China’s Liu Yang Wins Gold in Still Rings at Paris 2024

In an exciting day at the Paris 2024 Olympics, China’s Liu Yang clinched his first gold medal in the still rings final on Sunday, August 4th. Liu scored an impressive 15.300, edging out his teammate who finished just behind him with a score of 15.233.

The bronze medal went to Greece‘s competitor, who managed to bring home a score of 15.100. This victory marks Liu’s second consecutive Olympic title in this event, as he also won gold at the Tokyo 2020 games.

It’s worth noting that no man has defended his still rings Olympic title since Japan’s Nakayama Akinori achieved this feat in 1968 and 1972. In fact, the last champion of the still rings at the Rio 2016 Olympics was Petrounious.

Liu’s performance in Paris followed an incredible routine by Zou, with both gymnasts achieving matching difficulty scores of 6.4. The competition ultimately came down to their landings, with small adjustments deciding the outcome.

Zou took several tiny steps to control his double-double dismount, while Liu managed to stick his landing with just a small hop forward.

It wasn’t just Liu and Zou making headlines; France’s own hero, who previously suffered a horrific injury on the vault during the Rio 2016 games, placed fourth in the final with a score of 15.000.