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 Hamm planned on competing in four of six events in the qualifier for next month's national championships, but dropped out after only two
-- before he had accumulated enough points to guarantee himself one of the 14 spots up for grabs.
"I was on the floor, just gasping for air, trying to get some oxygen," he said, his voice still hoarse nearly an hour after he pulled out of the meet.
Hamm, in his first true competition since tearing his pectoral muscle last fall, said he felt his throat tightening after warm-ups and was having trouble breathing and starting to cramp. His coach, Miles Avery, pulled him from the meet and got him to the doctor at the Olympic Training Center, who gave him medicine.
"I saw him suffering out there," Avery said. "I was just yelling, `Be smart, be smart.' We didn't want him to force anything and make things worse."
Hamm said he was feeling better after taking the medication; he didn't know what caused the allergic reaction.
A two-time Olympian and brother of the defending Olympic champion, Hamm will have to petition to be included in the field at nationals next month in Houston. The men's program committee will decide on all petitions Friday. He would almost certainly need to compete at nationals to stay in the running both for a spot at Olympic Trials and on the team that heads to Beijing in August.
It seems like a good bet he'll be at nationals, given what he's done for the program over the past decade. Hamm and his brother, Paul, contributed half of the U.S. squad's scores in the team finals in Athens, leading the Americans to the silver medal, their first at an Olympics in 20 years.
"I can't speak for the committee, but from an outsider's point of view, I think they'll accept the petition," said the Hamms' former coach, Stacey Maloney, who is, in fact, on the program committee.
Among Hamm's strongest points is that he's one of only four or five Americans who can consistently score in the 15s on pommel horse, a traditionally weak event for the United States.
Avery said U.S. team officials were at his gym in Columbus, Ohio, recently where they saw him train.
"They know what he can do," Avery said. "His gymnastics is there. All he needs is a little more time."
The Hamms were on the comeback after a break following the Athens Olympics, but Morgan injured his chest in October, a setback that left him off the national team and without any guarantees as the pre-Olympic season moves into full swing.
He came back remarkably quickly -- six months for an injury that often takes nine or more to rehabilitate
-- and his appearance at this low-key event was his first chance in a real competition since the injury.
Before he dropped out, he gave the public its first in-person look at what could become his trademark: the air flares, moves on the floor exercise in which he blends traditional flares with something that looks a little like break-dancing. He didn't quite master that move in the debut, scraping his foot on the floor at the end for a deduction.
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What nobody knew at the time was that he could barely breathe.
"I started to cramp up a little," he said. "I shouldn't have too many excuses at this point, but you don't usually feel that bad during a competition. I just couldn't recover."
He scored a 13.8 on floor and preceded that with a 13.7 on a solid-not-spectacular high bar routine.
He was supposed to continue to pommel horse and vault, but instead was pacing in the corner before heading off to the trainer.
Hamm wasn't the only one to scrap some or all of his appearance here. Justin Spring, coming back after major knee surgery, dropped out after turning his ankle on the floor exercise
-- also two routines into his meet. Unlike Hamm, Spring is a member of the national team and has a spot guaranteed at nationals.
Same for Blaine Wilson, the five-time national champion who is nursing a sore ankle of his own. He participated in warmups, but decided not to go.
"I heard what Spring did to his ankle, and I just thought, 'Don't mess with it,'" Wilson said. "I'm already qualified. I need to get healthy, get ready."
Ropes and mats: 2005 national champion Todd Thornton was among the big names who needed a good performance here to qualify for nationals. He made it easily, finishing first overall in the meet. ... Hamm almost certainly would have been in the top 14 had he competed on four events. His scratch benefited Justin Laury, the 14th-place and final qualifier. ... National champion David Durante competed on four events, scoring in the 15s on rings, parallel bars and high bar.
[Associated Press; By EDDIE PELLS]
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