RIO DE JANEIRO _ Sam Mikulak finished an often-disappointing Olympic gymnastics competition Tuesday with a sense of redemption, if not a medal.
Mikulak finished fourth in the high bar competition at the Rio Olympic Arena and was only a hop on his landing from tying U.S. teammate Danell Leyva for the silver medal.
Germany's Fabian Hambuehen took the gold medal with a 15.766 score, followed by Leyva at 15.5 and Great Britain's Nile Wilson at 15.466. Mikulak's landing cost him a tenth of a point, leaving him at 15.4. Leyva also picked up a silver on the parallel bars earlier Tuesday.
"Much better than floor," said Mikulak, who was eighth in the floor exercise Sunday. "Much happier about it. Put on a good show."
Mikulak arrived in Rio a contender for multiple medals, an expectation that was further heightened on the opening day of the Olympic gymnastics program when he qualified for the individual all-around final and posted the highest floor exercise qualifying score.
But Mikulak was unable to dig himself out of an early hole in the all-around and then continued to struggle Sunday, his floor exercise of 14.333 nearly a 1.5 points under his qualifying mark.
"Some things were spectacular," Mikulak said of his performance prior to the high bar. "Some things weren't perfect."
In between Sunday's disappointment and Tuesday, Mikulak was encouraged by family, friends and former teammates, one of whom told him to view the Olympic finale like it was the NCAA Championships. Mikulak won seven NCAA titles at Michigan, including three all-around crowns.
"I kind of did that today and it really gave me a little more comfort," Mikulak said. "I had fun again. That was just great get out there and really hit a solid routine."
