OLYMPICS/ Athletes
Resurgent U.S. men aim high at worlds
(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-09-05 04:26
STUTTGART, Germany, Sept 4 - The U.S. men proved their doubters wrong on Tuesday by qualifying for the team final at the world gymnastics championships and vowed this was just the start of things to come.
Kai Wen Tan of the U.S. performs on the parallel bars during the all-around team competition at the 40th World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart September 4, 2007. [Reuters]
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Their 13th place finish last year was their worst ever and had they repeated it in Stuttgart the 2004 Olympic silver medallists would not be appearing at next year's Beijing Games.
Instead they easily managed a top-12 finish needed for Olympic qualification and went one better by booking a place in Thursday's team final where they promised they would not just be making up the numbers.
"We want to get on that podium. This is just a first step," Guillermo Alvarez, whose fall from the pommel horse did not affect his team's overall score, told reporters.
Their poor result last year had motivated them and better preparation had given them more confidence, they said.
"Everybody was more confident than last year, they knew they were more prepared," said Sasha Artemev, the 2006 pommel horse bronze medallist.
"I think we proved today that team men's USA is still the number one team. In the team finals anything can happen -- we're not done yet."
The Americans put aside any individual medal ambitions in a qualifying session that was all about team spirit.
Artemev had been among the leaders in the individual standings with one apparatus to go but gave up the chance to compete in the all-round final when the team opted to stick with their original plan of him not competing on the rings.
"The team comes first, all round second," he said. "I want a medal with the team."
His attitude was echoed by his team mates, who cheered and clapped each other enthusiastically after every routine.
"I would much rather help create six medals than win one for myself," said Sean Golden.
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