Morgan and Paul Hamm Secure Olympic Berths – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
June 27, 2004
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Paul and Morgan Hamm secured spots on the U.S. men’s gymnastics Olympic Team following the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials held in Anaheim, Calif., at the Arrowhead Pond. Former Buckeyes Blaine Wilson and Raj Bhavsar, along with five other U.S. contenders, were named to the training squad where the Olympic Team Selection Committee will pick the final two team members. All four gymnasts train with Ohio State men’s gymnastics head coach Miles Avery at the Steelwood Athletic Facility in Columbus, Ohio.
As the Top 2 finishers in the competition, Paul and fellow senior national team member Brett McClure earned a trip to Athens. Paul compiled a score of 57.865, leading McClure by .806 points. Paul scored a 9.8 or above on three events (floor – 9.9, pommel horse – 9.8 and high bar – 9.850).
Following the meet, the selection committee chose Jason Gatson and Morgan Hamm as team members, leaving two team spots remaining. Morgan did not compete on rings or parallel bars, but notched a 9.6 or better on the other four events.
Wilson, coming off a torn left bicep tendon sustained at the 2004 Visa American Cup Competition, tallied a score of 55.650, earning a seventh place finish. Wilson’s best event was parallel bars, where he scored a 9.425.
As his best event, Bhavsar earned a 9.825 on rings and scored a 9.750 and a 9.6 on parallel bars and vault, respectively. Bhavsar completed the competition with a ninth place 55.592.
The selection committee will decide the last two team members at a selection camp July 10-18 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
NBC Sports will air the men’s finals at 1 p.m. Saturday.
For complete results please log onto www.usa-gymnastics.org.
