Carlos Yulo, Rhys McClenaghan, Simone Biles golden on first day of event finals at Paris 2024
PARIS – Day one of event finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics was one of firsts and familiars.
The firsts came from Carlos Yulo of the Philippines and Rhys McClenaghan of Ireland, both winning the first Olympic medal in gymnastics for their nation – both making it gold.
The familiar was the one and only Simone Biles, who won the second Olympic vault title of her career, bringing her tally of Olympic medals to seven gold and 10 overall.
Men’s floor delivered a close contest that came down to hundredths. Yulo increased his difficulty and still was sublime in his execution, ending with a perfectly stuck 3.5 twist to the awe of the crowd. Defending Olympic champion Artem Dolgopyat of Israel was 0.044 back from the Filipino star – less than the difference of a hop on the landing. 2023 world vault champion Jake Jarman of Great Britain nearly replicated his qualifying score another 0.033 back from Dolgopyat, tying Yulo in difficulty.
“I adjusted my D-score [lower] to qualify safely,” Yulo said. “It’s really stressful for my body and mind. In the final, I went for [the higher difficulty]. I didn’t hesitate.”
Women’s vault saw familiar faces ascend the podium, with Biles on top, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade winning silver, and Jade Carey with a redemptive bronze. As soon as Biles hit her eponymous Yurchenko double pike for a 15.700, gold was almost a foregone conclusion. The Cheng that followed was one of her best this quad, putting her at a 15.300 average. Based on the warmup, it was pretty clear Andrade wasn’t pulling out the triple-twisting Yurchenko she had submitted to be named after herself earlier in the Games. Instead, she went clean with her Cheng – arguably the best in the world – and Amanar. Carey redeemed herself after balking in the vault final in Tokyo. This time, her clean Cheng and double-twisting Yurchenko, were enough to secure the bronze.
Biles said Saturday was the last time we’ll see the Yurchenko double pike from her, and as the Games wind down, she also entertained a question about her future.
“Never say never,” Biles said of a potential fourth Games in 2028. “The next Olympics is at home, so you just never know. But I am getting really old,” the 27-year-old laughed.
The highly-anticipated pommel horse final delivered, with eventual champion McClenaghan saying, “This is the best pommel horse final that’s ever happened in my eyes – ever.” Indeed, it was thrilling from the start as Kazakhstan’s Nariman Kurbanov catapulted himself into medal contention with a 15.433. His eventual silver marked his country’s first Olympic medal in gymnastics. Defending two-time Olympic champion Max Whitlock followed with what he’s said would be the final routine of his storied career. He was able to improve from his qualifying score, but a 15.200 was only good for fourth. McClenaghan got down to business shortly thereafter and knew he had to be “ballsy” with his set, so he made sure he hit the Roth at the end. The result? A 15.533 to surpass Kurbanov. Stephen Nedoroscik was the first up after the second half touch and hit another clean 6.4 routine, saying later that he opted for that set after pushing upgrades in training the past few days and not feeling it. He also tweaked his back yesterday and wanted to focus on enjoying the moment.
“I didn’t know as soon as I landed, but I knew I had done my job,” McClenaghan said. “I knew I went through my most difficult routine that I could do on this day. That’s where the tears and emotions came from.”
The pommel horse medalists were particularly joyful after their triumph, with all three grinning ear-to-ear, and Nedoroscik and McClenaghan comparing medals during the post-meet press conference. They were also already making plans for the future.
“We were saying, ‘LA [2028] baby, let’s go, run it back!'” McClenaghan said.
Keep reading for a play-by-play recap of how the day unfolded. Click here to start from the beginning.
Sat. August 3 @ 6:17 p.m.
FINAL from the men’s pommel horse final! This is Ireland’s first Olympic medal in gymnastics and it just so happens to be gold!
Sat. August 3 @ 6:12 p.m.
Hur Woong (KOR) PH: Off partway through, so the podium is secure! 14.300.
Sat. August 3 @ 6:09 p.m.
Oleg Verniaiev (UKR) PH: Smooth swing, bit tight in the hips at times, slow to the handstand in the dismount, but he finishes strong. 14.966 – into 5th!
Sat. August 3 @ 6:07 p.m.
Takaaki Sugino (JPN) swings smooth and is happy with his set for a 14.933, but that’s 5th right now.
Sat. August 3 @ 6:02 p.m.
Stephen Nedoroscik (USA) PH: Pommel horse guy! 15.200 in quals. Scissors to start. Really needs his 6.5 difficulty. Sohn is solid. So smooth so far. He hits the dismount, pumps his fists, and Brody Malone is high jumping on the sideline, hugging him so hard! 15.300 – into 3rd with his 6.4 routine!
Sat. August 3 @ 5:57 p.m.
Rhys McClenaghan (IRL) PH: Two-time reigning world champion! Can he get his Olympic medal? Beautiful opening scissor to handstand. Excellent pommel work. Flop work in the middle is clean. Textbook Russians. Just the dismount, and he hits it! His coach was already bent over with emotion before he even dismounted. 15.533! He’s into first!!! WOW! He’s overwhelmed with emotion – happy tears. Will Ireland’s first Olympic medal in gymnastics be gold???
