Hamm bows out of Olympics with injury

Associated Press • August 7, 2008 BEIJING — Morgan Hamm’s eyes were red, his voice shaky. The bone spurs digging into his left leg made it impossible for him to tumble, and giving up his spot on the U.S. men’s gymnastics team was the right thing to do - the only thing to do. That didn’t make it hurt any less. Hamm withdrew Thursday, two days before competition begins. He aggravated a chronic injury in his left ankle during training in Beijing, and it never responded to treatment. He clearly struggled on floor exercise during the men’s training session Wednesday, and it wasn’t any better Thursday. "This has been an extremely hard decision for me to make. I’ve given everything I can to be ready to compete at this Olympic Games," Hamm said. "It’s best for me to step down and have another athlete fill my position. This is... [read full story]