Paul Hamm facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paul Hamm
Hamm in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Paul Elbert Hamm
Country represented	United States
Born	(1982-09-24) September 24, 1982 (age 41) Washburn, Wisconsin, U.S.
Hometown	Waukesha, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height	5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Discipline	Men's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior Elite
Club	Ohio State University
Head coach(es)	Miles Avery Arnold Kventenadze Doug Stibel
Medal record Men's artistic gymnastics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens All-Around Silver 2004 Athens High bar Silver 2004 Athens Team World Championships Gold 2003 Anaheim All-Around Gold 2003 Anaheim Floor Silver 2001 Ghent Team Silver 2003 Anaheim Team Bronze 2002 Debrecen Floor Pacific Rim Championships Gold 2008 San Jose Team Gold 2008 San Jose All-Around Gold 2008 San Jose Pommel Horse Gold 2008 San Jose Parallel Bars Silver 2008 San Jose Floor Exercise Bronze 2008 San Jose Horizontal Bar

Paul Elbert Hamm (born September 24, 1982 in Washburn, Wisconsin) is a retired American artistic gymnast. He is the 2004 Olympic all-around champion, a three-time Olympic medalist, and the 2003 World all-around champion. Hamm is the most successful American male gymnast in history, one of only two American gymnasts (along with Simone Biles) to win the all-around title at both the Olympics and the World Championships, and the only male American gymnast to do so.

Personal life

Hamm is the son of Sandy and Cecily Hamm. His twin brother, Morgan Hamm, is also a gymnast and Olympic medalist. His older sister, Elizabeth (Betsy), is a former member of the USA Gymnastics Senior National Team.

Career

Hamm is a three-time, consecutive U.S. National all-around champion, winning the titles from 2002–2004. In 2003, he became the first American man to win the all-around title at a World Championships. At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Hamm competed alongside his twin brother Morgan Hamm and finished 5th in the team competition and 14th in the individual all-around competition.

2004 Summer Olympics

Hamm competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens once again with his twin brother Morgan Hamm. He won the silver medal in the team competition and won the gold medal in the all-around. He also nearly won the gold medal on high bar but was awarded the silver medal after a tiebreaker.

In the all-around competition, Hamm was in good position after the first three rotations, but a disastrous fall on the vault, in which he nearly fell into the judges' bench, dropped him to 12th place and he looked to be completely out of the running for a medal of any sort. Indeed, had a judge and the bench not been able to break Hamm's fall, he might have fallen from the podium and sustained injury. However, numerous faults by the other gymnasts, combined with Hamm's performance on the parallel bars, returned him to fourth place after the fifth rotation. His high bar routine in the final rotation earned a score of 9.837, winning him the gold medal by a margin of .012, the closest in Olympic gymnastics history. His scores on the six disciplines were:

• Floor: 9.725 (1st)
• Pommel Horse: 9.700 (4th)
• Rings: 9.587 (8th)
• Vault: 9.137 (12th)
• Parallel Bars: 9.837 (1st)
• Horizontal bar: 9.837 (1st)
• Overall: 57.823 (1st)

Sullivan Award

Hamm was the James E. Sullivan Award winner for 2004 as the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. He was the second gymnast to receive this honor after Kurt Thomas.

Comeback attempt for 2008 Olympics

Paul and Morgan Hamm took some time off after the 2004 Olympics to focus on school at Ohio State University. They announced in February 2007 that they would return to competitive gymnastics, starting at the 2007 U.S. Championships, also known as the Visa Championships, after their title sponsor. In March 2008, Paul won the American Cup held in New York City. This was the first time he won this competition and performed with a strong showing.

On May 22, Paul competed on the first day of the 2008 U.S. Championships, but was forced to withdraw after day one after injuring his hand. During his routine on the parallel bars he fractured the fourth metacarpal of his right hand. Orthopedic surgery five days later placed a titanium plate and nine screws in his hand and Paul was not cleared to return to gymnastics until July 3. After sitting out the Olympic Trials, he was named to the 2008 Olympic Team on a provisional basis depending on his recovery. On July 19 he secured his spot on the 2008 team by participating in an intersquad meet and performed in all six events, only slightly modifying his routines to prevent aggravation of his injury.

On July 28, Paul announced his withdrawal from the United States Olympic gymnastics team due to persistent pain in his right hand and a new injury to his left shoulder from his accelerated recovery efforts. He was replaced on the team by Raj Bhavsar. He has indicated that he will permanently retire from the sport.

Comeback attempt for 2012 Olympics

Paul Hamm retired from gymnastics and ended his run to make the 2012 Olympic team. Paul stated, "The years of training have taken a toll on my body and training at an Olympic level is no longer sustainable."

On December 15, 2015, it was announced that Hamm had been inducted into the 2016 class of the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Competitive history

2008 season

2007 season

2004 season

2003 season

2002 season

2001 season

2000 season

Sasuke

Hamm also competed on the popular Japanese television show, Sasuke (in America/UK: Ninja Warrior). He and his brother Morgan took part in three tournaments (#14, 15, and 16). Paul made it to the second stage of the 14th competition but missed completing it by inches (he cleared the last obstacle, the "Wall Lifting", but forgot to hit the red button before time ran out). In the 15th, he was unable to pass the First Stage obstacle, the "Warped Wall". In the 16th he made it to the second stage again but failed on the obstacle known as the "Metal Spin".

Arrest

On September 3, 2011, Hamm was accused of assaulting an Ohio taxi driver, damaging that taxi's window and refusing to pay his fare. He was arrested, and while in custody threatened the arresting officers. Hamm was charged with assault and two other misdemeanors. On September 9, Hamm was fired from his coaching position at Ohio State.

On Thursday, February 23, 2012, Hamm pleaded no contest to a reduced set of two misdemeanor charges in an Upper Arlington court in suburban Columbus. A misdemeanor assault charge was dismissed.

A magistrate suspended a sentence of 90 days in custody on each count, provided that Hamm completes a year of probation, pay the cab fare, plus court fees, and must sit with a counselor for an alcohol assessment.

See also

In Spanish: Paul Hamm para niños