Olympics: Brazilian Rebeca Andrade Stars in the Final Day of Gymnastics
Brazilian Rebeca Andrade, Aug. 5, 2024. Photo: X/ @Olympics
August 5, 2024 Hour: 10:49 am
Artistic gymnastics concluded with the U.S. leading the medal table (3-1-6), followed by Japan (3-0-1) and China (2-5-2).
On Monday, Brazilian Rebeca Andrade won the gold medal in floor exercise during the final day of artistic gymnastics at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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Italians Alice D’Amato and Manila Esposito also shone, winning gold and bronze on the balance beam, respectively, while Colombian Angel Barajas took silver on the high bar. Simone Biles, who couldn’t add to her tally of three golds, earned a silver medal.
The American fell from the beam and stepped out of bounds twice during her floor routine, errors she had not made in her previous performances in Paris. Andrade secured her fourth medal of these Games, her first gold, with a score of 14.166 points, delivering a brilliant and secure routine.
Biles’ routine, with a difficulty score of 6.900 compared to Andrade’s 5.900, allowed her to reach silver despite her two out-of-bounds steps, totaling 14.133 points. Behind her was her teammate Jordan Chiles with 13.766 points, who successfully appealed for an increase in her score.
This was the second time in a few minutes that the Brazilian had outperformed Biles, also finishing ahead on the balance beam, although both were off the podium. The beam event brought previously unknown Olympic glory to Italian gymnastics, with D’Amato (14.366) and Esposito (14.000) winning gold and bronze, separated by China’s Yaqin Zhou (14.100).
After the team silver, Italy reaffirmed its status as a leading nation in women’s gymnastics, second only to the United States. Until now, their gymnasts had never won a medal on the balance beam.
Biles had a routine poised for the podium, but a backward acrobatic series caused her to lose her footing and fall. The judges deliberated extensively over her score, ultimately giving her a 13.100, which placed her out of medal contention, with Andrade also surpassing her.
Four out of the eight finalists fell. The American has never won an Olympic gold on the balance beam, although she has two bronzes from the past two Games. She ends these Games with three golds (team, individual all-around, and vault) and one silver (floor).
There was also a surprise in the final men’s event, the high bar, where Japan’s Shinnosuke Oka (14.533) took gold. Colombian 17-year-old Angel Barajas (14.533) won silver in his first season in the senior category. The bronze was shared by China’s Boheng Zhang and Taiwan’s Chia-Hung Tang, both scoring 13.966.
This was the first Olympic medal in Colombian gymnastics history and the country’s first podium finish at Paris 2024. Competing in Bercy, Barajas displayed composure that allowed him to avoid the mistakes of some favorites in a final with numerous falls.
The junior world runner-up in 2023, Barajas delivered a routine above average, including four well-executed releases, two connected, and a dismount with a double somersault and twist that he nailed. His only visible mistake was a slight lack of tension in his body at times.
His difficulty score of 6.600 combined with an execution score of 7.933 totaled 14.533. He momentarily held second place and maintained it until the last two gymnasts competed, ensuring at least a bronze. Croatian Tin Srbic fell twice and was eliminated. Zhang, the favorite, performed well but spoiled his routine with a poor dismount.
Only in the parallel bars final did things go as expected. Chinese gymnast Jingyuan Zou retained his Olympic title with the highest score recorded in the entire competition, 16.200. Zou had already achieved that score in the preliminary round and repeated it in the final with a calm, clean routine, scoring 6.900 for difficulty and 9.300 for execution.
The silver medal went to Ukrainian Ilia Kovtun (15.500), one of the most consistent gymnasts of the last cycle, and the bronze to the new all-around Olympic champion, Japan’s Oka Shinnosuke (15.300). Both are 20 years old, six years younger than the champion.
Chinese and Ukrainian gymnasts have alternated victories on this apparatus in the last eight Games. Ukrainian Oleg Verniaiev, gold medalist in 2016, fell and lost all chance of a medal.
Artistic gymnastics concluded with the United States leading the medal table (3-1-6), followed by Japan (3-0-1) and China (2-5-2). Fifteen countries made it to the podium at least once.
teleSUR/ JF Source: Xinhua
