Hamm wins Sullivan
Olympic gymnast is top amateur
The Associated Press
NEW YORK ” Gymnast Paul Hamm finally won an easy one.
No spectacular comeback was necessary. No court battles are foreseen. Olympic gold medalist Hamm received the 75th Sullivan Award as the nation’s top amateur athlete.
“Oh, this is such a huge honor,” he said before turning to congratulate the other seven finalists in attendance Wednesday night. “It’s just great to be one of the Sullivan Award winners.”
Hamm beat out Michael Phelps as well as Olympians Carly Patterson, Natalie Coughlin, Cael Sanderson, Andre Ward, Jeremy Wariner and Steven Lopez for the award. Phelps won last year before going on to claim six gold medals and two bronzes at the Athens Olympics ” matching the record for most medals at a single year’s games.
Southern Cal quarterback Matt Leinart also was a finalist, along with Elisha Au (karate).
In Athens, Hamm came back from 12th place in the all-around with only two events left to become the only U.S. man to win the Olympic all-around. Two days later, gymnastics officials discovered that Yang Tae-Young of South Korea had been wrongly docked a tenth of a point on his second-to-last routine, the parallel bars.
Yang asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to order international gymnastics officials to change the results and adjust the medal rankings.
But the CAS panel dismissed the appeal, leaving Hamm with the gold.
In the months since, hundreds of people told Hamm he was an inspiration. People told him they admired his perseverance and determination.
Hamm is only the second gymnast to win the Sullivan award. Kurt Thomas won in 1979.
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