Other Hamm out
Morgan Hamm’s eyes were red, his voice shaky.
The bone spurs digging into his left leg made it impossible for him to tumble, and giving up his spot on the U.S. men’s gymnastics team was the right thing to do – the only thing to do. That didn’t make it hurt any less.
Hamm withdrew Thursday, two days before competition begins. He aggravated a chronic injury in his left ankle during training in Beijing, and it never responded to treatment. He clearly struggled on floor exercise during the men’s training session Wednesday, and it wasn’t any better Thursday.
“This has been an extremely hard decision for me to make. I’ve given everything I can to be ready to compete at this Olympic Games,” Hamm said. “It’s best for me to step down and have another athlete fill my position. This is something for me that’s very tough because it’s end of my career, and it’s not the way I had planned it.”
Nothing about these Olympics has gone the way Hamm and his twin brother, Paul, planned it. Not for the Americans, either.
Paul Hamm, the reigning Olympic champion, had to withdraw July 28 because he wasn’t going to be healthy enough to compete in Beijing. Besides persistent pain from the right hand he broke two months ago, he has a strained left rotator cuff.
Morgan Hamm tore a muscle in his chest in early October, an injury that required a five-month rehab. He was able to return, but the injured ankle continued to give him trouble, and he aggravated it after he got to Beijing. Bone spurs from his ankle dig into his tibia, producing “extreme” pain.
The Hamms’ withdrawals mean the Americans, once considered favorites to return to the medals podium, now have no one with Olympic experience. Sasha Artemev, the 2006 national champion and world bronze medalist on pommel horse, will replace Morgan Hamm. He was chosen Thursday night over David Durante. Both have been training at the U.S. Olympic Committee’s facility at Beijing Normal.
It also leaves the Americans with a huge hole on pommel horse, already their weakest spot. Artemev is the Americans’ best on the event, but has problems with consistency.
The injury is the end of Hamm’s career. He and his brother both said they planned to retire after Beijing, and Morgan already has been accepted at the National University of Health Sciences in suburban Chicago, where he will study to become a chiropractor. He is also getting married next spring.
Boxer collapses, withdraws
American bantamweight Gary Russell Jr. will miss the Olympics after collapsing Thursday night while trying to make weight.
Russell is two-time national champion and one of the top medal hopes for the U.S. team. He is resting after he collapsed in a last-ditch workout to reach the 119-pound limit.
Men’s soccer team wins
Stuart Holden ended the United States’ three-game scoring drought with a goal in the second half, giving the Americans a 1-0 victory over Japan on Thursday in the Olympic opener for both at Tianjin.
The Scottish-born Holden struck a loose ball at the top of the penalty area that Japanese goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa was able to slow, but couldn’t keep from trickling over the line in the 47th minute.
A victory was critical for both teams with the more heavily favored Dutch and Nigerians yet to play in Group B.
$1 billion in Olympic ads
NBC Universal announced it has garnered more than $1 billion in advertising revenue for the event for which it spent $894 million to acquire the U.S. broadcast and digital rights.