Sat. August 3 @ 5:51 p.m.
Loran de Munck (NED) PH: Was swinging beautifully, just great rhythm, but hand seemed to slip and he’s off. The crowd roots him on as he restarts his routine and finishes strong. 13.733.
Sat. August 3 @ 5:50 p.m.
Max Whitlock’s final gymnastics routine… Bit slow up to the opening handstand, but he gets it. Excellent flop work in the middle of the horse. Smooth Busnari. Form break partway through, legs coming apart but he gets it back quickly. Dismounts clean. Not his best, but we’ll see where it lands! 15.166 was the qualifying score… 15.200 here! Did his 6.9 difficulty routine this time. Won’t three-peat as Olympic champ, but in medal contention!
Sat. August 3 @ 5:44 p.m.
Nariman Kurbanov (KAZ) PH: Qualified 5th with a 15.000. All of the finalists were close in qualifying – any could make the podium. Lovely the form, has such a smooth swing. 6.7 difficulty and immediately comes out swinging with a 15.433 – highest score on horse at this Games so far!
Sat. August 3 @ 5:44 p.m.
Men’s pommel horse final starting now!
Sat. August 3 @ 5:24 p.m.
Victory ceremony, and then it’s men’s pommel horse to finish the day!
Sat. August 3 @ 5:23 p.m.
FINAL from the women’s vault final!
Simone Biles wins her 2nd Olympic vault title, 7th Olympic gold, and 10th Olympic medal overall!
Tokyo Olympic champion Rebeca Andrade returns to the podium, and Jade Carey gets her redemption!
Sat. August 3 @ 5:14 p.m.
Jade Carey (USA) VT 1: Looking for a redeeming performance here after balking in Tokyo… Cheng, beautiful, small hop in place. 14.733. VT 2: Double-twisting Yurchenko, small hop in place. 14.200. Average = 14.466 – that’s good for bronze!
Sat. August 3 @ 5:14 p.m.
Yeo Seojeong (KOR) VT 1: Front handspring Rudi, step forward. 14.166. VT 2: Double-twisting Yurchenko and falls forward, putting her hands down. 12.666. Average = 13.416.
Sat. August 3 @ 5:10 p.m.
Rebeca Andrade (BRA) VT 1: Cheng, beautiful, quick small hop and salute. 15.100. VT 2: Amanar, small steps back. Lovely! 14.833. Average = 14.966 – into 2nd!
Sat. August 3 @ 5:05 p.m.
Ellie Black (CAN) VT 1: Front handspring full, basically stuck, just the slightest of adjustments. Beautiful! 14.100. VT 2: Tsuk 1.5, large hop step forward. 13.766. Average = 13.933.
Sat. August 3 @ 5:00 p.m.
Obviously no one is going to knock Biles off the podium (and probably not out of gold). Would be her 10th Olympic medal and 7th gold.
Sat. August 3 @ 4:57 p.m.
Simone Biles (USA) VT 1: Yurchenko double pike, big air as always, hop back, stepped on the line. MASSIVE 15.700! VT 2: Cheng, big distance, small hop back, one of the better Chengs she’s done as of late! 14.900. Average = 15.300 – obviously into 1st!
Sat. August 3 @ 4:52 p.m.
Shallon Olsen (CAN) VT 1: Cheng, typical bent arm onto the table, a lot of distance with soft knees, but she gets it around, hop forward. 14.100. VT 2: Hands slip on the table, but she somehow gets the double-twisting Yurchenko around even if it’s under-rotated, falls to her knees, single lunging step forward. 12.633. Average = 13.366.
Sat. August 3 @ 4:45 p.m.
An Chang Ok (PRK) VT 1: Stuck double-twisting Yurchenko, wow! 14.066. VT 2: Cheng, early pike down, bit of soft knees, small single step. 14.366. Average = 14.216 – into 1st!
Sat. August 3 @ 4:40 p.m.
Valentina Georgieva (BUL) VT 1: Double-twisting Yurchenko, bit of a rebounding hop back. 14.100. VT 2: Tsuk 1.5, small hop, excellent! Very clean vaults from Valentina. 13.866. Average = 13.983.
Sat. August 3 @ 4:24 p.m.
Women’s vault final coming up!
Sat. August 3 @ 4:10 p.m.
FINAL from Bercy! It’s Carlos Yulo (PHI), Artem Dolgopyat (ISR), and Jake Jarman (GBR) on the podium!
This is the Philippines’ first Olympic medal in gymnastics. It’s just the nation’s second Olympic gold and first gold for a man.
Sat. August 3 @ 4:04 p.m.
Luke Whitehouse (GBR) FX: Triple back, small hop back, low chest. Front double full to front double tuck, deep in the knees but stuck. Front double pike, hop forward. Double twist, stuck. Stuck tucked double-double. 2.5 to front layout, small hop. Triple twist, small hop. 14.466 – 6th!
Sat. August 3 @ 4:04 p.m.
