U.S. Men’s Olympic Gymnastics Team prediction:
The first place I look for analysis on the Olympics is Andrew Thornton:
… at this point, my Olympic team would consist of Paul Hamm, Jonathan Horton, Sasha Artemev, Morgan Hamm, Kevin Tan, and still waiting to determine the last spot! Things can definitely change at this point as there are several guys right on the bubble. …
read why on Gymnast.com
Of course it is very, very early to be making these predictions. Not even the Olympic Team selectors will be looking that far forward yet.
Artemev needs a good meet tonight, Day 2, for sure. Certainly I expect him to hit and win Pommel Horse.
Who is the 6th man?
It may come down to who can score highest on pipe. Joseph Hagerty placed second on HBar Day 1 with a 6.60 A-score and a 8.700 B-score. 15.300 total. Plus he could be the second All-Arounder ahead of Horton and Artemev. Doing the AA gives Joseph an advantage, I think, over Justin Spring who finished 5th on HBar with 14.900 and 3rd on PBars with 15.350. Justin competes only 4 apparatus.
Under this scenario I would have Tan, Horton and Paul Hamm doing rings, still the team’s weakest apparatus vs the friendlies, China.
Paul Hamm has been through this twice before. I heard him say that the real contenders for the Olympics tend to stabilize performances as the Games approach. The team will become more obvious with each successive trial meet.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 