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Olympic Men’s Rings: Liu Yang Defends Gold
Paris – Chinese gymnast Liu Yang successfully defended his Olympic rings title in a closely contested final at the 2024 Paris Games. The reigning champion edged out teammate Zou Jingyuan to claim his second consecutive gold medal in the event.
Liu earned a score of 15.300, narrowly defeating Zou who claimed silver with a 15.233. Greece’s Eleftherios Petrounias rounded out the podium with a bronze medal score of 15.100.
The competition between Liu and Zou was particularly intense, as both gymnasts entered the final with identical difficulty scores. Ultimately, it was Liu’s slightly superior execution that secured him the gold.
The full results of the men’s rings final are as follows:
- Gold: Liu Yang (China) – 15.300
- Silver: Zou Jingyuan (China) – 15.233
- Bronze: Eleftherios Petrounias (Greece) – 15.100
- Samir Aït Saïd (France) – 15.000
- Adem Asil (Türkiye) – 14.966
- Vahagn Davtyan (Armenia) – 14.866
- Harry Hepworth (Great Britain) – 14.800
- Glen Cuyle (Belgium) – 13.833
While Liu Yang and Zou Jingyuan stole the show with their thrilling battle for gold, Greece’s Eleftherios Petrounias also made his mark on the men’s rings competition. The veteran gymnast added another medal to his Olympic collection, securing bronze with a score of 15.100.
Petrounias’ higher difficulty score of 6.300 compared to France’s Samir Aït Saïd proved crucial. Despite a slightly lower execution score, Petrounias’ overall performance was enough to clinch the bronze medal. The Greek gymnast has now solidified his status as a rings legend with medals from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro and 2020 Tokyo Games, as well as Paris.
Notably absent from the podium was the United States. Despite dominating the women’s gymnastics competitions, the American men failed to qualify a single athlete for the rings final, a surprising omission from a nation with a strong history in the sport.