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Nemov has medal trifecta Associated Press SYDNEY, Australia -- Svetlana Khorkina finally got her gold, Latvia won its first gymnastics medal and Alexei Nemov now has a complete set. Morgan Hamm, meanwhile, will have to settle for cake and ice cream on his birthday after finishing seventh on the floor. Khorkina, who lost her shot at the all-around gold Thursday when she fell on a vault that was set two inches two short, broke into tears and sobbed Sunday when she won the gold medal on the uneven bars. The crowd cheered the Russian as she walked back onto the podium and kissed the uneven bars, weeping. It was sweet redemption after her disaster in the all-around. "If I didn't get over the disappointment of the other night, I wouldn't have been fortunate tonight," Khorkina said. "And I wouldn't be standing here with a gold medal." The vault was set 1.97 inches below regulation Thursday, but the error wasn't discovered until after the first 18 gymnasts had already vaulted. One of those was Khorkina, and her crash was the most devastating of the night. The 5-foot-5 gymnast didn't get enough height on her first vault and crashed on her knees. Distraught at what she thought was her mistake, Khorkina fell off the uneven bars. She was given the option of vaulting again, but it wouldn't have done any good because of the fall on bars. She finished 11th overall. Khorkina didn't take any chances Sunday, scratching from the vault final to give teammate Yelena Zamolodtchikova a chance at an individual medal. When Khorkina came out for the uneven bars, she was sporting a brand-new, razor-short haircut. And her bars routine was just as sharp. She didn't just glide as she moved between the low and high bar, she actually flipped her body all the way around, a move of astonishing difficulty. When she somersaulted over the bar and caught it again -- the move she missed Thursday -- the crowd cheered. Khorkina finished her routine and started pumping her fists, knowing the gold would soon be hers. As she waited for the scores of the final competitor, she closed her eyes and buried her face in her coach's shoulder. When the score of China's Ling Jie flashed, Khorkina's eyes lit up and the tears began to flow. Ling won the silver and China's Yang Yun won the bronze. Igors Vihrovs gave Latvia its first gymnastics medal since it regained its independence following the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Vihrovs had never won an international competition before, but he outperformed everyone on the floor. Even Nemov. He ran off the podium pumping his fists, and then paced nervously next to Nemov as he waited for his score. When his 9.812 was posted, putting him in first place, Vihrovs jumped up and down, throwing his arms in the air in triumph. Nemov applauded and gave Vihrovs a congratulatory hug. "I never dreamed about this, it is super," Vihrovs said. "I could never believe I could do this. I am very proud." Nemov won the silver, and Jordan Jovtchev of Bulgaria won the bronze. Nemov added a bronze on the pommel horse, giving him a medal of every color in Sydney. The men's all-around champion also has another bronze from the team competition. With three more event finals on Monday, he could top the six medals he won in Atlanta. Marius Urzica of Romania won the gold in the pommel horse, moving up a spot from his finish in Atlanta. Eric Poujade of France won the silver. The American medal drought continued as Morgan Hamm finished seventh on the floor. He and his twin brother Paul turned 18 on Sunday, but there will be no gold, silver or bronze among his presents. Hamm was solid for all but the last three seconds of his routine. After whipping himself across the floor on two double layouts, an aerial move, Hamm took a big bounce forward on his landing and had to put his hands down to keep from falling. He scored a 9.262. "I'm just going to take everything: being with the team, getting to know all the guys, the whole Olympic experience," Hamm said. "Walking into the arena is pretty amazing. Just being here is awesome." Zamolodtchikova could say the same thing. She was the last-minute replacement for Khorkina in the vault, and she ended up with the gold medal. Romania's Andreea Raducan, who won the women's all-around, won the vault silver. Yelena Lobazniouk of Russia took the bronze. Szilveszter Csollany of Hungary won the gold in the still rings. Dimosthenis Tampakos of Greece took the silver and Jovtchev won his second bronze of the night. |  | ALSO SEE Russia's Khorkina withdraws from vault event Gymnastics federation come down on officials for vault | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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