Beijing Olympic Games

Hamm says hand recovering in time for Games

By Bob Cooney, Philadelphia Daily News

PHILADELPHIA – In Olympic circles, the injury to Paul Hamm’s right hand is about as scrutinized as any shoulder, knee, hernia or ankle injury that Donovan McNabb has incurred.

Hamm, who became the first American male to win an all-around world title in 2003 and captured the all-around gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004, broke the fourth metacarpal bone during a parallel-bar routine at last month’s national championships in Houston. He was forced to withdraw after the first day.

He talked to the media about his injury Thursday afternoon at the Wachovia Center before the men’s Olympic trials preliminaries got under way, wearing a compression glove on the hand.

“I’m about three weeks out from the surgery, and I can open the hand all the way and make a fist,” he said, while flexing the hand for the gathered. “I’ve pushed it to the limit as much as I can, with the permission of Dr. [Lawrence] Lubbers. I’ve been able to ride a bike, do some leg exercises and push-ups to try to keep in shape.”

Hamm will not compete this weekend, though it is pretty much a given that the selection committee will place him on the six-man Olympic roster, despite not competing in these trials.

By last night, Hamm had to submit a petition to the committee to be considered for a spot on the team.

Keeping him off the team would be about as smart as not allowing Tiger Woods to play for a Ryder Cup team because he hadn’t accumulated enough points due to injury.

“From what I understand, I believe they’ll name me to the team on Sunday,” Hamm said. “And then on July 22, then I have to show whether or not I’m capable of competing in Beijing.”

It would be his third straight Olympics, coming four years after garnering the overall title and leading the U.S. team to the silver, just the third time the group has medaled in the Olympics (gold in 1984 and silver in 1932).

“We are under a tremendous time restraint here,” said Lubbers, who performed the surgery in which a plate and nine screws were inserted. “But after one week, Paul was able to have full movement in his hand.

“Gymnastics is hardest on the hands. There is a lot of force the hands must endure. After five weeks, we think Paul will be able to hold up to moderate stress and after seven weeks it should be stable enough so he won’t have a problem with it.”

It will be 11 weeks from the time of the injury to the Olympics competition.

When he is able to do more, Hamm will decide if he wants to compete in all six events or cut back so as to ease the pressure on the hand. But for now, he hopes he and twin brother, Morgan, will be teammates at the Olympics for the third straight time.

“I think I have the résumé to be on the team,” Hamm said. “I won the gold in Athens and I’ve won every all-around this year in my comeback [he took time off after the ‘04 Olympics to get his degree from Ohio State].

“If six days or so before I need to prove to the committee that I’m ready to go and I’m not able to do it, then I’m willing to accept that. But I don’t think that will be the case.”

David Sender, who won the all-around title last month after Hamm’s injury, did not compete last night. Sender sprained his ankle on Wednesday and was not able to go. He might be able to compete tomorrow in the finals. If he’s unable to do that, he, like Hamm, could file a petition to be considered for the Olympic team.

“We are taking this day by day,” Thom Glielmi, Sender’s coach at Stanford, said in a statement. “We are treating his sprain very aggressively, and the medical team has been very encouraged by the mobility and strength [of the ankle]. We will see how things stand on Saturday.”

Even though Sender’s petition was filed last night, he still can compete tomorrow if his ankle is sound.