PHILADELPHIA — Rebounding from a sub-par performance at the U.S. Championships four weeks ago, Colorado’s Alexander “Sasha” Artemev took the lead halfway through the men’s gymnastics Olympic Trials tonight.
In the first of two sessions that will go a long way toward determining the team that goes to Beijing, Artemev electrified spectators in the Wachovia Center with a sensational winning pommel horse routine — his speciality — and was fifth-best on the vault and parallel bars.
Artemev, a native of Belarus who lives in Highlands Ranch, finished a disappointing sixth at the U.S. Championships on May 24. Scores from the U.S. Championships count 40 percent in the Olympic Team formula, with the trials making up the remainder. The top two in those standings automatically make the Olympic team, with discretion determining the other four spots.
Artemev stands third in the combined standings, and Denver native Guillero Alvarez is in sixth. The trials conclude Saturday.
The women compete Friday and Sunday.
