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Wilson finishes sixth for U.S. Associated Press SYDNEY, Australia -- Russia's Alexei Nemov is going to have a bright, shiny souvenir for his baby boy.
But the present belongs to Nemov, who finished just 0.049 points behind Li Xiaoshuang of China in 1996. With his silver from the team competition Monday, the gymnast dubbed "Sexy Alexei" now has eight Olympic medals. Watch him for one routine and it's easy to see why. He's simply better than everyone else on the floor. His lowest score of the night was a 9.65 on the vault, better than some gymnasts' highest score. While other gymnasts worry about how many flips and twists they can throw into their routines, Nemov remembers that the name of this sport is "artistic gymnastics." His toes are always perfectly pointed, his legs extended so they look about five feet long and his body so straight you could use it as a ruler. He's one of the few gymnasts who can draw the kind of gasps from the crowd usually reserved for only the ugliest of crashes. He looks like a trapeze artist on the high bar, drawing oohs and aahs with his soaring flips. On one, he throws himself high above the bar and does a somersault, slapping his thighs in a move that looks more suited for Cirque du Soleil than the Olympics. On the floor, his favorite exercise, he moves with power and purpose and makes it look effortless at the same time. When he does his flares -- swinging his body around on his hands while he scissor-kicks his legs -- he throws in a little turn on his shoulders that looks like something out an early '80s Michael Jackson video.His only stumble of the night came on the vault, when he landed short and had to take a step forward to keep from falling on his face. Still, the judges gave him a 9.65, prompting one fan to yell, "Just give Nemov the gold now!" After he finished his parallel bars, his last routine, Nemov appeared to be holding back tears as he waved to the cheering crowd. He hugged coach Leonid Arkaev and then sat down to wait out Yang, who needed a 9.863 on the pommel horse to pass Nemov. Yang came through with a solid routine, punching the air in triumph and exchanging high-fives with his coach when he finished. But he earned a 9.75, only enough for the silver. Nemov breathed a sigh of relief and then accepted congratulations from his coaches and fellow competitors. Wilson finished just 0.001 points from the bronze medal at last fall's world championships, and he looked so good at the Olympic trials that U.S. coach Peter Kormann thought he might contend for a gold.But the usually rock-solid gym rat has been out of synch since the games began. He faltered during the team competition, as the United States finished fifth. He looked more like his old, nasty self during the all-around, but he had just enough bobbles and wobbles to keep him off the medals podium. He climbed as high as third after one of the best vaults of the night. He flew high over the horse, somersaulting and then slammed his legs into the mat with a resounding THUD! He took a little hop, but the vault was spectacular and he knew it, slapping his thighs in satisfaction. His competitors knew it was good, too, reaching out to high-five him as he came off the podium. But Wilson stumbled back on the dismount of his high bar, and the 9.525 dropped him all the way to seventh. He moved back into contention with a solid floor routine, giving the crowd a little wave as he came off the floor. But he needed better than a 9.8 on his last routine, the pommel horse and he didn't even come close, scoring a 9.587. |  | ALSO SEE American McCain drops out of men's all-around | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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