream come true for me,” Gatson said after making the world team for the first time since 1997. “I definitely feel I could help the team on rings, parallel bars, whatever else they want. I’ll work my butt off.”

To do the Gatson, the Colorado Springs, Colo., resident swings as if he’s going to do a handstand but instead hops to one bar, catching it by turning his left wrist nearly around. He then does a 360-degree spin on one hand before catching both bars and finishing with a handstand. “I nailed it right on tonight,” he said.

Even Hamm, who never relinquished the lead he built in Friday’s preliminaries, admired Gatson’s feats.

“Jason really came back strong. That was awesome,” said Hamm, who totaled 113.325 points, one more than Gatson, despite simplifying his rings and parallel bar routines to coddle a sore shoulder. “I had, overall, a sort of mediocre day. I wasn’t great. I wasn’t bad. I just did what I needed to do.... It’s a relief to know I’m on the world team right now.”

Everyone else waited nearly five hours while USA Gymnastics’ men’s program committee chose five gymnasts to vie for the last four spots.

As expected, the list included Wilson, who was third with 112.125 points despite problems on the pommel horse Friday and Sunday. Hamm’s twin, Morgan, fourth this weekend with 111.275 points, fifth-place finisher Brett McClure (110.925 points) and sixth-place finisher Raj Bhavsar, who reeled off two world-class vaults and totaled 110.175 points, also made it.

The surprise was 17-year-old Belarus native Alexander Artemev, a junior-level gymnast who became a U.S. citizen three months ago. He finished eighth but impressed the committee despite scoring below 9.0 in floor exercise, rings and parallel bars Sunday. Guard Young, third last year but seventh this year, was designated the second alternate. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth members and first alternate will be determined at a preparation camp next month in Columbus, Ohio.

“I’m going to help the team win the gold medal,” said Bhavsar, a Houston native and 2002 NCAA champion for Ohio State. “It being in Anaheim, we have a great shot. We’ll have home-crowd advantage, and our gymnasts are just that good.”

Artemev, who lives in Lakewood, Colo., and is the son of two gymnastics coaches, declined a chance to compete for his homeland. “This is so unbelievable to me,” he said. “It’s been my dream to compete for the U.S.”

Stacy Maloney, who coaches the Hamms, said he expects Paul to “dominate for the rest of his career” and for the U.S. men to excel at the world championships.

“Our weaknesses were pommel horse and vault. China really had us there,” Maloney said. “We’ve improved on the pommel horse and also in vault we’ve had 10 or 12 guys with 9.9 vaults. Rings are good, floor [exercise] is good, high bar is great and parallel bars is great.

“At worlds, we’re not going to be at a disadvantage on any event.”