THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2004
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 5P
Minor mistakes cost U.S. gymnastics gold
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATHENS, Greece — She was shaking her hips, twirling her hands, letting that high-wattage smileshine and turning the arena into her own little disco.
Then, oops ... Courtney Kupets bobbled a bit during a routine dance move.
Anyone looking away for a second would've missed it. Too bad gymnastics judges are always paying attention.
Mistakes, both big and small, were the difference between silver and gold Tuesday night. A tenth by a tenth, the Americans kept losing points. When it was over, Romania had won its second straight Olympic gold medal and the United States had taken silver.
"We wanted to win, but they did a good job, and they deserved it," Kupets said. "It's not bad winning silver at the Olympics."
Had a few things gone differently, though, first place could have been theirs.
But Carly Patterson got hung up on the uneven bars, forced to muscle her way out of a huge mistake and clipping her foot against the lower bar as she tried to save the routine.
Mohini Bhardwaj wobbled a bit on the balance beam.
The United States lost by 0.699 points in what Bela Karolyi, the husband of American team coordinator Martha, called the best international meet he'd seen in 20 years.
"We made small mistakes," Karolyi said. "Small mistakes are to be paid for. And we paid."
Russia, led by Svetlana Khorkina, took the bronze medal and shared hugs and kisses to celebrate third place.
The Americans didn't look nearly as happy watching Romania close the night on the floor. Patterson, Kupets and company sat stoically at one end of the arena, and gave perfunctory applause to the clutch efforts put in by Oana Ban, Daniela Sofronice and the Romanian star of the
night, Catalina Ponor.
A few minutes later, the U.S. girls turned on the spin cycle.
OLYMPICS
Sure, they said, everyone was happy to win a medal. No, there's no shame finishing second to a powerhouse like Romania. And remember, this was lots better than the last Olympics, when the program left Sydney in disarray after finishing fourth, without a single medal for the first time since 1976.
But the Americans were the defending world champions. They hadn't lost a meet in nearly two years. Martha Karolyi手 picked this team to perform under the pressure of the world's biggest stage. She preached perfection without end, and on the day the United States needed it most, perfection was nowhere to be seen.
The Americans did manage to come through on many counts.
Bhardwaj wasn't scheduled to perform on beam, but went out on short notice after Kupets decided to sit due to a pulled hamstring that had been bugging her for weeks. Bhardwaj scored a 9.4 and coach Kelli Hill called it a "phenomenal performance" given the circumstances.
The Romanians came to the floor next needing to average 9.35 over the three routines. In football terms, that's like asking a kicker to make an extra point with the game on the line — practically automatic.
Ponor was the perfect closer. She brought the fans to their feet with one of the finest routines of the night.
"I'm happy because these children have a crown, a medal," said Romanian coach Octavian Belu, who took Karolyi's place when the Karolyi defected.
The Americans have a medal, too. It's just a different color.
"I never stated a goal. I always was very careful not to say" the Americans should win gold, Martha Karolyi said. "That was a major competition out there — the Olympics. We're happy because we pulled ourselves back up to the medal stand."
Despite fall, athlete takes gold
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATHENS, Greece — Paul Hamm ought to get two gold medals for this performance.
Kevork Diansezian/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
After falling onto the edge of the judges' table on the landing of his vault, Hamm performed two of the most spectacular routines of his career to win the men's all-around gymnastics title by the closest Olympic margin ever.
Needing a 9.825 on high bar, his best event, to tie Kim Dae-eun of South Korea for gold, Hamm was dazzling. The highlights of his routine are his three straight release moves, and he did it to perfection yesterday night to become the first U.S. man to win gold in the event.
Hamm, the reigning world champion, threw himself up and over the bar, catching it on the way down once, twice and then a third time, soaring higher with each toss. As he caught the bar the third time, the crowd roared.
Hamm's dismount was perfect, and he hit the mat with a solid thud. Knowing the gold was his, Hamm thrust his fists into the air and threw his head back.
the women also had .012, in 1992, when Ukraine's Tatyana Gutsu edged American Shannon Miller.
Hamm's margin of victory was .012. The previous closest margin in the event was .017 by Leon Stukelj of Yugoslavia over Robert Prazak of Czechoslovakia in the 1924 Games.
Paul Hamm of the United States competes on the rings during the men's gymnastics individual all-around final at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, yesterday.
The celebrations were just beginning. When Hamm's score of 9.837 flashed on the scoreboard, the arena went into a frenzy.
"We all knew that Paul was the best coming in," said Bob Colarossi, president of USA Gymnastics. "To fall and then have to do a perfect routine to win
it and stick the landing, is incredible."
As the world champion, Hamm came in as the clear favorite. And it appeared to be within his grasp when he took a .058 point lead over China's Yang Wei, his biggest rival, halfway through the meet.
Vault is usually one of Hamm's stronger events. He looked good when he hit the springboard and leaped forward, turning his body sideways before his hands hit the horse.
Springing backward, he did 1 1/2 somersaults in the air. But he didn't get enough height on the twists, and he hit the mat in a crouch. He had no chance to stabilize himself, his left leg crossing over the right and sending him on a sickening stumble.
The crowd gasped as Hamm fell sideways and back off the mat, hitting the edge of the judges' table before he plopped down, a stunned look on his face. He got up and walked off the podium, shaking his head and thinking he'd probably just cost himself the gold.
He looked dazed when he saw his score of 9.137, which dropped him all the way to 12th place and more than a half-point behind Yang — a seemingly insurmountable deficit.
He still had two events to go, but he had to be absolutely perfect and hope that one of the gymnasts in front of him would make a mistake.
Former coach displays poise for competition
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
tics from the East to the West.
ATHENS. Greece — Bela Karolyi's right fist shook throughout the final floor exercises, the gold on the line between his native country, Romania, and his adopted land, the United States.
"I'm much more nervous sitting up here than standing on the floor," said the old bear of a coach who transformed the world of gymnas
Consigned to the uncomfortable role of spectator Tuesday night, four rows up from the floor, he watched Romania once again claim the Olympic women's team gold. The American team, which his wife Martha helped choose, train and direct at their Texas ranch, settled for silver and an extra bit of satisfaction in leaving the once dominant Russians with bronze.
There was no shame in a silver that matched their male counterparts. Not for a team that had been so low, so disorganized only a few years ago.
From the chaos, complaining and balancing of Karolyi after the mess of a team he ran in Sydney, the team his wife coordinated showed the kind of poise and resolve it takes to compete at the top level.
It's a program that puts a premium on coaches and athletes working in harmony, coming together every month to check their progress.
The internal competition is fierce, every day designed to prepare the gymnasts for the intense pressure of an Olympics.
They won only silver, but they showed they have the foundation for gold.