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US Hamm wins all-around gymnastics title
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-08-19 07:15
With his medal hopes all but gone after he hit the judges' table on his vault
landing, Paul Hamm performed two of the most spectacular routines of his
career to win the men's all-around gymnastics title by the closest Olympics
margin ever.
Paul Hamm of the
United States competes in the parallel bars during the men's gymnastics
individual all-around final at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens,
Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2004. Hamm won the gold. [AP
Photo] | "I'm happy right now. Shocked, actually,"
he said. "To be in first place after that kind of mistake, I thought there was
no chance to win."
Hamm needed a 9.825 on the high bar, his best event, to tie Kim Dae-eun of
South Korea for gold — and he was dazzling. The highlight of his routine
are three straight release moves, and he did them perfectly Wednesday night to
become the first U.S. man to win the event.
The reigning world champion from Waukesha, Wis., Hamm threw himself up and
over the bar, catching it on the way down once, twice and then a third time,
soaring higher with each toss.
Hamm's dismount was perfect, and he hit the mat with a solid thud before
thrusting his fists into the air and throwing his head back in amazement. He
waved at the roaring crowd and then sprinted off the podium clapping his hands
while his coach, Miles Avery, jumped up and down on the sideline.
"I thought I could win silver, maybe bronze," Hamm said. "I didn't think I
could win gold until Miles said, `You're the Olympic champion,' and all I could
think to say was, 'No way!'"
Oh, yes. Hamm finished with 57.823 points, beating Kim by .012. The previous
closest margin in the event was .017 by Leon Stukelj of Yugoslavia over Robert
Prazak of Czechoslovakia in the 1924 Games. The women also had .012, in 1992,
when Ukraine's Tatyana Gutsu edged American Shannon Miller.
"I thought maybe I could get first," Kim said. "I'm rather disappointed and
angry, in a way."
Yang Tae-young of South Korea won the bronze. Brett McClure of the United
States finished ninth. He had been fourth going into the final rotation, the
still rings, but that's his worst event.
"I took a picture of the scoreboard after five events, because I knew I was
going to drop," McClure said.
After Hamm's victory, Avery grabbed him in a bearhug. His opponents did the
same, then Hamm dropped into a chair, overwhelmed by what he had done. When his
score of 9.837 flashed on the scoreboard, the arena went into a frenzy.
"We all knew that Paul was the best coming in," said Bob Colarossi, president
of USA Gymnastics. "To fall and then have to do a perfect routine to win it and
stick the landing, is incredible."
As the world champion, Hamm was the clear favorite. And the gold medal
appeared to be within his grasp when he took a .038 point lead over China's Yang
Wei, his biggest rival, halfway through the meet.
Vault is usually one of Hamm's strongest events. He looked good when he hit
the springboard and leapt forward, turning his body sideways before his hands
hit the horse.
Springing backward, he did 1 1/2 somersaults, but he didn't get enough height
on the twists and hit the mat in a crouch. He had no chance to stabilize
himself, his left leg crossing over the right and sending him on a sickening
stumble.
"I don't know how that happened," Hamm said. "It felt good in the air."
The crowd gasped as Hamm fell sideways and back off the mat, hitting the edge
of the judges' table before he plopped down, a stunned look on his face. He got
up and walked off the podium, shaking his head and thinking he'd probably just
cost himself the gold.
Hamm looked dazed when he saw his score of 9.137, which dropped him all the
way to 12th place and more than a half-point behind Yang — an almost
insurmountable deficit. He still had two events to go, but he had to be
absolutely perfect and hope that one of the gymnasts in front of him would make
a mistake.
"I thought it was done," Avery admitted. "He was in 12th place. I looked at
the scoreboard and said it's a long, long climb, because I know the quality of
the gymnasts out there."
Hamm did his part on his next event, the parallel bars. Going first, he
flipped from one handstand right into another on the delicate bars, still as a
marble statue. His dismount was textbook perfect.
His score, also a 9.837, was the highest on the parallel bars, moving him up
in the standings. But he needed help, and he got it as, one by one, his
competition fell away.
First went Yang, who lost the gold medal to Russian star Alexei Nemov in
Sydney four years ago and then finished second to Hamm at last year's worlds.
Doing a one-armed pirouette on the high bar, Yang reached to grab the bar
with his free hand and came away empty. Swinging wildly like a kid on monkey
bars, Yang tried to hang on but couldn't, dropping to the ground and taking his
medal hopes with him.
Isao Yoneda of Japan fell on a similar move. Ioan Suciu of Romania stalled on
a handstand. Marian Dragulescu couldn't keep his arms locked on a flip on the
parallel bars, sinking well beneath the bar with his legs flailing.
When the rotation finally ended, Hamm had moved all the way back to fourth
place, only .313 points out of first.
"Sure, he was a little frustrated" after the fall, McClure said. "But the
great ones take that frustration and direct it toward an event and put up a huge
number. And then, BOOM!"
Competing on floor, Kim's routine was solid but not spectacular. He looked up
as he walked off the floor, then went to the sideline to wait. About five
minutes later, it was Yang's turn on the high bar. His routine was serviceable,
too, but hardly golden, and a small step on his landing gave Hamm a chance.
He made the most of it.
Hopping up and down as he waited, Hamm was the picture of calm once he
stepped on the podium. Starting with slow swings, he quickly built momentum.
Jerking back on the bar as if to get as much power as he could, Hamm began
his release moves, blind throws more than 10 feet in the air that some acrobats
wouldn't try.
But Hamm has a way of making it look easy. And now he has a gold medal to
show for it.
"I dug down deep and fought for everything," he said. "It was the best
performance of my life."
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