An enduring journey

Everything was going so well for Justin Spring that day last August at the U.S. Nationals. He won the high bar. He finished second on the floor exercise. And his strongest event - parallel bars - was still ahead. A few more solid routines and his spot on the world championship men’s gymnastics team would be secured.

But then came the pop heard around HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

On a vault attempt, Spring landed and his knee buckled, rupturing his right ACL. Another surgery - his fourth in 11 months - would follow. A trip to the world gymnastics championships was out, and his dream of earning a spot on the six-man Olympic team a year later turned into a dicey proposition. A gymnastics career that started when he was 3 years old was in jeopardy.

“Until we got the MRI and realized it was only the ACL, I was freaking out,” Spring said. “Forget about the Olympics; I was thinking I might not be able to ski again.”

A year later, Spring is an Olympian.

Spring, who grew up in Burke and attended Lake Braddock High School, was the surprise of the trials earlier this summer. Crowd-pleasing performances on the parallel bars, high bar, vault and floor exercise catapulted him from a long shot to a spot on the team, which begins competition in team qualifying Saturday.

The United States earned the silver medal in the Athens team competition, but without defending all-around champion Paul Hamm, it will need world-class performances from Spring and others to reach the medal stand next week.

While every gymnast has his or her injury story, Spring is unique. He has several health stories, making his journey to Beijing an example of perseverance.

In a span of 11 months, Spring underwent two ankle surgeries along with shoulder and knee operations. And he overcame a bum ankle to perform at trials despite limited training time.

“Justin’s recovery is amazing,” teammate Morgan Hamm said. “To come back from an injury like that so quickly, when I saw him [in March], I was amazed by how far he had come. He brings some rare gymnastics to the table - no one can do some of the skills he has.”

Spring admits his style of gymnastics, particularly on the high bar and parallel bars, is high-risk, high-reward. But he hopes his aerial maneuvers can impress international judges who haven’t seen him in person before.

“[Earning a medal] is definitely a possibility on both,” said Spring’s coach, Jon Valdez. “He could make event finals on parallel bars, and his routine is getting better all the time. He’s going to perform better at the Olympics because trials was where the pressure was at. Now it’s going to be fun, and he thrives on the fun aspect.”

For too long, the fun was missing for Spring. Enjoyment tends to disappear when surgeries outnumber competitions.

The litany of injuries began at the world championships two years ago. A torn labrum in his left shoulder and a right ankle injury forced him to withdraw from the event. Shoulder surgery was successful. The ankle was trickier. Several specialists tried to diagnose the problem. Two surgeries later, the problem was corrected.

But Spring was healthy last summer for the San Jose event, and he had his sights set on worlds. Then came another injury.

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