Hamm Leads Winter Cup Qualification

2004 Olympic all-around champion Paul Hamm of Waukesha, Wis., leads after the first day of competition at the Winter Cup Challenge at the Las Vegas Sports Center in Las Vegas, Nev. He posted a total score of 92.800 points, followed by Raj Bhavsar of Houston in second and Alexander Artemev of Morrison Colo., in third with scores of 89.000 and 88.900, respectively.

“I don’t think I’ve peaked yet,” said Hamm, who is competing in the all-around for the first time since the 2004 Olympic Games. “I’m in pretty good shape. If I do this well at the Visa Championships, I’ll be satisfied.”

Based on the results and a points-ranking system, the top 42 gymnasts from the qualification round advanced to the finals, scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Pacific Time on Feb. 9. Scores from both days of competition count toward the final rankings for the all-around and individual events.

The Winter Cup Challenge serves as a re-ranking competition for the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team. Based on performance at the Winter Cup Challenge, seven gymnasts will be named to the senior national team at the conclusion of the event on Saturday. The seven members of the 2007 World Championship Team, which placed fourth in the team standings, automatically retain their national team status.

Gymnasts advancing to the finals of the 2008 Winter Cup Challenge

(The top 42 gymnasts, based on a performance-based, points-ranking system, advanced to the finals on Feb. 9. Points shown are from the ranking system.)

1. Paul Hamm, Waukesha, Wis., 170

2. Alexander Artemev, Morrison, Colo., 125

3. Raj Bhavsar, Houston, Texas, 116

4. David Durante, Garwood, N.J., 114

5. David Sender, Arlington Heights, Ill., 108

6. Joseph Hagerty, Rio Rancho, N.M., 106

7. Kevin Tan, Fremont, Calif., 99

8. Blaine Wilson, Columbus, Ohio, 93

9. Guillermo Alvarez, Denver, Colo., 91

10. Sean Townsend, Dickinson, Texas, 89

11. Jonathan Horton, Houston, Texas, 76

12. Yewki Tomita, Tucson, Ariz., 74

13. Paul Ruggeri III, Manlius, N.Y., 66

14. Kyle Bunthuwong, El Cerrito, Calif., 63

15. Kyson Bunthuwong, El Cerrito, Calif., 59

16. Thomas Kelley, Libertyville, Ill., 58

17. Steven Legendre, Flower Mound, Texas, 58

18. R.J. Heflin, Storeham, Mass., 56

19. Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons, Philadelphia, Pa., 55

20. Tim McNeill, Falls Church, Va., 55

21. Josh Dixon, San Jose, Calif., 47

22. Geoff Corrigan, Colorado Springs, Colo., 44

23. Sho Nakamori, Albany, Calif., 44

24. Evan Roth, North Woodmere, N.Y., 43

25. Colin Christ, Charlotte, N.C., 41

26. Wesley Haagensen, Belleville, Ill., 40

27. Derek Helsby, Orlando, Fla., 38

28. Ryan Lieberman, Lake Forest, Ill., 38

29. Tyler Block, Kensington, Calif., 37

30. Jacob Messina, Matthews, N.C., 37

31. Viorel Popescu, Glen Allen, Va., 36

32. Tim Gentry, Plano, Texas, 35

33. Bryant Hadden, Wichita, Kan., 33

34. Tyler Yamauchi, Sugarland, Texas, 32

35. Dylan Carney, Dartmouth, Mass., 31

36. Timothy Schmidt, Blair, Neb., 30

37. Danell Leyva, Miami, Fla., 29

38. Jake Bateman, Kingsport, Tenn., 27

39. Jake Lee, Saratoga Springs, Utah, 27

40. Alexy Bilozertchev, Hilliard, Ohio, 26

41. Tyler Mizoguchi, Houston, Texas, 26

42. Ralph Rosso, Morganville, N.J., 26

Preliminary round results

(Please note advancement to finals is based on a points system; see above)

All-Around

1.  Paul Hamm, Waukesha, Wis., 92.800

2.  Raj Bhavsar, Houston, Texas, 89.000

3.  Alexander Artemev, Morrison, Colo., 88.900

4.  David Sender, Arlington Heights, Ill., 87.800

5.  David Durante, Garwood, N.J., 87.700

6.  Joseph Hagerty, Rio Rancho, N.M., 87.450

7.  Sean Townsend, Dickinson, Texas, 85.650

8.  Luis Vargas, Puerto Rico, 84.650

8.  Steven Legendre, Flower Mound, Texas, 84.600

9.  Guillermo Alvarez, Denver, Colo., 84.400

9.  Paul Ruggeri III, Manlius, N.Y., 84.400

11.  Kyle Bunthuwong, El Cerrito, Calif., 84.000

12.  Wesley Haagensen, Belleville, Ill., 83.950

13.  Luis Rivera, Puerto Rico, 83.850

13.  Danell Leyva, Miami, Fla., 83.800

14.  Todd Thornton, Houston, Texas, 83.250

15.  Thomas Kelley, Libertyville, Ill., 83.100

16.  Bryant Hadden, Wichita, Kan., 82.800

17.  Jake Bateman, Kingsport, Tenn., 82.450

18.  Tim Gentry, Plano, Texas, 82.350

18.  Derek Helsby, Orlando, Fla., 82.350

20.  Tyler Mizoguchi, Houston, Texas, 82.300

20.  Edward Mesa, Cooper City, Fla., 82.300