COLORADO SPRINGS — With a gentle fist pump of his healing right hand, Paul Hamm gestured to the world that he is recuperated and ready for the Olympics.
On May 22, the golden boy of USA Gymnastics broke the fourth metacarpal in his right hand, but during Saturday’s team intrasquad competition at the Olympic Training Center, Hamm was officially named to the U.S. team for the Beijing Games after showing team officials he is back to being Paul Hamm.
“The selected committee is very satisfied,” said Dennis McIntyre, men’s program director for USA Gymnastics.
The 2004 all-around gold medalist was asked to show “readiness” to officials in the horizontal bar, still rings and pommel horse, all of which Hamm performed with relative ease. He also participated in the other three events, and it was after his breathtaking floor exercise that he pumped his fist, acknowledging the showering cheers of the estimated 1,000 fans in attendance.
“I was actually really pumped after the floor exercise because today was the closest I’ve been to doing a full floor routine (since the hand injury),” the 25-year-old Hamm said. “It was vindication for me, knowing that I’m showing my gymnastics again.”
Sure, there was some rust. He held on perhaps a second too long during his horizontal bar dismount. His flair spindle and dismount on the pommel horse was “a little bit off,” according to his brother, Morgan, an Olympic teammate. And Paul Hamm said he still is struggling at getting proper grips, notably on the parallel bars and still rings.
Still, Hamm was resilient and resplendent.
Four judges from the U.S. Olympic Trials were in attendance Saturday, and they ranked Hamm in the top three in the floor exercise, pommel horse and horizontal bar.
As teammate Joe Hagerty said: “Paul’s Paul. That guy’s a champion all-around. He’ll be ready. He’s going to be our key guy out there in China.”
Hamm is confident in his prospects but promises to “push straight through” with his training, leading up to Aug. 9, the first day of men’s qualifications at the Beijing Games. Asked if he was worried about fatigue during his push, Hamm smiled and said, “Well, I’ve had time to rest.”
During his comeback since the May injury, Hamm made jaw-dropping strides. Morgan Hamm said that if someone saw his brother perform two weeks ago, and then saw him Saturday, “You wouldn’t even believe that he’s the same person.”
Paul Hamm said his hand is at “90 percent.” Fact is, it is going to hurt a little during the Olympics.
“But once it gets warmed up, it starts to feel quite a bit better, especially as the competition goes on,” Hamm said. “And . . . this is the Olympic Games.”
Hamm first participated in the Olympics in 2000, and it was his 2004 performance that made international headlines, when the Wisconsin native became the first American to win the all-around gold medal.
And after Saturday’s official announcement, the nation’s premier male gymnast will be an Olympian again.
Hamm was asked Saturday if other countries, which perhaps were relieved after his injury, should be worried about his comeback. McIntyre, the team’s program director, smiled confidently and started nodding his head. Hamm then said: “They should be worried.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
