2004 Olympics: Gymnastics

American gymnast claims his first medal in his third Olympic Games

10:55 PM CDT on Monday, August 16, 2004

By CATHY HARASTA / The Dallas Morning News

ATHENS, Greece – Blaine Wilson walked off the floor at Olympic Indoor Hall on Monday night knowing this was it.

But as the veteran gymnast ended his Olympic career, it was not without the medal he had failed to win at two previous Games.

Wilson, 30, tenderly touched the silver team medal suspended on a ribbon around his neck.

"I want to break down and just start crying," said Wilson, the first man to win five consecutive USA Gymnastics national titles. "I want to talk to my wife. And I can't wait to see my dad."

Wilson competed on the rings and on the parallel bars, receiving scores of 9.637 and 9.712, respectively.

He said he might compete for another year, but not through the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Twelve-time Olympic medalist Alexei Nemov of Russia has battled back injuries for several years. Nemov, who won six medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, competed on the pommel horse, the parallel bars and the high bar, scoring 9.037, 9.525 and 9.750, respectively. Though Russia finished sixth, fans from a variety of countries applauded Nemov each time he took to the apparatus, figuring this might be his last Olympics.