Carlos Yulo
Athletes competing in males’s inventive gymnastics from 25 international locations set, matched, or broke information for his or her nations on the Olympic Video games in Paris, France, making historical past within the sport and provoking future generations of athletes to observe of their footsteps.
View the whole checklist of Olympic Video games information.
ARMENIA
Vahagn Davtyan, a first-time Olympian at age 35, turned the primary gymnast from Armenia to qualify into the rings closing, the place his sixth-place end smashed his youthful brother’s Sixty fourth-place file from {qualifications} in 2012.
To not be outdone, Artur Davtyan in his fourth Video games beat his personal file on vault, the place he gained the bronze medal in 2020. This yr, he improved on this by precisely one spot, profitable the silver medal to once more make historical past.
AUSTRALIA
It was actually thrilling to see Jesse Moore, one of many final MAG qualifiers to Paris after profitable the all-around competitors on the Oceania Championships, qualify to the all-around closing, the place his Twenty first-place end got here very near breaking Australia’s file, which Joshua Jefferis set in 2012.
Although he didn’t break the all-around file, he did enhance two of Australia’s equipment rankings, ending Twenty second on ground to interrupt Philippe Rizzo’s Thirty third-place file from 2000 and ending twenty seventh on pommel horse to interrupt Werner Birnbaum’s Thirty eighth-place file from 1984.
BELGIUM
After narrowly lacking out on qualifying a full workforce to the Olympics, the Belgians have been nonetheless in a position to get the utmost variety of people to Paris displaying some unimaginable development in this system.
In addition they had some tremendous spectacular outcomes over the previous week, with Glen Cuyle turning into the second Belgian MAG athlete to qualify to an equipment closing, matching Dennis Goossens’ eighth-place file on rings, whereas Luka van den Keybus with a Thirty third-place rating on excessive bar tied Jimmy Verbaeys’ file set in 2012.
CHINA
Since making their Olympic gymnastics debut in 1984, the Chinese language males have gained gold in each closing, so now for them it’s about repeating golds, which they managed to do twice in Paris.
Liu Yang gained China’s fourth rings title in historical past, and the nation’s first back-to-back title after he additionally gained in 2020. Previous to Liu, we noticed Li Ning win gold on rings in 1984 and Chen Yibing get the title in 2008.
On parallel bars, Zou Jingyuan surprised to additionally win his second straight title after getting gold in Tokyo, and it was the fifth parallel bars title in China’s historical past, with Li Xiaopeng profitable in 2000 and 2008, whereas Feng Zhe gained in 2012.
COLOMBIA
Angel Barajas misplaced out on a number of possibilities to qualify for Paris, as he was too younger for world championships – the first qualifier – after which the Pan American Gymnastics Union opted to make use of the Pan Am Video games in 2023 because the continental qualifier as an alternative of a separate championships within the spring of 2024, once more making him ineligible attributable to his age.
Fortunately, Barajas got here in clutch on the planet cup sequence – his one likelihood to qualify – to earn a spot, and proved himself as soon as once more to succeed in the excessive bar closing in Paris, making him the primary Colombian man to qualify to an equipment closing. Subsequent, he impressed once more within the closing to win the silver medal, additionally turning into the primary Colombian man to medal in inventive gymnastics on the Olympic Video games (his second-place end right here bested teammate Jossimar Calvo’s Twelfth-place end from 2016).
CROATIA
One other sturdy small-program specialist to qualify from the world cups right here was Aurel Benovic, who set information on each of the apparatuses he competed in Paris!
Benovic reached the vault closing, the place his fifth-place end broke Aleksei Demianov’s 63rd-place file from 1996, and although he missed out on the ground closing, he nonetheless managed to make historical past by ending twenty eighth, breaking Filip Ude’s Forty first-place file from 2008.
CYPRUS
In his third Olympic Video games, this yr’s European all-around champion Marios Georgiou broke a number of of the equipment information he set his first couple of occasions out in 2016 and 2020.
His largest accomplishment was making his – and his nation’s – first equipment closing, together with his sixth-place end on excessive bar besting his ninth-place {qualifications} rating in 2020. He additionally completed thirty fifth on pommel horse to interrupt his Fortieth-place file from 2016, fiftieth on ground to tie his file from 2020, and 56th on rings to interrupt his 61st-place file from 2020.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
When Audrys Nin Reyes earned the continental spot for the Americas area ultimately yr’s Pan Am Video games, he turned the primary MAG athlete from the Dominican Republic to qualify to the Olympic Video games, making Olympic historical past earlier than he even arrived in Paris.
Nin Reyes competed two occasions in Paris, ending sixteenth in vault {qualifications} and 66th in excessive bar {qualifications} to set the primary program information on each.
