BEIJING — For the second time in a little over a week, Highlands Ranch gymnast Sasha Artemev stands tantalizingly close to being named to the Olympic team – or the heartbreak of being left off for the third time.
Two-time Olympian Morgan Hamm withdrew from the team today because of a chronic ankle problem, 10 days after his twin brother, Paul, withdrew because of a shoulder problem. Artemev, who failed to make the team at the Olympic Trials but emerged as one of three alternates, was passed over when Raj Bhavsar was named to fill Paul Hamm’s slot.
Now he has another chance to make the team. Either he or David Durante, a New Jersey gymnast who has trained at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs the past four years, will replace Morgan Hamm.
Artemev was unavailable for comment.
“This has been an extremely hard decision for me to make,” Morgan Hamm said. “I’ve given everything I can to be ready to compete at this Olympic Games. I put my heart and soul into gymnastics. To get here and be unable to perform because of an injury is extremely disappointing, but I’m a team player and I’m here to do whatever I can for this team.”
Hamm’s withdrawal leaves the U.S. men’s gymnastics team without an athlete with Olympic experience.
“The process of me stepping aside is really a team decision,” Hamm said. “It’s everyone collectively going through this, putting up their gymnastics and seeing who’s good enough to compete. I wasn’t able to do that. These guys can go out there and get a medal, compete with anybody else in the world. I really believe they’re going to show the heart of America here in Beijing.”
