Paul Hamm Lead at Gymnastics Meet

CLEVELAND (AP) - Blaine Wilson just turned 28, and he missed an entire year of competition after tearing his rotator cuff and having surgery on it.

So being in second place after the preliminaries of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships is a pretty impressive showing, right?

"It feels good, but I'd rather be in first place," he said. "Nobody wants to finish second. That's not why you come to this meet."

No, Wilson comes to nationals to win, and he's been pretty good at it so far. He won five straight from 1996 to 2001, tying the record for most titles by an American man.

But a lot's happened in his year away, and there are some young guys eager to give him the biggest challenge he's had in years. Like Paul Hamm, who won Wednesday night's prelims and has a solid lead going into Friday's finals.

Hamm finished with 56.575 points, 0.900 ahead of Wilson. Defending champion Sean Townsend is third with 54.650, while Guard Young was fourth.

Morgan Hamm, Paul's twin, was fifth with 54.050 — not a bad showing for someone who hasn't competed in 16 months.

"It's not going to be easy," Paul Hamm said of staying on top in Friday's finals. "Blaine's going to come back strong. If we both have our best days, it's going to be a really good competition."

It certainly was Wednesday, even without Wilson being in top form. Oh, don't worry, his shoulder's fine. It was his knee that was causing him problems this time.

He hyperextended his left knee during warmups and was limping visibly for much of the night. But as soon as he got on an apparatus, it was as if nothing was wrong.

Beginning on the still rings, his strongest event, he put on a textbook performance. As he hung suspended in the air in an iron cross, his arms extended out, the rings and wires holding them didn't even move.

He moved slowly and smoothly, looking as if an invisible wire was pulling him from position to position. He was rewarded with a 9.850, the top score of the night on the event.

When he stuck the landing of his high bar routine, landing so solidly he could have been set in cement, the crowd roared. The old Wilson was back, good as ever.

"I felt like I hadn't left," Wilson said. "It was the most relaxed I've ever been in my life."

Paul Hamm, meanwhile, got off to a rough start. In his second event, he fell off the high bar — the same spot that cost him an all-around medal at last fall's world championships.

He does four release moves in a row, flipping himself high above the bar, catching and going right back up again. But he missed the second catch, plopping to the ground. He wound up with a 8.575, by far his worst score of the night.

"I was pretty bummed," he said. "Because really and truly, I feel that's one of my strongest events."

But he bounced back quickly, scoring a 9.900 on the floor exercise. Only Morgan Hamm scored higher on floor, a 9.950.

"It's always great to see your brother rock a floor routine," Paul Hamm said. "It gives you some energy."

And he just kept rolling from there. When Wilson botched his last tumbling pass on floor, almost landing on his face, it tied them up going into the final rotation.

Up first on the pommel horse, Wilson was uncharacteristically sloppy. He stayed on the horse, but scored only an 8.7. Paul Hamm then turned in the best vault of the night, earning a 9.6 and first place.

"Everybody was talking about Sean and Blaine, but they forgot a person. Paul," Wilson said. "You knew he was going to be up there."

But so is Wilson. And don't count the veteran out until the meet is over.

Article Copyright Associated Press