Morgan Hamm Named to 2008 U.S. Olympic Team – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
Former Buckeye Raj Bhavsar selected as an alternate
COLUMBUS, Ohio Morgan Hamm will be joining his twin brother Paul Hamm, both of whom train at Ohio State with men’s gymnastics head coach Miles Avery, at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing this August. Paul was named to the team following the conclusion of action at day two of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Saturday night while Morgan was named to the team by the U.S. Men’s Gymnastics selection committee Sunday afternoon. This will be the Waukesha, Wis., natives’ third Olympic Games.
Joining the Hamm twins on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team are Joseph Hagerty, Jonathan Horton, Justin Spring and Kevin Tan. Three of the six gymnasts to make the team are former college gymnasts. Horton finished at Oklahoma this spring while Spring competed at Illinois (2003-06) and Tan was a student-athlete for Penn State (2001-04).
“Certainly, I am ecstatic to see two three-time Olympians on this 2008 Olympic Team,” Avery said. “Paul and Morgan are tremendous assets, considering their experience. I’m tremendously proud of the work these two have put in over the year to get to this point.”
Morgan made his case for a position on the squad with four Top 4 finishes at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials this weekend. Morgan finished second on high bar with a 15.23 and fourth on floor (15.0), pommel horse (14.47) and vault (15.945). An injured Paul had his petition for a position on the team granted by the U.S. Men’s Gymnastics selection committee. In July, the athlete will have to show he is healthy enough to defend his spot on the squad.
Raj Bhavsar, who competed for the Scarlet and Gray from 2000-03, ended the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in third place in the all-around. Despite his Top 3 finish, Bhavsar, who served as the U.S. alternate for the Athens Games while training with Avery in Columbus, will again serve as an alternate for the Beijing Games. David Durante and Alexander Artemev were also named as alternates.
