USA Men's Team Biography

Blaine Wilson, Brett McClure, Guard Young, Jason Gatson, Morgan Hamm, and Paul Hamm are only six of the USA Men's Gymnastics Team. What makes them different than any other USA Gymnasts? These 6 men also made up the USA Men's 2004 Olympic team in Athens, Greece. There they banned together to give some of the most exciting performances and earned themselves a team silver.

The silver medal was the first for the American men at a non-boycotted Olympics since 1932, when the United States also won the silver. The 1984 gold came without Russia, a gymnastics power, in the field. And both earlier medals came at Games on home turf: Los Angeles.

"You can never downplay the achievement of the 1984 team, but in a fully contested Olympics, the last time we won a medal was 1932, "USA Gymnastics President Bob Colarossi said. "That stands by itself."

The team had climbed back from the disappointment of four years ago with a change in approach that emphasized teamwork. After Sydney, USA Gymnastics, the sport's national governing body, began bringing athletes together through monthly training camps, out of which developed a camaraderie and closeness that hadn't existed before.

Despite the fact that the men have 3 more apparatuses than the women, and it was the men who packed the arena in Anaheim, for the longest time now, the cameras have always been pointed at the women. It was a rare occasion to catch a glimpse of the men's team on tv. In fact, during the 2004 Olympic trials they never once showed the men's trials. All cameras were focused in on the women's team.

"We don't strive for attention," Wilson said. "We do this for us."

Romania helped the United States when two of its gymnasts made major mistakes. After that, about all McClure and the Hamms had to do was hold on.

And they did.

"We came into Greece, and we wanted to show the rest of the world we were ready," Wilson said. "We've been climbing steadily up the ladder the last four years."

Five of the six team members continue on in their quest for more metals at the 2008 games in Beijing, China. Three time Olympic Gymnast Blaine Wilson, 29, had announced that his career would be ending after the 2004 Olympic Games, however, after touring with the Rock 'n' Roll Tour, Blaine decided to give it one more year, in hopes of earning his sixth national title.

Note: Each biography will open in a new page.

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