Current Gymnasts to Watch
The American stars of the sport right now are:- Paul Hamm: First American man to become an All-Around World Champion (2003) and first to become an Olympic All-Around Champion (2004)
- Morgan Hamm: 2-time Olympian (2000, 2004)
- David Durante: 2007 US National All-Around Champion
- Alexander (Sasha) Artemev: 2006 US National All-Around Champion, 2006 World Bronze Medalist on pommel horse
- Guillermo Alvarez: 2007 All-Around Silver Medalist at US Nationals
- Jonathan Horton: 2006 All-Around Silver Medalist at US Nationals, 2-time American Cup All-Around Champion
Foreign gymnasts to watch:
- Yang Wei (China): 2-time World All-Around Champion (2006, 2007)
- Hiroyuki Tomita (Japan): 2005 World All-Around Champion, 2006 World All-Around Silver Medalist
- Li Xiaopeng(China): Olympic Champion (2000) and 2-time World Champion (2002, 2003) on parallel bars, 3-time World Champion on vault (1999, 2002, 2003)
- Jordan Jovtchev (Bulgaria): 12-time World Medalist (1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007), 4-time Olympic Medalist (2000, 2004)
- Hisashi Mizutori
(Japan): Olympic Gold Medalist (2004, team), 6-time World Medalist (2005-2007)
- Nikolai Kryukov
(Russia): 1999 World All-Around Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist (1996, team)
- Fabian Hambuechen (Germany): 5-time World Medalist (2006, 2007)
- Marian Dragulescu (Romania): 3-time World Champion on vault (2001, 2005, 2006), 3-time World Champion on floor (2001, 2002, 2006)
- Kyle Shewfelt (Canada): Olympic Champion on floor (2004), 3-time World Bronze Medalist (2003, 2006)
- Diego Hypolito (Brazil): 2-time World Champion on floor (2005, 2007)
Current Top Teams
- China: The 2006 & 2007 World Champions, China is the team to beat at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. With the number one all-arounder in the world right now (Yang Wei) and a very deep pool of athletes from which to choose, China just has to hit to win the team title. Unfortunately, the Chinese team has been inconsistent under pressure – at the 2004 Olympics, the heavily-favored team fell to fifth in the team finals.
- Japan: The 2004 Olympic Champions, Japan was also the runner-up in the 2007 Worlds and the Bronze Medalist in the 2006 Worlds. With strong all-arounders such as Hisashi Mizutori and Hiroyuki Tomita, Japan is the most likely winner in Beijing if China crumbles. Japanese gymnasts are known for their clean form and technique, and their history of winning Olympic gold – 6 team titles in all.
- Russia: Second at the 2006 Worlds, an injured Russian team only managed 7th at the 2007 Worlds. With healthy athletes, however, Russia is one of the top teams in the world, and like Japan, has a history of winning Olympic gold medals dating back to the former Soviet Union in 1956.
- Romania: Third as a team at the 2004 Olympics, the Romanian team placed 4th at the 2006 Worlds before placing a dismal 8th in 2007. The team shouldn’t be counted out though, and could land on the podium in 2008.
- United States: The US won the silver at both the 2003 World Championships and 2004 Olympic Games, then dropped to 13th at the 2006 Worlds. The team surged to 4th place at the 2007 Worlds, however, putting them back into the medal hunt in Beijing and beyond.
- Germany: Germany won a somewhat-surprising bronze medal in front of a home crowd at the 2007 World Championships. With charismatic leader Fabian Hambuechen the Germans could vie for a medal again at the Olympics.
