American gymnast Morgan Hamm will miss the Olympics due to a nagging left ankle injury.
The announcement was made after Thursday's introductory press conference for the U.S. women's gymnastics team. Later, it was disclosed Sasha Artemev would replace Hamm on the team.
Hamm, a member of the silver medal-winning U.S. team four years ago in Athens, was the only remaining member of the American men's gymnastic squad with Olympic experience. Hamm's twin brother, Paul, the reigning Olympic all-around champion, previously had to withdraw from the Summer Games due to a broken bone in his right hand sustained on May 22 at the Visa Championships in Houston.
"I have been dealing with this for the last year, and it recently has gotten worse here in Beijing," said Hamm, a two-time Olympian. "Right now I am unable to perform my tumbling skills at the level that I need to. This has an impact on my ability to contribute to the team's goals and I believe by continuing I would be putting myself at further risk."
Hamm had been suffering from the ankle injury when he tested positive for triamcinolone acetonide, a glucocorticosteroid, on May 24, about a month prior to the Olympic trials. That shot almost kept him from competing at the Beijing Olympics because he was supposed to have gained proper medical clearance before receiving the injection. Hamm was given a public warning by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency on July 3, but was ultimately cleared for competition.
"Morgan's dedication to helping the USA claim a team medal for the second straight Olympics has been exemplary," said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. "He has done every thing he could to contribute to this team, and we appreciate his efforts. We also appreciate his putting the team's best interests first. He has once again demonstrated why he is a champion."
Artemev was chosen over the other remaining alternate, David Durante. Artemev won the pommel horse in the weighted combined rankings from the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Gymnastics and Visa Championships. He also finished fifth in the all-around. At the 2008 Visa Championships, he was second on the parallel bars.
"It's an honor to be on this team, but it's a shame that it had to happen this way with Morgan getting hurt," Artemev said. "He's a tremendous loss to this team. I'm ready to step in because that was my job as an alternate."
