Armour: U.S. men's Olympic gymnastics team's best quality is its resolve

ST. LOUIS — Japan and China have more talent, no question. Maybe Britain, too.

None, however, comes close to the heart, perseverance and fierce resolve of the men’s gymnastics team that will represent the United States at the Rio Olympics.

Chris Brooks made his first Olympic team at 29, his body held together by KT tape and scar tissue. After watching from the stands in London as an alternate, Alex Naddour transformed himself as a gymnast to ensure he’d never be an also-ran again. Jake Dalton and Sam Mikulak missed last year’s world championships with injuries.

And John Orozco has endured more heartbreak in his 23 years than anyone should have to face in a lifetime, losing his mother and tearing his Achilles for a second time in a span of four months last year.

“What I see most out of this team is the greatest amount of heart,” Mikulak said Saturday night after the five-man team was announced. “We’re going to put up a very good fight in Rio.”

U.S. men's gymnastics team announced for 2016 Rio Olympics

This was easily the most difficult decision the committee has faced in the last 20 years. All but one member of the 2012 squad was back, including Danell Leyva, the reigning Olympic bronze medalist. Ten had competed at the world championships, including eight who had won medals.

Yet when the committee crunched the numbers Saturday night, following two days of competition at the national championships and another two here at the Olympic trials, there was no question who belonged on the team.

“The numbers just spoke for themselves,” said Kevin Mazeika, the men’s national team coordinator. “My hope was the whole U.S. national team would go out and perform, and we saw that tonight.

“It’s great to see,” he added. “It shows the strength of this program.”

Unlike track and field or swimming, picking a team is not as easy as taking the top five guys in the overall standings. Because of the unforgiving three-up, three-count format in team finals, the committee had to find a combination that could put up three big scores on all six events, and do it consistently.

In Olympics past, some gymnasts made the team as much because of the failures of others as the strengths of themselves. That was not the case this time. Every one of the five earned his place.

Mikulak, Dalton and Naddour were considered locks coming into the final day of competition, and none did anything to jeopardize that. Despite being in second place, Brooks was considered vulnerable because his best events are the same as several of the other Americans but he is weaker on the events where the U.S. needs help.

But Brooks went six-for-six, making him the only gymnast to get through all four days of competition without having to count a single error.

Once an alternate, Alex Naddour clinches men's gymnastics Olympic spot on emotional night

“He knew the reality of his situation,” said Mark Williams, who coached Brooks at Oklahoma and remains close to him. “But with every routine, he kept telling (the committee), `You can’t keep me off this team.’”

After struggling at the national championships, Orozco decided to drop vault and floor exercise. Those were the two events he’d had the least time to train because of the Achilles injuries, and they were events the team won’t need him to do.

He focused instead on putting up big scores on high bar, parallel bars and pommel horse, the events where the U.S. will need him most. Only Brooks finished with a higher score across the four days on high bar, and he increased his score on parallel bars by .350 points from nationals to trials.

But he is likely on the team, and Leyva is a likely alternate, thanks to pommel horse. The Americans have two reliable, high scores on the event, but they need a third and they’re not going to get it from either Dalton or Brooks.

While Leyva was serviceable on pommel horse, Orozco was strong. His routine Saturday was fluid and confident, and his score of 14.825 reassured the committee he can be counted on to take that third turn in team finals.

Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman's confidence grows as Rio Summer Games approach

Some will question how the committee could pass over Donnell Whittenburg, who made the all-around final and won a bronze medal on vault at last year’s world championships. No question Whittenburg has more pure power than any of the Americans, and he’s capable of putting up monster scores on several events.

After finishing atop the standings the first night of nationals, however, he was woefully inconsistent.

“There were a lot who were tough to leave off,” Mazeika said.

But this is about getting an Olympic medal, not a participation trophy. Tough choices have to be made, and the committee made the right ones.