Results - men's floor, women's vault, pommel horse

Maria Paseka celebrates a bronze medal in vault

Yesterday's event finals provided a first opportunity for the specialists to gain medals in their preferred disciplines.  In the women's competition, there was a surprise as America's McKayla Maroney, the outstanding favourite for the vault title, first stumbled, then fell to a lucky second place, leaving Romanian Sandra Iszbasa to take a well deserved gold medal in this event.  Russia's Maria Paseka took a bronze medal.

The result is not without controversy; how can a gymnast with a fall (Maroney) take a medal away from the Games when others in the final, noteably Germany's Janine Berger, managed to complete their two vaults and finish up on their feet both times?  The freakish ability of Maroney to lift the Amanar vault - the means by which the American gymnasts have dominated this competition - meant that her final score here was too high.  The Amanar has been overscored at these Games in general, its high start value not helping matters in addition to execution scores that ignore basic faults in its performance but do not reward sufficiently the high standards seen in some double twisting Yurchenkos. 

There is, besides, lamentably little strength in depth in this apparatus with one gymnast - Pena Abreu, from the Dominican Republic - attempting a handspring double front vault that was frankly dangerous to life and limb.  It speaks volumes that 37 year old Oksana Chusovitina can qualify to the same event final as she did in 1992 with inferior performance to that she had as a 15 year old.  As elsewhere, the FIG needs to implement changes that will encourage great performance as well as harvesting high start values at the expense of immeasurable risk.

I was really touched by this photograph, which I publish here with thanks to Simona Colesan on Facebook:

Sandra's touching gesture .... "It is as well your medal Mr. Bellu. Thank you ! "
It was the moment when couch Bellu 's eyes went into tears. For couple of seconds he was spechless. "It's for the first time I'm living such a moment. No other gymnast did such a gesture. I have no words... " Bellu replied .

The exuberant Denis Ablyazin won the Russian men's first medal at these Olympics, a bronze on the floor exercise.  Apart from a low landing on his first tumble Denis managed to finish his ultra difficult floor exercise with good execution, and he was clearly delighted with the result. 

China's Zou Kai won gold, Japan's Kohei Uchimura silver, in what is sadly his only final at these Games.  In a competition of execution, Uchimura would have finished first by far ...

Pommel horse was, as predicted, a close fight between the genius Krisztian Berki and flamboyant Louis Smith.  In the end, the marks awarded were a tie, and Krisztian won thanks to his higher execution score.  It was an opportunity to listen to Hungary's atmospheric national anthem.  Britain were delighted when youngster Max Whitlock also took a bronze. 

I can remember a time when, sitting in a gymnastics arena, I was asked by a Canadian onlooker (with a very lovely accent) "'Ooo is zat labouring on ze pommel 'orse?".  It was a British gymnast.  How things have changed.