7/18/2004 » Olympics, Profiles

Mohini Bhardwaj made the cut for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team in her first Olympics, named fourth out of six spots. Both vault specialists, Bhardwaj and Annia Hatch, were chosen for the team. Bhardwaj is the first desi I can remember competing on the U.S. Olympic team. She and Hatch are both mounting comebacks in their mid-’20s, on the high end for women’s gymnastics. New Olympic rules penalize inconsistent performances more harshly, which gives veterans an edge. Actress Pamela Anderson, who sponsored Bhardwaj, has promised to cheer her on from Athens.

Raj Bhavsar, national champion on rings, missed the cut and was named as an alternate to the U.S. men’s gymnastics team. He’ll compete if any of the team members are forced to drop out due to injury. Former all-round national champion Blaine Wilson, recovering from a six-month-old injury, was picked in his place.

And in a recent non-Olympics competition, Veena Goel was named the new Miss California.

Update: Lord of the rings Raj Bhavsar apparently took one for the team:

How badly do U.S. gymnastics leaders want to win a men''''''''s team medal at the Athens Olympics? Enough to leave a potential Olympic champion, Raj Bhavsar, off the team... Galimore and Avery concurred that Bhavsar is among the world''''''''s best on rings... However, Galimore said history has shown that without a high team score, individual gymnasts "don''''''''t have a chance" to win medals.