Olympics 2008: Mens Gymnastics US Team Final (video)

Some video highlights from the great Olympics 2008 performance in Mens Gymnastics, Team Final. The US team's showing in the 2008 olympics team final has been a big surprise, after Paul Hamm and his brother both dropped out. For most of the event they trailed right behind China in the siulver medal spot.

Olympics 2008: Mens Gymnastics, US Team Final (video)
link

Go for the bronze.

As the U.S. men's gymnastics team bounces, flips and vaults in the National Indoor Stadium today, it will be a surprising medal contender, even after losing Olympic veterans Paul and Morgan Hamm to injury.

But as much as they have talked about winning the team competition, their best chance now is for a third-place finish.

"China and Japan will fight for gold and silver, and it is up to the rest of us to fight for a bronze medal,'' said Germany's Fabian Hambuechen, who finished second behind China's Yang Wei in the all-around qualifying.

Four teams finished qualifying within 1.025 points of one another — Russia (third), South Korea (fourth), Germany (fifth) and the United States (sixth). The eight-team final starts from zero today with an intense format in which three gymnasts are scored on each of the six apparatus. In other words, all the scores count, so the margin of error is razor thin.

"To make a major team personnel change, compete in the first subdivision and qualify for the team finals is a huge accomplishment,'' U.S. coach Kevin Mazeika said Saturday after his team performed well. (In fact, the Americans probably were scored low because they went in the first group, when judges tend to hold back on awarding high points.)

Olympics 2008: Mens Gymnastics Team Final (video)

[full video coming later tonight!]