To paraphrase Shakespeare, the course of making an Olympics never did run smooth.
Morgan Hamm’s road to Beijing veered sharply last Tuesday when he tore his right pectoral muscle while training on high bar. Ironically, the image of Hamm accompanying the news flash posted by International Gymnast Magazine shows him doing basically the same skill he hurt himself on: a Stalder-Rybalko to one arm.
Hamm had surgery to repair the muscle Friday and hopes to be good as new in five to six months. The most comprehensive post-op report comes directly from the Hamms’ Making the Olympics website, and features twin brother Paul, Mike Canales, Dominique Moceanu and a laid up Morgan first in the hospital and then and home.
The injury could put a serious crimp in his plans to be in Beijing, but fortunately Hamm can take comfort in cases of athletes in similiar situations who have pulled off Olympic returns less than a year after potentially devastating injuries.
“No one here will believe for a second that he can’t come back to be good enough to make the Olympic team,” [Hamm’s coach Miles] Avery said. “He has a month more than Lance Ringnald had back in 1992, when he tore his pec, and six months more than Blaine (Wilson) had in 2004 [after a torn biceps].”
Hamm’s not the only U.S. gymnast currently in this position. American Justin Spring underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in September and seems equally optimistic, hoping to use his extra training time to become better on pommel horse.
Tags: Morgan Hamm
October 9, 2007 at 8:29 pm |
What are the factors that lead to such accidents? How can they be avoided? What is the future risk of re-ripping?
February 6, 2008 at 7:01 am |
[…] upshot: Paul looks great. Morgan, recovering from a torn pectoralis in his right bicep, is a few weeks ahead of schedule, and Blaine Wilson, who is training with the twins at OSU, is […]
March 27, 2008 at 4:48 am |
[…] Spring, who tore his ACL vaulting at the 2007 U.S. Championships, Morgan Hamm, recovering from a torn pectoralis in October, and Canadian Kyle Shewfelt, who broke both tibia training an Arabian double layout on floor right […]
July 18, 2008 at 6:19 pm |
SOG knives…
Interesting ideas… I wonder how the Hollywood media would portray this?…