PHILADELPHIA — OU gymnast Jonathan Horton earned a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team Saturday with a win at the Olympic Trials in Philadelphia.

“I hoped my whole life for this,” said Horton, a 2008 OU graduate, minutes after the announcement. “I’m so excited right now, I don’t know what to say. It’s unbelievable.”

The Houston native was named to the team Saturday night along with 2004 Olympic all-around gold medalist Paul Hamm, who petitioned to the team. Hamm suffered a broken hand in May at the national championships in Houston, and must show his readiness in late July to confirm his spot on the team.

During the two-day competition in Philadelphia, Horton hit 11 of 12 routines, with his only break a slight miss on high bar on day one.

The final team was announced Sunday, and consists of Horton, Hamm, Joseph Hagerty (U.S. Olympic Training Center), Morgan Hamm (Team Chevron), Justin Spring (Illinois) and Kevin Tan (Penn State). Alternates are Sasha Artemev (Team Chevron), Raj Bhavsar (Team Chevron) and David Durante (U.S. Olympic Training Center).

National champion David Sender (Stanford), who edged Horton by .250 at the U.S. championships in Houston, was left off the team after suffering a freak injury in training in Philadelphia. Sender jumped up to still the vibrating high bar after he finished his routine, and rolled his ankle when he came down.

Horton is the fourth Sooner gymnast to earn Olympian status after Bart Conner (1976, 1980, 1984), Mike Wilson (1980) and Kelly Garrison (1988). Former OU assistant coach Guard Young was a member of the 2004 U.S. team that won the silver medal in Athens.

The 2008 Olympic Games opens in Beijing, China, on Aug. 8. The U.S. men’s team will compete in the first of three subdivisions of preliminary competition on Aug. 9. China is the heavy favorite to win the team title.

Horton has a chance to advance to finals for the all-around and floor exercise, one of his most competitive events. He finished second on floor exercise at the trials, despite competing with a sore ankle. He is also impressive on high bar, and he likely will be the only gymnast in Beijing attempting a triple-twisting double layout dismount.

The U.S. team must be in the top eight in the preliminary competition to advance to the team final. In addition to the host Chinese, the U.S. will do battle with defending Olympic champions Japan, plus Korea, Russia, Germany and Romania for a team medal.

“I am confident that Jon will give all of his heart and soul to give the U.S. a chance at a team medal,” said Conner, a double gold medalist at the 1984 Olympics. “He always puts the team first.”

During his four years at OU, Horton was a member of three NCAA Championship-winning teams. Horton traveled directly from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., where he and the rest of the 2008 OU team visited with President Bush on Tuesday at the White House.