Paul Hamm broke a bone in his right hand on Thursday night at the U.S. championships. He was executing the finishing moves of his parallel bars routine when he jammed his ring finger and broke his right hand. The XXIX Olympiad begins in Beijing, China on August 8, 2008.

An injury this close to competition would appear to put the Olympic gold medalist out of the running. Not so fast says Hamm, who believes that he can petition for a spot on the U.S. gymnastics team. He knows he will not be able to qualify for the squad at the upcoming Olympic trials in Philadelphia starting June 19th but if he can show that he is healthy, they will likely grant the petition based upon his stature within the sport.

Hamm was candid in saying:

There’s no guarantees, no matter what. The only thing I can do at this point is make an attempt, try and see what happens. I don’t really even know exactly what the game plan is going to be until I talk to the doctors. It’s going to be a push, but if anybody can do it, I can pull it off.”

Hamm is the only American male gymnast to win a world title (2003) or Olympic gold (2004). He walked away from the sport for 2½-years after the Athens Olympics but the elite gymnast has come back with a vengeance and is a favorite to defend his gold metal at Beijing.

Hamm was having an excellent night at the U.S. championship meet. Despite the injury, Hamm finished the night almost four points ahead of his next competitor. He had the highest score of the night on pommel horse and high bar, and tied his twin brother Morgan Hamm for best score on floor exercise. Hamm had this to say about the Thursday night competition:

I felt I was in the best shape of my life at this past competition. The meet was going really, really well. I had three skills left to finish in my parallel bars routine, and that’s where the injury comes. It’s kind of sad and ironic at the same time.”

Doctors confirmed the bone break and displacement with x-rays on Friday. One option would have him wear a cast. The better option appears to be surgery which will allow him to start physical therapy and rehab sooner. He vows to continue exercising to keep his body in top form while his hand is healing.

The U.S. championship finals are Saturday night, May 24. He’ll be cheering his brother Morgan, who is coming back from a serious injury of his own. He pulled a muscle in his chest in October 2007 and is slowly regaining his top form.

Check out more photos below.

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