Wilson’s Victory Has a Ring to It

ST. LOUIS —  Blaine Wilson has given up his tongue ring, his eyebrow ring and his motorcycle.

But Wilson can’t do anything about his four tattoos, even if his coach and his father would like them removed.

It’s hard trying to be an Olympic gymnast and an in-your-face rebel.

Thank goodness, though, that Wilson still says what he thinks.

“I don’t know how many people like watching women’s gymnastics as opposed to men’s,” Wilson, 25, said.

“I mean, if you were going to watch gymnastics, what would you rather watch, a graceful girl on the balance beam or guys falling all over the place on the high bar?”

Well, the TV ratings indicate the graceful girls win over the clumsy guys. Maybe Wilson can change things.

Friday night at the Kiel Center, Wilson won his fifth consecutive national all-around title at the 2000 U.S. Gymnastics Championships.

It was an emphatic win for Wilson, who is 5 feet 4 and who has a 6-2 volleyball-playing girlfriend from Fiji.

“I kind of like to get in people’s face with that,” Wilson said. “We get a lot of second glances.”

Wilson finished nearly two points ahead of silver-medalist Sean Townsend, 21. The bronze medalist was 17-year-old Paul Hamm.

In fourth place was 26-year-old Stephen McCain of Houston. McCain had been a favorite to make the 1996 Olympic team but collapsed at the trials after a terrible high bar routine and finished 12th. He nearly gave up the sport and went on an African safari the summer of the Atlanta Games because he couldn’t bear to watch any part of the Olympics.

Two-time Olympian John Roethlisberger, 30, hung on to fifth place. The four-time national champion had big falls in the preliminaries and again Friday night during his floor exercise routine.

The top 14 finishers advanced to the Olympic Trials Aug. 17-20 in Boston. Two 1999 U.S. world team members, 20-year-old Yewki Tomita and 27-year-old Chris Young, withdrew from the national championships with injuries but have petitioned into the trials.

These national championship scores will count for 40% and the Olympic trials scores will count for 60% in the final determination of the Olympic team.

The top four finishers after the two meets will earn spots.

U.S. men’s Olympic team coordinator Peter Kormann will be able to choose the other two members from the rest of the pool.

Wilson is optimistic about the chances of the U.S. team to medal for the first time since it won gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

“I think our guys are a little stronger than in 1984,” Wilson said.

“I know it will take us winning a medal in a lot of people’s eyes to validate that, but as far as other gymnasts are concerned, this group is way better.”

Wilson was unhappy with himself for missing a tumbling pass on the floor exercise.

But Kormann interrupted Wilson’s diatribe over his mistake to point out something.

“Five straight national championships is something special,” Kormann said. “I figured it out and I think I have it right. Blaine hasn’t been beaten by another American in 110 straight meets.

“That’s consistency you don’t find very often.”

After watching his potential Olympians for two nights, Kormann described what he had seen.

“I thought it was awesome,” Kormann said. “We’re reaching the final summit, we’re close to the peak and in the distance we can see some glimmering medals.”