Many know the United States is a strong team on gymnastics, but
not many like to deliver credits to the men's part after they ended
up 13th in the team's event at last edition. On Tuesday, the men
proved they are back on track and still capable of something.
The spring for the humiliating 13th place to the preliminary
four at the Stuttgart gymnastic worlds helped the US men's team
raise head in front of their women peers, who led the qualification
round ahead of defending champions China.
After Paul and Morgan Hamm's era, the US men pulled off some
sluggish performance and went astray from the striking moment of
winning silver medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
A qualifying chance here for the Beijing Olympics just reminds
them that moment three years ago and pulls them back to the
sport.
Although it's a fearsome gap to span facing the powerhouses
China and Japan, the US at least secured a place in the final and
further away a berth next year in Beijing. The top 12 finishers
from the championships are guaranteed a position in Beijing, which
is the most important mission for all teams.
The hunger for Olympics is a remedy to "turn ugly duckling into
swan". Besides the US case, it's a fairy tale for the hosts Germany
to reach the top three from nothing. Germany stayed away from the
team competition for a lack of sufficient line-up last year, but
it's a snafu along with boisterous cheers on Tuesday's night.
The 20-year-old German genius Fibian Hambuechen, the bronze
winner in all-around and vault at Aarhus worlds, fired up the
minnows all through the way.
"We are home, so we can do what we like," said Hambuechen. "We
are going to Beijing and that's a place I dream of."
"For years I put my eyes there. Now my teammates and I bridged
up here and Beijing.
"It's a day to give thanks and to take in applause. Thanks to my
family, to my coach, to everyone here cheering us all through."
The German team came to the center of floor pad and bowed to
spectators and was awarded with an applause seeing-off.
Back to the US, nailing one routine after another, the young
squad finished fourth in the qualifying round behind China, Japan,
and sensational Germany, comfortably ahead of Russia, Romania,
Spain, South Korea, all of whom finished better than the US in
2006.
"It was a true team effort," said the US men's team coordinator
Ron Brant in exhilaration. "We've been waiting for them to come
together for the past year, and today they stepped forward towards
the Beijing Olympic Games. This group was very motivated. They knew
they were better than they showed last year."
The top US performer was the 21-year-old Jonathan Horton, the
2006 NCAA all-around champion from the University of Oklahoma, who
stood ninth in the all-around and scored a team-best in high bar
and parallel bars.
"The motivation (for Olympics) made the difference today," said
Horton. "Last year was a disaster and we had a whole year to train
and think about it everyday. People's skepticism, the comments
about this team, that stuff really pushes a gymnast.
"When people tell the team they can't get it done without the
Hamms, that eats at you. There was a little anger in everyone's
heart today."
"You saw a lot of emotion from us out there tonight," said the
27-year-old David Durante, US all-around champion.
Durante was competing in his first world championships and had
been an alternate in 2006.
"We felt like we really deserved to be here and deserved to be
Beijing, and not like we were just competing with the big boys.
We're going to beat you guys this year."
"We stepped that up to another level. Look, the Hamms can help
us, but if they're not here, we've got to do it on our own," said
Sean Golden, the US favored vaulter.
"This team has been living together for the last year, so it's
more than a team now. It's a brotherhood."
Russia, a traditional powerhouse, suffered two significant
injuries during qualifying. Mikolai Kryukov blew out his knee
landing on a vault and wasn't even able to attempt his floor
exercise, and Anton Golotsutskov is doubted to inflict a broken
right foot.
(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2007)