Gymnasts to watch -- and more

Last update: August 5, 2008 - 3:49 PM

FIVE ATHLETES TO WATCH

1. Top contender: Shawn Johnson, the 2007 world all-around champion from West Des Moines, Iowa, is one of the favorites for the women's gold medal. 2. 1-2 punch: Nastia Liukin, whose father and coach, Valeri, won four medals representing Russia in the '88 Games, stands as one of Johnson's closest rivals.

3. Home-gym advantage? Yang Wei, the 28-year-old, two-time defending world men's champ, will try to lead the home team to a gold medal.

4. Don't forget about ... Romania's Steliana Nistor finished second in the all-around at last year's world championships and will look to crowd the U.S. women at the top.

5. Back for more: South Korean Yang Tae-Young hopes to erase the sour taste left from the last Olympics, when he won all-around bronze after judges acknowledged a scoring error.

ODDS AND ENDS

• Bulgarian Jordan Jovtchev, 35, competes in his fifth Games. He won a bronze in the floor exercise in 2004. • American Justin Spring earned his way to Beijing after recovering from reconstructive surgery on his knee after tearing his ACL at the 2007 Visa Championships.

WITHOUT HAMM, U.S. MEN FACE UPHILL CLIMB

The U.S. men's team will have to overcome the loss of reigning Olympic all-around champion Paul Hamm. He withdrew from the team just before it left for Beijing because his broken right hand was not sufficiently healthy for him to compete. Hamm also injured his rotator cuff while rehabbing the hand.

"I have put my heart and soul into my comeback and done everything I could to get ready in time to compete in Beijing," said Hamm. "This has been the hardest decision that I've ever had to make, but I have too much respect for the Olympics and my team to continue. ... I know that the best thing for everyone is for me to step aside.''

Because of Hamm's injury, Raj Bhavsar, who was an alternate on the 2004 Olympic team, was added to the roster.

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