The women's balance beam final at the Paris Olympics: an unexpected result
Loading...
The balance beam game is like walking a tightrope, and whoever can perform the difficult moves perfectly on the thin plank will have the last laugh. The Paris 2024 women's balance beam final was a thrilling contest, but the end result was a shock.
Zhou Yaqin's perfect opening
As the first player to appear, China's Zhou Yaqin showed amazing strength. Her movements are clean and clean, with a difficulty coefficient of 6.6 points.
When she landed steadily in the last movement, the audience held their breath. With a high score of 14.100 points, one can't help but expect her to reach the top of the podium.
However, a game is a game, and there is always a lot of uncertainty. The next few players were mediocre, with United States' Sunissa and Brazil's Suarez both making mistakes, scoring only 13.100 and 12.333 points respectively. This makes Zhou Yaqin's advantages even more obvious.
However, a strong performance by Italy's Esposito made the match more intense. She was followed by Zhou Yaqin with a score of 14.000 points. Just when everyone thought the situation was clear, Italy's Alice D'Amato brought a surprise.
Surprises and surprises coexist
Arili D'Amato's performance can be described as "stunning". Her movements are fluid and effortless, as if she is one with the balance beam. Although the difficulty score was only 5.8 points, her completion score was as high as 8.566 points, with a total score of 14.366 points, surpassing Zhou Yaqin in one fell swoop and jumping to the first place.
The audience was stunned by this result. Who would have thought that a player who did not have the highest difficulty score would win the gold medal with excellent completion? This is the charm of gymnastics, not only to be difficult, but also to have a stable performance.
However, the competition was not over, and the last person to appear was the "Queen of Gymnastics" Simon · Biles. Everyone is waiting with bated breath for her to put on a great show.
Biles' unexpected mistake
As the favorite to win the championship, Biles' appearance brought the atmosphere to a climax. However, accidents always happen inadvertently. Biles made a mistake in a difficult maneuver and fell off the balance beam. This mistake directly led to her scoring of only 13.100 points, missing out on the gold medal.
Seeing this scene, my mood also fell to the bottom. Biles is the pride of United States gymnastics, and this mistake is undoubtedly a heavy blow to her. But isn't an athlete's career all about ups and downs? It is believed that she will learn from this failure and move on.
Controversy and Questioning
After the game, controversy ensued. The Chinese team appealed Zhou Yaqin's difficulty score, arguing that a difficulty score of 6.6 underestimated her strength. However, the appeal was ultimately unsuccessful. This begs the question, is there any bias in the referee's scoring?
Some people also questioned whether Zhou Yaqin, as the first player to appear, was affected by the "order of appearance"? After all, in gymnastics, the last-to-come competitors tend to get high scores. This kind of questioning is not unreasonable, but sports competitions are like that, rules are rules, and we can only accept reality.
The charm and brutality of gymnastics
This competition fully demonstrated the charm and cruelty of gymnastics. A small mistake can lead to years of hard work going down the drain, while a perfect play can work wonders. Alice Damato's gold medal is a prime example of this, and she has proven her quality with consistent performances.
Looking back at the Olympics over the past five years, we have witnessed similar drama. At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, United States Laurie · Hernandez lost the gold medal after an unexpected mistake in the balance beam event. These examples teach us that in gymnastics, never give up and don't celebrate a victory too soon.
As an ordinary sports enthusiast, I think this game is really enjoyable to watch. Although the result was a bit unexpected, isn't that the beauty of sports? What we look forward to seeing is not just a flawless performance, but also the strength of the athletes in the face of adversity.
In closing, I would like to say that neither Zhou Yaqin's silver medal nor Biles' mistake should affect our respect for them. They are all amazing athletes who have put in a lot of sweat for this moment. In my opinion, being able to stand on the Olympic stage is already a victory in itself.