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Hamm wins gymnastics championship in the US

Paul Hamm hung on to a lead over Jason Gatson and Blaine Wilson to win the US Gymnastics Championship.

Hamm's first championship last year was well-earned, although it came with two-time Olympian Wilson nursing a shoulder injury that left him at less than 100 percent. This time, it was Hamm competing with a sore shoulder and Wilson at full health. Even with the injury, Hamm was better.

"I think this will make people realize it was no fluke," Hamm said Sunday. "People will come around and realize I am the top gymnast in the country right now."

He finished with 113.325 points, 1.2 more than Wilson, the five-time champion who finished third.

A full point behind Hamm, Gatson came in second, overcoming a pair of falls on the high bar that netted him a 7.85 on the first rotation. He and Hamm each earned automatic spots on the American world championship team.

Later Sunday, the men's program committee chose five more gymnasts to compete for the last four spots on the team: Wilson, Hamm's twin brother Morgan, Brett McClure, Raj Bhavsar and Alexander Artemev.

The worlds are Aug. 16-24 in Anaheim, California.
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