They got ’em.
Who will do horse in Team Finals?
Paul Hamm, Morgan Hamm and … ???
The obvious choice is Sasha Artemev. (Who was named an alternate.)
TKO did the math on the Gymblog concluding that the Olympic selectors would be better off replacing Justin Spring with Sasha. (That would maximize the team score.)
… while Artemev could have theoretically added 1.35 to the team total, there was only a 25 percent probability of that occurring (based on his Nationals and Trials results), and a far better shot that he’d bring three tenths, or less, to the table, if he continued to struggle. The fact that Artemev was also wildly inconsistent on his other events, meant those were odds the Selection Committee didn’t want to bet on. …
I hope non-selection give Sasha the motivation to PROVE to the Olympic selectors that he can hit in Beijing. If Paul Hamm does not recover from hand surgery quickly enough to do Pommels — they may be forced to add Artemev to the team.
Assuming Sasha looks FANTASTIC at training camp.
Alexander Artemev – ESPN
Related post: Worley, Artemev – Olympics slipping away?
Gymnastics Coaching.com 