Paul and Morgan Hamm Qualify for U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
COLUMBUS, Ohio Debuting an original air flare skill on floor, Morgan Hamm captured his third-career floor national title with a score of 31.35 at the 2008 VISA Championships Saturday en route to advancing to the U.S. Olympic Trials June 19-22 in Philadelphia. Despite breaking his hand during his parallel bars routine on the first day of competition, Paul Hamm, who held a large lead in the all-around competition, also qualified for U.S. trials. NBC Sports will broadcast the championships on tape delay at 2 p.m. June 8.
Former Buckeye Raj Bhavsar finished fifth in the all-around with a two-day score of 178.25. Stanford’s David Sender won the competition with a 180.7 combined tally. Alexy Bilozertchev completed the VISA championships in 15th with an all-around score of 171.65. Bilozertchev, the son of Ohio State assistant coach Dmitri Bilozertchev, placed 10th on pommel horse (28.25) and vault (31.7).
The 10 men who qualified for the senior men’s national team based on the points system and will advance to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials are: Alexander Artemev of Lakewood, Colo./Team Chevron; Raj Bhavsar of Houston/Team Chevron; David Durante of Garwood, N.J./Team Chevron; Sean Golden of Camden, N.J./Team Chevron; Joe Hagerty of Rio Ranchero, N.M./Team Chevron; Morgan Hamm of Waukesha, Wis.; Paul Hamm of Waukesha, Wis./Team Chevron; Jonathan Horton of Houston/Team Chevron; Kevin Tan of Fremont, Calif./Team Chevron; and Sender, who competes for Stanford University. The remaining four members of the national team were selected by the Men’s Program Committee: Guillermo Alvarez of Denver/Team Chevron; Tim McNeill of Falls Church, Va./University of California Berkley; Justin Spring of Burke, Va./Team Chevron; and Yewki Tomita of Tucson, Ariz./Team Chevron. In addition, the Men’s Program Committee approved the petition of Sean Townsend of Houston, Texas, who is injured, to compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Day I recap
Paul Hamm, the 2004 Olympic all-around winner, holds a commanding lead in the all-around with a score of 93.45 after the opening night of competition at the VISA Championships Thursday at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. Trained by Ohio State head coach Miles Avery, Hamm and his twin brother Morgan, who notched Top 10 finishes on all four events in which he competed, are looking to advance to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials June 19-22 in Philadelphia en route to their third Olympics.
Paul nabbed first on floor (15.75), pommel horse (15.5) and high bar (15.9) while Morgan tied for first on floor and won vault with a 16.4. Former Buckeye Blaine Wilson (1994-97) dropped out of the competition after two rotations and announced his retirement from the sport. Wilson, a native of Columbus, served as the volunteer assistant coach for Ohio State in 2008 while attempting to make a historic fourth Olympic Games.
Buckeye signee Alexy Bilozertchev is 16th after the first day of the VISA championships with a score of 85.6. His best finish came on vault, tying for eighth with a 15.9. Last year, the Hilliard, Ohio, resident won the VISA Championships all-around title in the junior division. Bilozertchev, the son of Buckeye assistant coach and two-time world champion Dmitri Bilozertchev, qualified for the event after finishing fourth in the all-around with a score of 84.75 at the U.S. Men’s Qualifier April 23 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Former Buckeye and current U.S. Men’s Senior National Team member Raj Bhavsar (2000-03) is tied with Stanford’s David Sender for third in the all-around (89.7). Bhavsar had three Top 10 finishes, including a second-place finish on vault (16.2). The Houston, Texas, native served as the U.S. alternate at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.
