2008 US Men's Olympic Gymnasts
Twins Morgan and Paul Hamm and Other Athletes Prepare for Beijing
Aug 5, 2008
Athletes around the world are preparing for the start of the Olympics on August 8, 2008. The United States Men’s Gymnastics Team is ready to compete in the floor exercise, horizontal bar, parallel bars, pommel horse, rings and vault events. In addition, individual and team competitions will take place. Six gymnasts and three replacement athletes have been chosen to represent the United States including a set of twins in Morgan and Paul Hamm.
Morgan Hamm
Morgan Hamm will be attending his third Olympics event and was part of the US Men’s team that won the silver medal in the 2004 Olympics. Hamm was born in 1982 and is a graduate of Ohio State University.
Paul Hamm
Paul Hamm set a record during the 2004 Athens Olympic Games by becoming the first US male gymnast to win the all-around title and bring home a gold medal. Hamm is the twin brother of Morgan Hamm and also graduated from the Ohio State University.
Joseph Hagerty
Hagerty lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico and has been a gymnast since he was seven years old. Hagerty has been participating in national competitions since 2004 and has a track record of solid performances on the horizontal bar which happens to be his favorite event.
Jonathan Horton
Jonathan Horton is the youngest of the athletes on the 2008 US Men’s Olympic Gymnastics Team. During the Olympics he will be 22 years old and will celebrate his 23rd birthday on December 31. Horton started gymnastics at the age of four and hasn’t looked back.
Justin Spring
Justin Spring is 2006 graduate of the University of Illinois and comes from a family of gymnasts. Born in 1984, Spring started his gymnastics career in 1987 and has garnered many first place finishes in national competitions.
Kevin Tan
Tan graduated from Penn State and promptly joined on as a full-time staff member. Born in 1981, Tan started gymnastics in 1988. Tan’s favorite event is the rings and at the 2008 US Olympic Team Trials Tan placed first in this event.
Alexander Artemev
Artemev is one of the replacement athletes for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Artemev’s parents were both gymnasts and his father was a member of the Soviet National Team from 1977 to 1987. Artemev moved to the United States in 1994 and in 2002 became a United State’s citizen.
Raj Bhavsar
The second replacement athlete is Raj Bhavsar who was a member of the 2001 World Championship team that earned a silver medal. Bhavsar graduated from Ohio State University in 2004 with a degree in Business Administration/Marketing.
David Durante
Durante is the last replacement athlete for the 2008 Men’s Olympic Gymnastics Team. Durante holds dual citizenship with the United States and Italy and is a 2002 graduate of Stanford University.
The 2008 United States Men’s Olympic Gymnastics Team is poised to do quite well in the Beijing, Olympics. Good luck to these athletes and all others participating in this historical event.
If you interested in other US Olympic Team information, read 2008 US Olympic BMX Team.
Source: USA Gymnastics
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