Liu Yang from China secured his second consecutive Olympic gymnastics gold medal on the still rings, scoring 15.300 to narrowly surpass his teammate Zou Jingyuan in the finals held on Sunday. At 29 years old, Liu joins the ranks of Albert Azaryan of Russia and Akinori Nakayama of Japan as the third man to achieve multiple Olympic titles in this challenging discipline that demands strength and precise body control.
Taking the bronze was Elftherios Petrounias of Greece, who has now medaled in rings for three consecutive Olympic Games. Petrounias clinched the gold in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and snagged a bronze in Tokyo three years ago. The close margin between Liu’s 15.300 and Zou’s 15.233 scores was evident during the dismount, where Zou had a couple of noticeable hops upon landing, unlike Liu with a much smoother finish.
French gymnast Samir Ait Said finished fourth, making an impactful return after fracturing his leg in a vault mishap at the Rio Olympics eight years ago. Ait Said, determined to make a comeback at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, received a supportive roar from the spectators at Bercy Arena following his routine, despite the audience’s displeasure at his score of 15.000.
Later in the day, the women’s uneven bars and men’s vault finals took place. American gymnast Sunisa Lee aimed for her third medal in Paris after winning gold in the team event and bronze in the all-around competition. She secured a bronze on bars, trailing behind defending champion Nina Derwael of Belgium, who retained her title from the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
The men’s vault final was also on the schedule for Sunday, with Britain’s Jake Jarman as the reigning world champion. The competition featured Carlos Yulo of the Philippines, who made history by securing the country’s second-ever gold medal at the Summer Games by winning the floor exercise title the day before.
