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 Then again, the U.S. men aren't what they were in 2004, either.
Competing for the first time since the Athens Olympics, the Hamms showed why they were among the best in the world. But it was clear they are still working their way back into competitive form.
"First one's out of the way," Paul said afterward.
Paul, the Olympic champion, scored a 15.7 on floor that was not only best in the event, but among the highest of the competition. Morgan was solid on floor until he under-rotated his final tumbling pass, needing to take a few steps to steady himself. Even with the error, he scored a 14.950 that put him in eighth place.
Both got hung up on the pommel horse, and neither cracked 14.0, which is not a world-level score under the new scoring system.
At least they have an excuse. The rest of the men at the U.S. gymnastics championships have been working for three years, and had very little to show for it that will scare China, Japan or Romania.
David Durante had a few nice routines, Kevin Tan was spectacular on the still rings and Sasha Artemev looks good even when he's faltering. Durante and Artemev were tied for the lead going into Friday night's final competition. Other than that, though, there were too many spills and splats from guys who are expected to be leading the way.
Which explains why everyone was so eager for the Hamms to come back.
Paul is the first U.S. man to win the Olympic title, and he and Morgan were the catalyst for the U.S. men's resurgence in the sport. With the two on the team, the U.S. men won a silver medal at the 2003 world championships and the 2004 Olympics
-- the first U.S. team medal since the golden boys of 1984.
Without them, the Americans crashed to 13th place at last year's worlds. Do that again at next month's worlds in Stuttgart, Germany, and the United States won't be able to send a full team to the Beijing Olympics. Only the top 12 teams will qualify for Beijing.
The Hamms aren't planning to compete at worlds
-- floor and pommel horse are their only fine-tuned routines right now -- and say they're confident the Americans can qualify for Beijing without them. But it's clear to see how badly the U.S. team will need them at the Olympics.
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The rest of the Americans look as if they're plodding through their routines, just trying to gut them out. There is none of China's sheer power or any of Japan's fluidity. And those aren't the only teams the Americans have to worry about. Everyone in the world has gotten better; Switzerland finished ahead of the United States last year.
The Hamms, though, have undeniable star power. Always have. Their routines just look better
-- crisper, quicker and with more polished tricks. Their tumbling passes are bigger than anyone else's, and even their mistakes don't look as bad as some of the cringe-producing crashes that were out there.
In short, they look like Olympians while most of their competitors look like wannabes.
The twins decided to take some time off after the controversy that followed Paul's gold medal, which he was forced to defend all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. They finished up their degrees at Ohio State, and got the chance to be "regular" guys.
They announced their comeback in February, and it was clear they were nervous about their first competition in three years.
"Typically, you don't start off at the U.S. championships as your first competition," Paul said Tuesday.
The sport has changed dramatically in their absence, thanks to the overhauled scoring system. The traditional 10.0 scale is out, and longer routines jam-packed with tough skills are in. The twins have spent hours evaluating the new scoring system and tweaking their routines, and this was their chance to see how the work they'd done in the gym translated to the competition floor.
They may not have been perfect. But it's a long road to Beijing, and this was a solid start.
Notes: Sean Townsend, a member of the 2000 Olympic team, scratched before the meet with an injured left biceps. Townsend, who was hurt during training Monday, will be examined Thursday.
[Associated Press;
by Nancy Armour]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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