EGYPT
This was the second Olympics look for Omar Mohamed, who made his debut in Tokyo, the place he broke information on ground and pommel horse.
This yr, he once more improved on each his and Egypt’s pommel horse file, together with his Forty first-place end breaking his Forty sixth-place file from 2020.
FRANCE
With Samir Aït Saïd the one French MAG athlete to qualify for Paris, he had a whole lot of the nation’s hopes on his shoulders at his residence Video games, and as soon as once more making the rings closing was an enormous accomplishment in itself.
Although he as soon as once more narrowly missed out on a medal by ending fourth, he matched the file he set in 2020, the place he was additionally simply off the rostrum.
GREAT BRITAIN
The British males had a reasonably profitable Olympic Video games with eight particular person finalists, fourth place within the workforce closing, and two medals, together with Jake Jarman with the bronze on ground and Harry Hepworth with the bronze on vault, which was the primary medal for Nice Britain on this equipment in program historical past, as Hepworth broke Kristian Thomas’ eight-place file from 2012.
Hepworth was additionally the primary British man to qualify into the rings closing, the place his seventh-place end broke Joe Fraser’s Twelfth-place prelims file from 2020.
IRAN
The primary Iranian MAG athlete to qualify for the Olympic Video games in 60 years, Mahdi Olfati – who certified by way of the world cup sequence – got here in as a authentic medal menace on vault.
Although he didn’t find yourself profitable a medal, he turned the primary Iranian man to succeed in a person closing, and his seventh-place end smashed Jalal Bazargan-Vali’s 103rd-place file from 1964.
IRELAND
Three years in the past, Rhys McClenaghan made historical past as the primary Irish gymnast to qualify to an equipment closing, ending seventh on pommel horse in Tokyo.
Coming into this yr’s Video games because the reining world and continental champion, McClenaghan was the favourite for gold, and didn’t disappoint, together with his beautiful routine within the closing profitable first place to interrupt his personal file and turn out to be Eire’s first medalist within the sport.
JAPAN
Like China, the Japanese males are chasing their very own first-place information in practically each medal occasion – pommel horse is the one occasion the place they haven’t but gained gold, having gained silver 4 occasions – they usually managed to do it thrice this yr.
Most notable was Oka Shinnosuke in his main worldwide debut profitable gold medals within the all-around and on excessive bar. He was the sixth MAG athlete to win the all-around competitors, following within the footsteps of Endo Yukio (1964), Kato Sawao (1968-1972), Gushiken Koji (1984), Uchimura Kohei (2012-2016), and Hashimoto Daiki (2020), and he gained Japan’s eighth excessive bar title, with Ono Takashi (1956-1960), Nakayama Akinori (1968), Tsukahara Mitsuo (1972-1976), Morisue Shinji (1984), and Hashimoto Daiki (2020) coming earlier than him.
Moreover, the workforce gained its eighth workforce title in Paris, with the Japanese males profitable 5 straight titles from 1960 to 1976, after which one other two in 2004 and 2016.
JORDAN
Ahmad Abu Al Soud made historical past as the primary gymnast from Jordan to qualify to the Olympic Video games in males’s gymnastics, making historical past when he earned a spot by way of the world cup sequence within the spring.
Although his prelims routine didn’t go as deliberate, with Abu Al Soud falling twice to overlook a closing he had a fantastic shot at medaling in, he set this system file for Jordan by ending 51st.
KAZAKHSTAN
There have been two wonderful athletes representing Kazakhstan this yr, each of whom made it into the file books for his or her program.
Nariman Kurbanov was probably the most spectacular, profitable Kazakhstan’s first medal in gymnastics when he completed second on pommel horse, breaking Yernar Yerimbetov’s eighth-place file from 2004 within the course of. We additionally noticed Milad Karimi in his second Olympic Video games tie his personal fifth-place ground file that he set in 2020, in addition to end forty seventh on rings to interrupt his Forty ninth-place file from the identical yr.
LITHUANIA
In his third Olympic Video games, Robert Tvorogal dropped his all-around program to focus solely on parallel bars and excessive bar, the place he had his finest pictures at making the finals.
Although he in the end missed out on each, Tvorogal bought fairly shut on excessive bar, ending 18th to interrupt his Thirty second-place file from 2020.
NETHERLANDS
This was a very profitable yr for the Dutch males, who have been a shock to qualify a full workforce at world championships final yr, and although they didn’t make the workforce closing, they did see three people break information, together with two that have been practically 100 years outdated.
