Hamm eyes gold after tarnished dream

LONDON (Reuters) - Paul Hamm discovered the true meaning of the saying 'all that glitters is not gold' at the Athens Olympics.

The gymnast had punched the air in delight when he staged a remarkable comeback from 12th place, following a botched vault in the final, to become the first American man to win the coveted all-round gold.

However, his joy was quickly doused by what became one of the biggest controversies of the 2004 Games.

Just 72 hours after his triumph, the governing body of gymnastics (FIG) ruled that South Korea's Yang Tae-young was the 'true winner of the all-round competition'.

The FIG admitted bronze medalist Yang should have been awarded the gold because he had been incorrectly docked a 10th of a point from his parallel bars routine. But the governing body refused to redistribute the medals.

The FIG's stand forced the South Koreans to appeal against the decision to sport's supreme legal body, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Sixty four days after the all-round competition, CAS drew a line under the saga when it rejected Yang's appeal.

"No-one in the world will ever completely agree that I won the gold medal," Hamm said. "It'll be that way for the rest of my life and I've got to live with it."

It is little wonder that Hamm wants another chance to prove he is a worthy Olympic champion at the Aug 8-24 Beijing Games.

"He attained a dream but it was somewhat tarnished," 1996 Olympic Champion Kerri Strug told Reuters.

"Maybe it's good he's back and looking strong because he has another chance to get another gold."

BUMPY RETURN

After taking a 2-1/2 year break to attend Ohio State University, Hamm announced his return in 2007 but his journey to Beijing has been a rather bumpy one.

He broke the fourth metacarpal on his right hand in May and had surgery to insert a plate and nine screws to hasten the healing. The 25-year-old proved his fitness only last weekend.

"It's been a wild ride for me ever since my comeback into the sport," said the 1.64-metre tall Hamm, whose twin Morgan also qualified for Beijing.

"I feel like I'm 90 to 95 percent. I am dealing with pain. As far as pushing through it, it's something I can deal with (as) this is the Olympic Games."

Such has been the hype surrounding Hamm's comeback, a poll on Olympic host broadcaster NBC's website states 66 percent of fans believe the American will reign supreme in Beijing.

But Hamm has not competed internationally in four years while Chinese favorite Yang Wei has been undefeated in the all-round on the world stage since 2006.

Should Hamm succeed in toppling Yang, he could belatedly fulfill another dream of every American athlete -- to have his face plastered on a Wheaties cereal box. In 2004, the judging controversy denied him that chance.

(Editing by Robert Woodward)