PARIS: Don't you know your pommel horse from your uneven bars?
AFP Sport takes a look at the ins and outs of the artistic gymnastics competition that comes to life at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
Men compete on six apparatus: floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal/high bar.
There are four for women: vault, uneven bars, beam and floor.
The competition at the Bercy Arena from Saturday to August 5 is divided into four phases: qualifiers, team finals, general finals and apparatus finals.
In this weekend's qualifiers, gymnasts compete as part of their country's team or as individuals, with results used to qualify gymnasts for the team finals, all-around finals and apparatus finals.
Team results are based on the three gymnasts scoring the highest on each apparatus.
The eight countries with the highest scores secure their tickets to the team finals, held across all machines.
The top 24 qualifiers (maximum two per country) compete for the overall title again held across all equipment and considered a gymnastics blue ribbon event.
The apparatus finals consist of the eight highest-scoring gymnasts on each apparatus (again with a maximum of two per country).
Identical for both men and women — magic on a 12m x 12m mat, performing inch-perfect flips on the diagonal to women-only music.
The men's equivalent of the women's balance beam — emphasizing core and shoulder strength as only the hands are allowed to touch the foam-and-leather-clad horse and two handles.
At “only” 5.75m from the ground, the gymnasts need a helping hand from their coaches to hold onto them. A moment of stillness is followed by a show of strength and control like the iron cross: then the gymnast holds herself still, arms stretched horizontally, legs pointing down, every tendon taut.
The ultimate test of a gymnast's talent, skill, athleticism and courage – blink and you'll miss the five or six seconds of drama. The men's springboard is 10 cm higher than the women's. Look out for American superstar Simone Biles, who won her spectacular Biles II Yurchenko pole vault in practice on Thursday.
Controlled swinging movements above and below bars positioned at approximately head height and shoulder width apart – a glue-like landing is what the bleary-eyed judges will be looking for.
Or the high bar is what it says on the board – frighteningly high at around 2.78m off the ground. The metal solitary bar – the uneven and parallel bars, in contrast, are made of fiberglass with a layer of wood – has a smaller diameter than the parallel bars and sets off fan noises as the gymnast rises to catches above the bar – we hope they catch her. then.
This apparatus is for female gymnasts only and comprises two bars of different heights and widths to allow the gymnast to seemingly swing from bar to bar. The high bar is 2.5 m (8.2 ft) off the ground, the low bar 1.7 m. Watch out for Algerian teenager Kaylia Nemour, who boasts the most complex uneven bars routine as she tries to become the first Olympic medalist in gymnastics from the African continent.
The original concept came from the “grandfather of gymnastics” – Johann Guts Muth – a German teacher of physical education from the beginning of the 19th century. Olga Korbut stunned fans at the 1972 Munich Olympics with the first backflip. Only 10cm wide, it requires precise precision and nerves of steel. The rectangular beam gives female gymnasts the ultimate test of balance, flips, jumps and jumps while trying not to hit the deck.
Saturday, July 27 — men's qualifying
Sunday, July 28 — women's qualifying
Monday, July 29 — men's team final
Tuesday, July 30 — Women's Team Final
Wednesday, July 31 — Men's Overall Final
Thursday, August 1 — Women's Overall Final
Saturday, August 3 — men's floor exercise final; women's jumping final; Male pommel horse final
Sunday, August 4 — Men's rings final; Women's uneven bars final; Men's vault final
Monday, August 5 — Men's Parallels Final; Women's Balance Beam Final; Men's horizontal bar final; Women's floor exercise final