Casimir Schmidt had a wonderful competitors, qualifying to the all-around closing the place he completed thirteenth to interrupt Bart Deurloo’s Fifteenth-place file from 2016 whereas additionally ending thirteenth in vault prelims, one of the best end for a Dutch man since Pieter van Dam positioned thirty fourth in 1928!
Loran de Munck additionally broke a 96-year-old file, turning into the primary Dutch man to qualify to the pommel horse closing the place he completed eighth to interrupt Mozes Jacobs’ file from 1928, whereas Frank Rijken certified in sixteenth place on parallel bars to interrupt Epke Zonderland’s 18th-place file from 2012.
PHILIPPINES
Six years in the past, Carlos Yulo turned the primary Filipino man to win a world medal, and although his Olympic Video games in Tokyo didn’t go in response to plan, he fought again this quad together with his competitors in Paris one for the books.
Most notably, Yulo turned not solely the primary Filipino MAG athlete, however the first Filipino man in any sport to win an Olympic gold medal – one thing he did first on ground (smashing his Forty fourth-place file from 2020) after which repeated a day in a while vault (he was fourth within the closing there in 2020).
Along with his history-making medal finishes, Yulo additionally broke the information he set in 2020 within the all-around by ending in Twelfth place, an enchancment from forty seventh, on pommel horse by ending in Fortieth place, an enchancment from 69th; on parallel bars by ending in Nineteenth place, an enchancment from fifty fifth; and on excessive bar by ending in twenty seventh place, additionally an enchancment from fifty fifth.
SPAIN
It was going to be troublesome to prime the silver medal he earned on ground in Tokyo, and although he made the ultimate once more this yr, Rayderley Zapata sadly got here up a bit quick to overlook the rostrum this time round.
Nonetheless, he had a fantastic competitors total, and proved himself as one among Spain’s finest ring staff in historical past by tying Rafael Martinez’s Nineteenth-place rings {qualifications} file from 2004.
SYRIA
Lais Najjar, a College of Michigan athlete who started representing Syria internationally as a junior in 2017, ended up lacking out on a world championships spot final yr however ended up being the highest possibility for the tripartite nomination, which acknowledges athletes from nations that traditionally haven’t had excessive illustration on the Video games.
As the primary MAG athlete to compete for Syria on the Olympics, Najjar confirmed nice routines on all three of his occasions, setting program information on parallel bars in forty seventh place, ground train in 51st place, and excessive bar in 54th place.
TAIWAN
After placing up Taiwan’s best-ever all-around efficiency on the Olympic Video games in Tokyo final quad, Tang opted to deal with his prime equipment – excessive bar – with the objective of profitable a medal in Paris, and the work paid off as he tied for bronze this yr.
With this accomplishment, Tang turned the primary Taiwanese athlete to medal on excessive bar, breaking his personal Thirty third-place file from {qualifications} in 2020.
TÜRKIYE
The Turkish males’s program debuted on the Olympic Video games in 1908, after which wasn’t seen once more for over a century, qualifying people to the Video games in 2016 and 2020 earlier than then realizing the objective of qualifying a full workforce to Paris with their efficiency at worlds final yr. Although the workforce missed out on the ultimate right here, they nonetheless managed to complete in a powerful ninth place to set this system file.
Moreover, Adem Asil earned a spot within the rings closing, the place he completed in fifth place to tie teammate Ibrahim Colak’s file from 2020.
UKRAINE
Despite dwelling and coaching by way of the horrors of conflict over the previous two years, the Ukrainian males rose to the event in Paris, placing up unimaginable workforce and particular person performances all week lengthy, with two of the athletes breaking equipment information.
Illia Kovtun, who gained a medal on parallel bars along with ending simply off the rostrum within the all-around and on ground, had this system’s best-ever ground end, together with his fourth-place rating breaking Grigory Misutin’s eighth-place file from 1996. Moreover, Oleg Verniaiev put up a fantastic routine within the pommel horse closing, ending fifth to interrupt Vitali Nakonechnyi’s sixth-place file from 2012.
UZBEKISTAN
Two of the three particular person athletes from Uzbekistan have been ready so as to add their names to the file books in Paris, a powerful feat for this program that didn’t qualify any MAG athletes to an Olympic Video games till 2008.
First up is Abdulla Azimov, who practically made the pommel horse closing after ending thirteenth in {qualifications} to interrupt Anton Fokin’s Twenty second-place file from 2008, whereas his Forty fifth-place end on excessive bar broke a Forty eighth-place file set by Fokin in 2016 and matched by Rasuljon Abdurakhimov in 2020. Moreover, Khabibullo Ergashev completed fifty fifth in ground {qualifications}, additionally breaking Fokin’s file from 2008.
Article by Lauren Hopkins
