HOUSTON — Never, ever count Paul Hamm out. Not when he appears to be out of the running for an Olympic medal, not when he's taken 2½ years off.

Not even when he's got a broken hand.

The Olympic gold medalist said today he believes there is a "definite opportunity" for him to be on the U.S. gymnastics team at the Beijing Games, despite breaking the fourth metacarpal in his right hand.

"There's no guarantees, no matter what," Hamm said, his right hand and wrist encased in a blue cast. "The only thing I can do at this point is make an attempt, try and see what happens. I don't really even know exactly what the game plan is going to be until I talk to the doctors.

"It's going to be a push," he added. "But if anybody can do it, I can pull it off."

Hamm broke the bone in his right hand Thursday night when he jammed his ring finger in the closing seconds of his parallel bars routine at the U.S. championships. He could have surgery as early as Tuesday, and recovery time is at least four weeks.

He'll have to petition for a spot on the Beijing squad because he'll miss next month's Olympic trials in Philadelphia. Provided he is healthy, USA Gymnastics is almost sure to grant the petition.

Hamm, after all, is the only American man to win a world title (2003) or Olympic gold (2004). Despite his 2½-year layoff after the Athens Olympics — an unheard of break in elite gymnastics — he's been better than ever this year, firmly establishing himself as a favorite to defend his gold medal.

He routed the competition in his first three meets of the year, and was practically perfect through his first five events Thursday night. Even with the fall, Hamm finished the night almost four points ahead of Joseph Hagerty. He had the highest score of the night on pommel horse and high bar, and tied twin brother Morgan for best score on floor exercise.

"I felt I was in the best shape of my life at this past competition," Hamm said. "The meet was going really, really well. I had three skills left to finish in my parallel bars routine, and that's where the injury comes. It's kind of sad and ironic at the same time."

Hamm was flipping to do work on one rail when he caught one of his fingers. Coach Miles Avery likened it to stubbing a toe — only with Hamm's entire body weight coming down on top of it. Hamm said he heard a "small popping sound," but initially hoped he'd only dislocated the finger and could be back in time for the Olympic trials, which start June 19.

The more he talked with doctors, though, he realized it was something worse.

"They were saying it's unlikely for that bone to dislocate and most likely what you've done is fractured it," Hamm said. "I was like, 'Oh, great.'"

X-rays Friday confirmed it was a break, and there is some displacement of the bone. Although one option would be to simply leave him in a cast, surgery should allow him to start physical therapy and rehab earlier.

"It's a big disappointment just because, currently, my body is in the physical shape it needs to be minus a broken bone in my hand," he said. "At this point, I know I'm probably going to lose a little bit of muscle, at least in this arm, because of the atrophy. It's hard to stay in that shape I have been the past few weeks, so I'm going to have to drop back down and then rebuild going into Beijing, which is tough.

"I'll try to get back as soon as I possibly can," he added. "What I'll be doing in the meantime is trying to do as many exercises as possible to keep my body in top physical form. Whether that's leg strength, sit-ups — I could potentially do some crosses and things on rings, who knows.

"I'll do what I can and use this time just to do that. But it's going to be a push."

Hamm, though, is as fierce a competitor as they come. When a fall on vault dropped him to 12th place with only two events to go at the Athens Olympics, he should have been out of the running for any medal, let alone the gold. But he responded with the two best routines of his life to win.

He's also meticulous about everything he does. Ask him about his chances to repeat as the gold medalist, and he'll give you a comparison with two-time world champion Yang Wei that's broken down to tenths of a point. Once he meets with doctors and gets a recovery plan, he is sure to attack it with the same intensity.

And if he ever needs motivation, all he has to do is look at Morgan, who is coming back from the second serious injury of his career.

Morgan Hamm tore a muscle in his chest in October, but he showed Thursday night he can still contribute to the U.S. team. Morgan Hamm placed in the top 10 in all four events he did and posted the highest score on vault, in addition to tying his brother for the top spot on floor. The U.S. championships finals are Saturday night.

"It's encouraging to see that, I was happy with his performance the other day," Paul Hamm said. "If anybody shows that a comeback is possible, he shows that. I'm sure he can inspire me to make my comeback, also."