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Paul Hamm
Paul Hamm was an extremely talented and well balanced all-around gymnast. It was only a matter of time when he would break through. It happened at the 2003 World Championships in Anaheim, CA...
The home crowd went absolutely wild. He had become the first U.S. male gymnast to win a world all-around title...
Hamm’s last event was high bar, at the all-around competition. Though technically he was a very sound gymnast, he had struggled on high bar with his five release skills. The last four were in succession. Hamm performed an inspired routine in Anaheim. He hit all of his releases and stuck his dismount to defeat Yang Wei of China by only 0.064 of a point.
Hamm’s last event was high bar, at the all-around competition. Though technically he was a very sound gymnast, he had struggled on high bar with his five release skills. The last four were in succession. Hamm performed an inspired routine in Anaheim. He hit all of his releases and stuck his dismount to defeat Yang Wei of China by only 0.064 of a point.
Hamm was born on September 24, 1982, in Washburn, WI. He and his twin brother, Morgan, grew up in Waukesha. Paul, who majored in accounting at Ohio State, is the son of Sandy, a former All-American diver, and Cecily Hamm. His older sister Betsy competed on the Iowa State gymnastics team.
It was in Athens where Paul Hamm became the first American male to win an Olympic all-around gold—but not the way he had hoped. After a rare stumble on vault for Hamm during the all-around final, and a miscalculated start value on parallel bars for Hamm’s closest competitor, Yang Tae-young from South Korea, the stage was set for one of the most controversial finishes in gymnastics history. Hamm recovered with a crucial hit routine on parallel bars. Then he moved to the final event of the night with a chance to win the all around — depending once again on his high-flying, risky high bar routine.
Hamm delivered, nailing his routine for a 9.837. By a mere 0.049, Hamm clinched the gold medal in the closest finish in the all-around in Olympic history.
Hamm was awarded the gold, but was unfortunately cheated out of celebrating his historic accomplishment. After weeks of controversy with the IOC and the USOC and two months after the Olympic Games Hamm had to travel to Switzerland to let the Court of Arbitration for Sport decide that the gold medal was rightfully his.
Hamm attempted to make a comeback for the 2008 Olympics, but a broken hand derailed his hopes of becoming a 3-time Olympian.
Hamm currently gives back to the sport as he coaches young, aspiring gymnasts in the Chicago area.
With a record of three straight U.S. Championships in 2002, 2003 and 2004, three Olympic medals including the all-around gold, silvers on high bar as well as with the U.S. team, plus five World Championship medals—two of them gold—Paul Hamm takes his rightful place in the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, Class of 2018.