Illia Kovtun (UKR) FX: Front full to front double pike, smallest of hops. Front triple full, step. 3.5 twist, stuck. Randi, small hop back. 2.5 to front layout, stuck. Flairs sequence, which the crowd loves. Triple twist, low chest, small hop forward. 14.533 – 4th!
Sat. August 3 @ 4:00 p.m.
Jake Jarman (GBR) FX: Laid-out triple-double, hop, fights to stay in bounds. 2.5 to front double tuck, small hop forward. Tucked triple-double, small hop. Triple twist, small step/adjustment. Front full to Randi, hop to the side. 3.5 twist, small hop forward. Not the cleanest landings, but he brings big difficulty and qualified first with a 14.966. Needs a 15.001 to jump ahead of Yulo, who he’s trained with and has a good friendship! 14.933 – into 3rd!
Sat. August 3 @ 3:57 p.m.
Milad Karimi (KAZ) FX: Randi to the side, soft knees, near the line. Front full to front double pike, hop back. 2.5 to front double tuck, stuck. Tucked double-double, single step. Double full, stuck. Front double full to tuck front half. Triple twist, low chest, hop forward. 14.500 – into 3rd, no out of bounds for that first pass.
Sat. August 3 @ 3:52 p.m.
Zhang Boheng (CHN) FX: Front double full to front double pike, hops out of bounds with both feet. 3.5 to tuck front half. Randi, small hop forward. Double full, stuck. 2.5 to front layout, small hop forward. Triple twist, hop back. 13.933 after the -0.3 neutral deduction for the out of bounds.
Sat. August 3 @ 3:47 p.m.
Carlos Yulo (PHI) FX: 2.5 to front double pike, hop to the side. Front double full to front double tuck, hop. Full-twisting double layout, stuck. Triple twist, small hop forward. Front full to Randi. 3.5 twists, STUCK COLD! Insane! IT’S A 15.000!!! 6.6 difficulty – highest score of this Games on floor!
Sat. August 3 @ 3:42 p.m.
Artem Dolgopyat (ISR) FX: Defending Olympic champ up next! He qualified seventh with some mistakes. Can definitely improve on that… Laid-out double-double, small hop back. Front full to front double pike, small hop forward. 2.5 to front double tuck, small hop. Front double full to front layout. Tucked double-double, fights for the stick, has to take the smallest adjustment. Double Arabian half. 14.966 – that matches the top qualifier! 6.4 difficulty.
Sat. August 3 @ 3:35 p.m.
Rayderley Zapata (ESP) FX: 2020 silver medalist by tie break! Can Ray come out big? 2.5 to front double tuck, small hop. 1.5 to front double pike. Laid-out double-double, small hop forward. Front double full to front layout. Double Arabian half, excellent. Double layout, mayyyy have landed on the line? It could go either way, but a small hop forward. Really excellent work from Ray. They’re taking their sweet time… They do give him the out of bounds, so -0.1 and he scores a 14.333 – almost three-tenths lower than quals. 6.2 difficulty instead of 6.3.
Reminder that every landing will be crucial in this final. Hops, out of bounds, all the little things matter.
Sat. August 3 @ 3:30 p.m.
Men’s floor intros happening now!
Sat. August 3 @ 3:15 p.m.
Men’s floor final will be up first at 3:30 p.m. Paris time/9:30 a.m. Eastern.
This will be interesting. You have defending Olympic champion and reigning world champion Artem Dolgopyat (ISR), 2020 silver medalist Rayderley Zapata (ESP) – who lost a tie break with Dolgopyat in Tokyo – and then other powerhouse floor workers. Jake Jarman (GBR) qualified first and Carlos Yulo (PHI) was second (and didn’t do full difficulty). All of these men are capable of making the podium.
Watch out for Luke Whitehouse’s triple back – it’s stellar!
Sat. August 3 @ 3:11 p.m.
Here’s the start list for the women’s vault final, which will happen at approximately 4:20 p.m. local time/10:20 am. Eastern.
With Biles going before Andrade, it gives Rebe the chance to see what Simone does and if she needs to upgrade to try to challenge her.
Jade Carey last up!
Sat. August 3 @ 3:10 p.m.
For all the new pommel horse (and Stephen Nedoroscik) stans, here’s the start list for today’s final. Gets started at 5:16 p.m. Paris time/11:16 a.m. Eastern.
This final is STACKED. All of the qualifiers were separated by less than five-tenths. Nedoroscik qualified second after a tie break with two-time reigning world champion Rhys McClenaghan (IRL) and ahead of two-time defending Olympic champion Max Whitlock (GBR).
Expect to see the men pushing difficulty in the final. Nedoroscik did his 6.4 routine in qualifying, but will probably try for a 6.5 today (a decision he makes on the fly, depending on how he’s feeling). He does go after the two other top contenders, so he’ll have an idea of what he needs to do to contend for the podium.
Sat. August 3 @ 2:58 p.m.
Welcome inside Bercy Arena for day one of event finals! Today we have men’s floor exercise, women’s vault, and men’s pommel horse. It all gets started at 3:30 p.m. CEST/9:30 a.m. EDT.
