|
21 September 2000
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) Sure, Blaine Wilson thinks Alexei Nemov is a great gymnast. The guy's got eight Olympic medals, and he just won gold in the men's all-around.
But the Russian's not unbeatable, Wilson said.
''Anybody can be as good as Nemov,'' the five-time U.S. champion said. ''Yeah, he's a great gymnast. But the fact is that anyone can be that good.''
Not China's Yang Wei, who gave Nemov a challenge in Wednesday's all-around but settled for silver after finishing 0.113 points behind.
Not Oleksandr Beresh of Ukraine, who took the bronze.
Not Ivan Ivankov of Belarus, the pre-Olympic favorite who finished fourth.
And definitely not Wilson, who turned in another less-than-inspired performance and finished sixth, 0.276 points away from the bronze medal.
''I don't have to medal to be a man,'' he said. ''All these medals are going to do is make them more money. Money's not going to buy happiness. I'm happy. I really don't care.''
Wilson, who was 0.001 points away from third at the world championships last year, actually had a shot at the bronze. He was in third place halfway through the competition, and no one but Yang was making a run at Nemov.
But instead of showing the killer instinct that's made him unbeatable in the United States, Wilson stumbled on his high bar routine dismount.
Needing better than a 9.8 on the pommel horse, his last event, to win the bronze, he scored a 9.587.
''I knew it was in the 9.8 range, but I've never scored a 9.8 in my life,'' he said. ''So, whatever.''
Wilson's indifference was in stark contrast to Nemov's utter jubilation at winning the gold that barely eluded him four years ago in Atlanta.
So stoic and composed during the competition, he actually hopped up and down on the medals podium. Then he mugged for the television cameras, blowing kisses and striking a bodybuilder's pose.
''I don't believe that this has happened,'' said Nemov, inspired by the birth of a newborn son he has yet to see. Little Alexei was born Sept. 2, after dad had already left for the pre-Olympic training camp.
''I was expecting it, but I didn't believe it.''
He might have been the only one. Nemov is a throwback to old-school gymnastics, where beauty and grace count as much as flips and twists. On the floor exercise, his legs stay perfectly straight as he does his flares, whirling his legs around in the air while he supports his body with his hands.
While other gymnasts fight through their pommel horse routines, he practically floats, slapping his hands and swinging his body in rhythm.
He's a beauty to watch, even for other competitors.
''I tried not to watch him too much because I was here to do my stuff and not be a spectator,'' said Paul Hamm, who was in the same rotation as Nemov. ''But I saw how professional he is and how clean his performance is. It was some of the most beautiful gymnastics I've ever seen.''
By Nancy Armour, Associated Press
|
|
