But from the very first rotation of the first night’s competition, Wilson was off this game–and, in this case, bouncing off the mat. Then he seemed to let his famed temper, which he supposedly had learned to harness, get the better of him. “I wanted to choke somebody,” he said. But it was the gymnast who choked, looking tentative and uncertain through the rest of the performance. While the Americans qualified for finals, they finished a disappointing fifth.
At the same time Wilson was faltering, American gymnastics fans got a glimpse of the team’s likely future. And it looked suprisingly promising, thanks to Paul and Morgan Hamm, 17-year-old identical twins from Waukesha, Wis. Paul was by far the best and most consistent American gymnast on the floor, giving the performance expected of team leader Wilson. When the evening was over, Paul had the sixth best score among all men, not only better than Wilson’s 14th but ahead of Sports Illustrated cover boy Ivan Ivankov of Belarus. “It was as good as I ever could have imagined,” says the handsome, self-effacing teen. (In the individual all-around final, Hamm would reverse positions with Wilson, finishing 14th with Blaine rallying to sixth.)
While Paul was producing the best American performance of the night, Morgan was solid throughout and, along with Wilson, the only other American to make the top eight and, thus, the final for an apparatus. (He’ll compete next week in the floor exercise.) Not bad for a couple of high-schoolers who have never before competed in a major international competition. Male gymnasts tend to peak later than women, and the average age of the twins’ teammates was 26, including John Roethlisberger, who, at 30, was competing in his third Olympics. “To be at the Olympics at 17 is incredible,” says Morgan. “We’re not close to our peak, and I think we can make a tremendous improvement in the next four years.”
The men’s future actually looks brighter than that of the American women, with Wilson possibly staying on as an eminence grise, continued solid performances from the Hamms, the return of injured young star Jason Gaston and the addition of a roster of promising juniors. The Hamms believe their experience in Sydney will be invaluable in elevating their performances. “You’re so blown away by the Olympics that it takes a while get control,” says Paul. “But it’s such a great feeling when, instead of succumbing to the tension, you let that feeling take you to a level you’ve never been before.”
Nor did either succumb to that special nervousness that comes from performing side-by-side with a twin whose every emotion you understand. “I get a little nervous for him when Morgan is out there,” says Paul. If so, it didn’t show. In the team event, Paul wound up scoring high on his first 11 rotations. It wasn’t until the final rotation on high bar, with the bronze out of reach, that he crashed–literally–to earth. “That’s about as good as I could have done, hitting 11 routines out of 12,” said Paul. “I feel really good about my performance. It’s just not the way I would’ve chosen to end it.”
There will surely be some better endings for the Hamms in the future. “I’d hate to be competing against these kids,” says team veteran Roethlisberger. “They’re going to be awesome.” For the Hamms, Sydney is only the warm-up.
