Paul Hamm - Men's Gymnastics

[sandgk]

A couple of good articles on 2004 Olympic Champion Paul Hamm.

First a piece in NYT in the lead up to the 2008 American Cup.

The fact that Paul Hamm is here is a surprise, even to him.
?After the Olympics,? he said, ?I laid off for two and a half years. I went back to school and got it out of the way as fast as I could. I took 18 to 20 credits at a time.?
He said that he received his degree in accounting from Ohio State in June and that he wanted to pursue a master?s in business administration after the Olympics.
?I lived a college life,? he said. ?I?d go to films. I?d hang out with friends. It was an enjoyable time. I learned what else is out there. But I didn?t plan to return to gymnastics. I thought I would get on with my life.
?But in December 2006, Morgan and I sat down and decided to compete again. We thought there was more we could do.?

Then, the report on his win in the 2008 American Cup ...

Right now, the men don't have anyone to challenge Hamm, who outpointed countryman Alexander Artemev, 94.400-91.150, despite breaking on his pommel horse routine.
"What he's done to this point is phenomenal," said his coach, Miles Avery.
But there's a cluster of people below Hamm - his brother, Horton, Artemev, Guillermo Alvarez, David Durante, Sean Golden, Raj Bhavsar - who also have global seasoning and can hold up when the pressure is turned up.
Beating the Chinese at Olympus would be an astounding achievement in any year and the odds are long.
"We have to be at the top of our game and they have to be a little off," concedes Hamm. "We understand that going in."

The Official Ohio State site also links to a story about Miles Avery coaching Hamm for that event.

? Miles Avery, Ohio State men?s gymnastics head coach, travels to New York City, N.Y., this weekend to guide 2004 all-around Olympic gold medalist Paul Hamm at the 2008 Tyson American Cup. The event, starting at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in Madison Square Garden, marks the start of USA Gymnastics? ?Road to Beijing? and will showcase the world?s top gymnasts. NBC Sports will be airing the event at 1 p.m. Saturday.

For Hamm, who finished first in the all-around at the Winter Cup Challenge Feb. 9, the Tyson American Cup is only his second competition after taking time off to finish his undergraduate degree at The Ohio State University. Along with Hamm, former Buckeye Raj Bhavsar (2000-03), Oklahoma senior Jonathan Horton and Alexander Artemev will be representing the U.S. at the world competition.

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Gymnastics: Doctor clears Paul Hamm for gymnastics activity

Friday, July 4, 2008 5:46 AM

Olympic gold medalist Paul Hamm tumbled on floor and did some work on pommel horse and high bar yesterday after an X-ray showed the broken bone in his right hand is healed enough to withstand doing gymnastics again. He has a little more than five weeks to get ready for the Beijing Games. "I'm very, very encouraged today," coach Miles Avery said. "I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Wow, I'm finally seeing him do real gymnastics, and it feels good."
Hamm, an Ohio State graduate, was a little tentative at first as he tried skills and maneuvers he hadn't done since breaking the hand May 22 in the closing seconds of his parallel bars routine at the national championships.
But his confidence grew the longer the workout went on, Avery said.
Hamm, the only American man to win the world (2003) and Olympic (2004) all-around titles, had earned a spot on the Olympic team but still must prove he is physically able to compete in Beijing at a July 19 training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Cont...

[osugrad21]

Link

Hamm up for next challenge

July 23, 2008
By Charles F. Gardner Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MILWAUKEE ? Paul Hamm faces more challenges over the next two weeks as he works to be "routine-ready" for the Beijing Olympics.

After breaking his right hand just eight weeks ago, it seemed unlikely he could return to peak form in time for the start of the Olympic gymnastics competition on Aug. 9. But that is precisely the kind of challenge the 25-year-old gymnast loves to tackle.

Hamm showed his readiness Saturday before an overflow crowd of 1,200 fans packed into a gym in Colorado Springs, Colo. Then he spent two more days working with his U.S. teammates in their pre-Olympic camp before returning to his training base in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday.

"For somebody who just broke his hand awhile back, the whole coaching staff was impressed," men's national team coordinators Ron Brant said during a conference call Tuesday. "He's probably at 80 percent. Every day he makes another step forward in what he's doing.
Cont...