Blaine Wilson was in contention until a 9.525 on the high bar dropped him to seventh.(AP)

Five-time national champion Blaine Wilson finished sixth, continuing America's all-around drought. The United States hasn't won an all-around medal since Peter Vidmar's silver in 1984.

It's been a rough week for Wilson, who was so good at the U.S. Olympic trials he looked like he might be a contender for all-around gold.

But he faltered in the team competition, and made enough tiny mistakes Wednesday to keep him off the medals podium.

"I don't think I need to redeem myself at all," Wilson said. "Walking in here, I've done more for the U.S. than any other gymnast out there. I don't have to explain myself to anybody. Not you, not my parents, not anybody.

"Everybody's human, they make mistakes. You can't win everything you step out on the floor to do."

Paul Hamm, who performed like a grizzled veteran for most of the team competition, finally showed the jitters of a 17-year-old. He fell off the high bar, his first event, and made a series of other small mistakes to finish 14th.

Still, his finish was mighty impressive for a guy who's only a senior in high school.

"It gives me more confidence to go back home and compete against guys in the U.S. because now I know I've done this, I've been through it before," he said.

So has Nemov, who finished just 0.049 points behind Li Xiaoshuang of China in the 1996 all-around.

So stoic and focused during the competition, the gymnast dubbed "Sexy Alexei" in Atlanta for his playfulness turned to the bank of cameras after the gold medal was placed around his neck and hopped up and down. With a broad smile on his face, he held out his arms in triumph.

After the Russian national anthem was played, Nemov again turned to the cameras, blowing a kiss and striking a body-builder's pose as he laughed.

"I don't believe that this has happened," he said. "I was expecting it, but I didn't believe it."

If Nemov was surprised, he was the only one. Watch him for one routine and it's clear that he's simply better than everyone else on the floor.

His lowest score of the night was a 9.65 on the vault -- better than some gymnasts' highest score.

While other gymnasts worry about how many flips and twists they can throw into their routines, Nemov remembers that the name of this sport is "artistic gymnastics." His toes are always perfectly pointed, his legs extended so they look about five feet long and his body so straight you could use it as a ruler.

He's one of the few gymnasts who can draw the kind of gasps from the crowd usually reserved for only the ugliest of crashes.

He looks like a trapeze artist on the high bar, drawing oohs and aahs with his soaring flips. On one, he throws himself high above the bar and does a somersault, slapping his thighs in a move that looks more suited for Cirque du Soleil than the Olympics.

On the floor, his favorite exercise, he moves with power and purpose and makes it look effortless at the same time. When he does his flares -- swinging his body around on his hands while he scissor-kicks his legs -- he throws in a little turn on his shoulders that looks like something out an early '80s Michael Jackson video.

"When you walk onto the floor the first day, everything looks fine," Nemov said. "But today I was like an automaton. I was performing like an automaton. I could fall at any moment, that was how I felt."

He sure didn't look like it. His only stumble of the night came on the vault, when he landed short and had to take a step forward to keep from falling on his face. Still, the judges gave him a 9.65, prompting one fan to yell, "Just give Nemov the gold now!"

After he finished his parallel bars, his last routine, Nemov appeared to be holding back tears as he waved to the cheering crowd. He hugged his coach and then sat down to wait out Yang, who needed a 9.863 on the pommel horse to pass Nemov.

Yang came through with a solid routine, punching the air in triumph and exchanging high-fives with his coach when he finished. But he earned a 9.75, only enough for the silver.

"I'm very proud and very satisfied with myself," Yang said. "Even though he beat me, I'm very happy."

So is Wilson. But not for the same reasons.

"I'm going to go drink some beers with my parents. I'm done," he said. "Now I don't have to do any gymnastics for four days."

The usually rock-solid gym rat has been out of synch since the games began. He faltered during the team competition, as the United States finished fifth.

He climbed as high as third after one of the best vaults of the night. He flew high over the horse, somersaulting and then slammed his legs into the mat with a resounding THUD!

He took a little hop, but the vault was spectacular and he knew it, slapping his thighs in satisfaction.

But Wilson stumbled back on the dismount of his high bar, and the 9.525 dropped him all the way to seventh.

He moved back into contention with a solid floor routine, giving the crowd a little wave as he came off the floor. He needed better than a 9.8 on his last routine, the pommel horse, and he didn't even come close, scoring a 9.587.

The original results had Wilson in eighth place, but a protest over the start value of his pommel horse routine boosted him two places.

"I knew it was in the 9.8 range, but I've never scored a 9.8 in my life," Wilson said. "So, whatever."

Wilson still has a chance for the medals in the event finals, where he'll compete in the vault.

Nemov has a chance to take home more hardware, too. His Olympic exploits will make for great bedtime stories someday.

"I have not seen my son yet, so I cannot give you any impressions," Nemov said when asked how he'll describe this day to young Alexei. "I live in the moment. When he grows up, come and see me and we'll talk together to my son."