PARIS: Don't you know your pommel horse from your uneven bars?
AFP Sport takes a look at the details of the artistic gymnastics competition that comes to life at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
The 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: qualification, team final, all-round final and apparatus final.
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 and apparatus finals.
Team results are based on the three highest scoring gymnasts on each apparatus.
The eight countries with the most points secure their tickets to the team finals, which are held across all devices.
The top 24 qualifiers (maximum two per country) face off for the all-around title held across all apparatus again and considered gymnastics' blue ribbon event.
The apparatus finals consist of the eight highest scoring gymnasts on each unit (again with a maximum of two per country).
Identical for both men and women — magic on a 12m x 12m mat, performing inch-perfect diagonal tumbling to women-only music.
The men's equivalent of the women's balance beam — with the emphasis on core and shoulder strength as only the hands are allowed to touch the foam and leather-clad horse and two handles.
“Just” 5.75m off the ground, gymnasts need a helping hand from their coaches to hold them on. A moment of stillness is followed by a demonstration of strength and control like the iron cross: this is when the gymnast holds still, arms extended horizontally, legs pointing down, every tendon tensing.
The ultimate test of a gymnast's artistry, ability, athleticism and bravery – blink and you'll miss those five or six seconds of drama. The men's vault table is 10 cm higher than the women's. Watch out for American superstar Simone Biles, who nailed her spectacular signature Biles II Yurchenko double pike vault in practice on Thursday.
Controlled movements that swing over and under the bars placed at about head height and shoulder-width apart – a glue-like landing is what the beady-eyed judges will be looking for.
Or high bar is what it says on the tin – terrifyingly high at around 2.78m off the ground. The lone metal bar — contrasting uneven and parallel bars are made of fiberglass with a wooden coating — is smaller in diameter than parallel bars and elicits gasps from fans as the gymnast builds to somersaults above the bar — hopefully to catch it afterward.
This apparatus is for female gymnasts only and consists of two bars of different heights and widths to allow the gymnast to seemingly swing from bar to bar. The high bar is 2.5m (8.2ft) from the ground, the low bar 1.7m. Watch out for Algerian teenager Kaylia Nemour, who boasts the most complex uneven bars routine as she bids to become the African continent's first Olympic medalist in gymnastics.
The original concept came from the “grandfather of gymnastics” – Johann Guts Muth – a German sports professor in the early 19th century. Olga Korbut stunned fans at the 1972 Munich Olympics with the first ever backflip. It is only 10 cm wide and requires precision and nerves of steel. The rectangular beam gives female gymnasts a superb test of balance, tumbling, jumping and leaping, while trying not to hit the deck.
Saturday, July 27 — Men's qualifying
Sunday, July 28 — Women's Qualifier
Monday, July 29 — Men's team final
Tuesday, July 30 — Women's team final
Wednesday, July 31 — Men's All-Around Final
Thursday, August 1 – Ladies' All-Around Final
Saturday, August 3 — Men's floor exercise finals; Women's Volks Final; Horse final for men
Sunday, August 4 — Men's Rings Final; Women's uneven bars final; Men's Volksfinal
Monday 5th August – Men's Parallel Bars Final; Women's balance beam final; Men's Horizontal Bar Final; Women's floor exercise final
