National gymnastics champion David Sender withdrew from Thursday night's competition at the Olympic trials after spraining his ankle in a fluke training accident. More...

David Sender might compete on Saturday, day 2 of competition of the USA Olympic Trials: [QUOTE] Sender submitted a petition to the selection committee, but coach Thom Glielmi said the gymnast is still hoping he might be able to compete in Saturday's finals. Scores from nationals and trials are weighted and will be used by the selection committee to determine the Beijing Olympic team. "If he can go, he's going to go," said Glielmi, who coaches Sender at Stanford. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE] "It's definitely not good to not be able to compete," Glielmi said. "He needs to be out there. He would be out there if the ankle permitted. That said, the selection committee is knowledgeable." Sender was working on high bar Wednesday afternoon when he took a harmless fall. The bar continued to shake afterward, and he jumped up to steady it. But when he came back down, only the top half of his right foot landed on the thick mat and his foot rolled over. Sender fell to the ground in pain, grabbing his ankle. He was unable to put weight on the ankle as he was helped off the podium, and he left the arena in a wheelchair with his right foot elevated. Tests Wednesday showed Sender's ankle isn't broken and there are no torn ligaments. He returned to the arena on crutches after the tests and immediately began treatment. "The doctor was very encouraged by the mobility and the strength he showed in some of the physical therapy this morning," Glielmi said. Sender, a Stanford senior, won his first national title last month after Hamm got hurt. He leads the points standings that the selection committee will use to help put together the men's team for the Beijing Olympics. Sender hurt the same ankle last year, one reason Glielmi said the swelling was not as bad as feared. "They felt the turnaround time is very short and he should be ready to go in two weeks," Glielmi said. "With the previous injury, he was tumbling under two weeks and doing full routines in three weeks." [/QUOTE] The selection of the USA 2008 Olympic Team is pretty fast, within 24 hours of the end of the Olympic Trials - a lot faster than for the USA women's team: [QUOTE] Reigning Olympic champion Paul Hamm, who broke his hand at the national championships last month, already has petitioned for a spot and is expected to be named to the team. Two team members will be selected after Saturday's competition, and the rest of the team and/or a training squad will be announced within 24 hours. All of the gymnasts will have to show physical readiness at a training camp July 13-22 in Colorado Springs, Colo. [/QUOTE] http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/more/06/19/sender.trials.ap/index.html?eref=si_more