2004 Olympics: Gymnastics

Patterson will be busy as U.S. tries to vault Romania

10:54 PM CDT on Monday, August 16, 2004

By CATHY HARASTA / The Dallas Morning News

ATHENS, Greece – Many have celebrated the U.S. women's team depth. It won't matter today, when the world's top-ranked gymnastics squad seeks the 2004 Olympic team championship.

Of the six athletes on each team, only three will compete in each event under a format change since the 2000 Sydney Games. All three scores count, meaning one mistake can cost a medal. The lineup, announced Monday, took consistency and mental toughness into consideration.

Carly Patterson of Allen is the only team member who will compete on all four events at Olympic Indoor Hall. Bedford native Courtney Kupets will compete on all but the vault.

Patterson's coach, Evgeny Marchenko of Plano, said he trained her in the final weeks with one objective.

"I wanted her fresh, with some energy left," said Marchenko, who is the U.S. Olympic team's assistant coach.

It worked. Patterson had the top all-around score in the team qualifier Sunday. But the other 16-year-old on the team did not fare so well.

When Courtney McCool won the Olympic test event last spring, the arena so suited her that she could not wait to return for the Athens Games. But the lineup submitted by U.S. team coordinator Martha Karolyi and her advisors for the team final omitted McCool, who struggled in the team qualifer.

Defending Olympic champion Romania qualified in the top spot for the finals, with the U.S. second and China third.

E-mail charasta@dallasnews.com

U.S. women's team finals lineup:

Vault: Carly Patterson, Mohini Bhardwaj, Annia Hatch

Uneven bars: Patterson, Terin Humphrey, Courtney Kupets

Balance beam: Humphrey, Kupets, Patterson

Floor exercise: Kupets, Bhardwaj, Patterson