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Artemev, Horton Shine At Trials

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The Associated Press

Published: June 20, 2008

PHILADELPHIA - Paul Hamm isn't the only American gymnast with skills.

With the reigning Olympic champion recovering from a broken hand, Sasha Artemev and Jonathan Horton made their cases for trips to the Beijing Games on Thursday night. Artemev and Horton had the highest scores of the night Thursday, the first of two days of competition at the Olympic trials.

Artemev scored 90.650 points and Horton was just behind at 90.550. The finals are Saturday night, and two gymnasts will get spots on the team that night. The rest of the six-man team and/or a training squad will be named within 24 hours.

One of those spots is almost sure to go to Hamm, who broke his hand at nationals last month. Hamm is the only American man to win a world or Olympic all-around title, and said Thursday he expects to be fully recovered in time for Beijing.

David Sender, who won the national title after Hamm got hurt, couldn't compete Thursday after spraining his ankle during training Wednesday. He also petitioned for a spot on the team, though he still hopes to compete Saturday.

Tests showed Sender's ankle isn't broken and there are no torn ligaments.

Loukas Leads Women At 3-Meter Diving Trials

INDIANAPOLIS - Christina Loukas saved her best for last, earning mostly 9s on her final dive to increase her commanding lead in the 3-meter springboard semifinals at the U.S. Olympic trials Thursday night.

Loukas led by nearly 30 points after the morning preliminaries, and she was even stronger in the evening session, when the scores carried over.

She totaled 729.85 points, well ahead of second-place Nancilea Foster (681.40).

Foster was strongest on her first and last dives, earning bunches of 8.5s. She closed out with a reverse 2 1/2 somersault pike.

"Even as I hit the water, I just thought, 'That is my favorite moment of diving,'" she said. "It's a dive that I've hit before in important stress situations. Just knowing I did it right is very good."

Ariel Rittenhouse, second after prelims, slipped to third with 650.30 after botching her second dive and earning mostly 5s for over-rotating upon entry and creating a big splash.

Allison Brennan, whose mother, Cathy Ferguson, won two swimming gold medals at the 1964 Rome Olympics, rose from ninth after prelims to fourth.

Victoria Ishimatsu, whose sister Haley is second in the 10-meter platform competition, was fifth.

Loukas, 22, earned her highest marks - a 9.5 and three 9.0s among the seven judges - on her final dive, a forward 2 1/2 somersault with a twist.

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