Injury knocks all-around favorite from gym worlds

LONDON — There will be no Fabi-mania at these gymnastics world championships.

Fabian Hambuechen, one of the sport’s most popular athletes and a favorite for the men’s all-around title, will miss this week’s worlds after rupturing a ligament in his left foot during training Sunday.

But the German said Monday he doesn’t need surgery, and will be able to resume full training in about six weeks.

“I’m happy that there’s not a more serious injury, but every injury is not very (good),” said Hambuechen, who was on crutches and heavily taped up to his mid-calf. “Of course it’s kind of disappointing because I was not too badly prepared for these world championships.”

Sebastian Krimmer, who was originally scheduled to only compete in pommel horse, will add parallel bars. Germany already had another all-arounder, Marcel Nguyen.

Hambuechen, the 2007 world silver medalist and reigning European champion, was expected to contend with Olympic silver medalist Kohei Uchimura of Japan and American Jonathan Horton for the all-around title. He also is the reigning world champion on high bar, his specialty.

“It always hurts the competition when one of the top guys goes down like that,” Horton said Sunday.

Hambuechen was working on floor exercise, his last event of the day Sunday, when he landed awkwardly on a tumbling run. Hambuechen came down on the side of his left foot and it rolled, twisting the ankle and tearing a ligament on the outside of the foot. He left the gym on crutches and was taken to a hospital for tests.

Because the injury was treated so quickly, though, Hambuechen said he doesn’t have much swelling and isn’t in a lot of pain. He can’t put any pressure on the foot for a week, and will then wear a cast to prevent the foot from moving side to side.

“Then I can do training again, but not floor and no dismounts,” said Hambuechen, who planned to stay in London at least through qualifying to support his teammates. “Hopefully, it will be good again.”

Hambuechen’s injury is a loss for the world championships, which already had a watered-down field with so many of the Olympic stars either moving on or taking time off this year.

Hambuechen was treated like a rock star at the 2007 worlds in Stuttgart, Germany, followed by autograph seekers everywhere he went and greeted by shrieks and applause whenever he entered the arena. Part of his appeal is his skills; he packs his high bar routine with an ooh-and-aah mix of flips, twists and pirouettes, and his landings are so perfect he is practically standing up when he hits the mat.

But his personality is equally dynamic. Hambuechen is as serious about winning as any gymnast on the floor, but he manages to inject fun and camaraderie into everything he does. He’s the sport’s unofficial ambassador, greeting every competitor with a big smile and a hug or a handshake.

“I definitely wish for the best for him, he’s one of my good friends,” Horton said. “He’s a great competitor. He always is in great shape and he always puts on a great show for everyone, and there isn’t a person in here that doesn’t like him.”

Injuries, though, are part of sport, and Hambuechen has been fortunate not to have had many serious ones in his career, said his father and coach, Wolfgang. Hambuechen had surgery late last year to repair a tendon in his left pinky finger that he tore when he banged it during parallel bars in the team finals at the Beijing Olympics.

And now this.

“Things happen and, OK, this time it happens to him,” Wolfgang Hambuechen said. “I’m happy it’s not worse.”

And if there’s a worlds to miss, this is it. There is no team competition here, only the all-around and individual event finals. Hambuechen will be back in plenty of time for next year’s worlds, the first step in the qualifying process for the 2012 London Olympics.

“It would be a dream to win the all-around,” he said. “Of course it ’s not easy to watch that. I also know I will be back next year. Everybody who knows me knows they can count on me.”