'This medal . . . second most beautiful thing'
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ATHENS, Greece — The United States won its first men's gymnastics medal in a non-boycotted Olympics since 1932. The Americans couldn't outscore a remarkable Japanese team, but the night's drama made those silver medals look awfully good.
Guard Young, 27, who so often hung around the periphery of the gymnastic elite but never broken into the upper ranks until these Games, contributed to the U.S. men's gymnastics team silver medal in the 2004 Olympic Games.
"This medal is the second-most beautiful thing I have ever seen, after my wife and son," said the LDS gymnast, who follows in the Olympic footsteps of his father, Wayne, who competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
The evening felt special from the start. While the rest of the top teams skidded and stumbled across the floor, Paul Hamm, his twin brother Morgan Hamm and Guard Young put on three of the best routines this side of the circus.
Guard Young, who faced the pressure of performing his team's first routine, delivered a terrific floor exercise, earning a 9.7 and chasing whatever nerves his teammates may have been feeling.
It hardly mattered that the medals were silver, not gold. After two decades of being an obscurity at home and an afterthought to competitors, the U.S. men's gymnastics team climbed the podium Aug. 16 night as proud as any champions.
The medal was only the third ever by a U.S. men's team, and the first since the 1984 squad won gold at the boycotted Los Angeles Games.
"What they've done is significant in and of its own right," said Peter Vidmar, Church member and a double gold medalist on that 1984 team. "Tonight, we should just forget there ever was a team in 1984 and just let their success stand on its own. Because it was a tremendous, tremendous night for them."
More than a dozen other members of the Church were still competing in their events at press time. Their results will be noted in future issues of Church News.
— Compilation of AP reports
