BEIJING - Morgan Hamm announced on Thursday that he withdrew from the U.S. men gymnastics team for health reasons.

Morgan Hamm of the U.S. practises on the pommel horse during an artistic gymnastics training session at National Indoor Stadium ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 6, 2008. [Agencies]

"It is a hard decision to make. I have given everything to prepare for the Olympics. It has been long and tough for me to deal with injury and get ready for the past entire year. As a team member, I hope the U.S. team can perform to its highest level. Therefore, I think it is better to step down and give other gymnast this place," said Morgan Hamm at a press conference in the Main Press Center on Thursday.

In response to the decision, Morgan's teammates are still full of confidence about the coming competition. They aim at making the final and claiming medal in the team event.

The replacment to Morgan will be chosen on Thursday evening, the U.S. team said.

In a brief statement distributed before the press conference, Hamm said he has been fighting a left ankle injury and he believes it is in the best interests of the team to enable another gymnast to represent the United States in the coming Beijing Olympics.

"I have been dealing with this for the last year, and it recently has gotten worse here in Beijing," said Hamm, a two-time Olympian. "Right now I am unable to perform my tumbling skills at the level that I need to. This has an impact on my ability to contribute to the team's goals and I believe by continuing I would be putting myself at further risk," Hamm was quoted as saying in the statement.

That decision came after Morgan's brother Paul Hamm was forced to withdraw from the Olympic team at the end of last month, failing to recover in time from a hand injury sustained in May. Paul is the men's all-around gold medallist in Athens Olympics. Raj Bhavsar of Houston was chosen to replace Paul.

Morgan said Paul has not learned of the news and will fly to Beijing. When Paul comes, the brother can give some confort to him and vice versa, Morgan added.

Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics, was quoted as saying in the statement:" Morgan's dedication to helping the United States claim a team mdeal for the second straight Olympics has been examplary. He has done everthing he could to contribute to this team, and we appreciate his efforts. We also appreciate his putting the team's best interests first."

Along with his teammates, Morgan helped the United States win the team silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.

On Wednesday, Morgan told Xinhua in an interview that he had tended to retire after the Beijing Olympics, but had no exact plan thereafter.