One look at Sasha Artemev as he lingered in the mixed zone Sunday, chatting amiably about his future, told the story of his strange Olympics.

For half of his pommel horse routine, it seemed the Highlands Ranch gymnast was on track for another medal, so spectacular were his crowd-pleasing moves at National Indoor Stadium.

But after completing his hardest move, Artemev fell on one of his easiest and dropped to seventh in the final standings. The automatic 0.8 of a point deduction dropped his score to 14.975.

Reigning world champion Xiao Qin of China took the gold medal, with 15.875. Filip Ude of Croatia and Louis Smith of Great Britian both scored 15.725, but Ude was awarded the silver for superior execution.

Heartbreaking?

Not quite.

Only 48 hours before the Games began, Artemev was an alternate on the U.S. team, twice passed over by U.S. coaches. His future in the sport seemed cloudy - until he replaced injured Morgan Hamm and preserved a bronze in team competition for his thankful teammates.

The performance rejuvenated his passion for the sport, including the 2012 London Games.

"I went with a harder set today and just lost it," said Artemev, who added the high-risk moves after watching several competitors post high scores. "I'm just happy that I stayed on when it counted, in team finals. I did 14 routines here and missed just one, so that's pretty good.

"It's a shame I didn't medal. But there are individual worlds and so on and so on leading up to London. My routine just needs a little more practice. I think this routine is ready for the next four years."

Added Artemev, who plans shoulder surgery: "Being in the team finals was definitely my most nerve-wracking, most memorable moment. I learned how to handle it. It gives me more confidence going into the next four years."

Men's pommel horse: 1. Xiao Qin, China, 15.875. 2. Filip Ude, Croatia, 15.725. 3. Louis Smith, Britain, 15.725. 4. Yang Wei, China, 15.450. 5. Hiroyuki Tomita, Japan, 15.375. 6. Kim Jihoon, South Korea, 15.175. 7. Sasha Artemev, Highlands Ranch, 14.975. 8. Jose Luis Fuentes Bustamante, Venezuela, 14.650.

latimerc@RockyMountainNews.com