 The Olympic Floor Medalists Photo © Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images |
Still, there were some very exciting moments as well. China's Xiao Qin, the three-time World Champion on pommel horse, finally won Olympic gold as well. On vault, North Korea's Hong Un Jong was the first female to win Olympic gold for her country with the same two vaults that Cheng performed. Oksana Chusovitinia, who at age 33 is competing in her fifth Olympics -- an unheard-of feat in women's gymnastics -- won the silver.
On floor, Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin went 2-3 respectively with great routines, but were edged out by Romania's Sandra Izbasa. Still, both Liukin and Johnson have now earned three Olympic medals.
The other two Americans competing were both shut out of the medals. Alicia Sacramone hit both of her vaults (Yurchenko double twist, front handspring 1 1/2) but ended up fourth. On the men's side, Sasha Artemev fell off pommel horse and finished seventh.
Final Results:
Men's Floor:
1. Zou Kai, China 16.050
2. Gervasio Deferr, Spain 15.775
3. Anton Golotsutkov, Russia 15.725
Men’s Pommel Horse:
1. Xiao Qin, China 15.875
2. Filip Ude, Croatia 15.725
3. Louis Smith, Great Britain 15.725*
Women’s Vault:
1. Hong Un Jong, North Korea 15.650
2. Oksana Chusovitina, Germany 15.575
3. Cheng Fei, China 15.562
Women’s Floor:
1. Sandra Izbasa, Romania 15.650
2. Shawn Johnson, USA 15.500
3. Nastia Liukin, USA 15.425
*Tie scores are broken based on execution (B score) deductions
Comments
Wow I’m so incredibly bummed for Cheng Fei. And Alicia Sacramone — I thought she would medal on vault.
This is such a crock. Alicia should have medaled. You shouldn’t get bronze with a fall like Cheng Fei did.
Not only did the Chinese girl fall on her vault, but the Korean girl stepped out of bounds!
Alicia Sacramone should have won a silver.
why are tie scores broken? What does that mean. The bronze guy had a higher difficulty.
Hi Chris,
I’m not sure why tie scores are broken, but they have been in the Olympics since 2000.
Right now, they are broken by averaging the execution deductions from the middle four judges (so the highest and lowest B scores are dropped from the 6-judge panel).
If that doesn’t break the tie, they average three, then two, and so forth until one athlete has a lower execution deduction average.
It’s pretty complicated! Thanks for asking — I’ll put some information about it above in the post.
Thanks for explaining the tie breaker. I wish they didn’t do it – especially in event finals. Give them both the medal!!!
Alicia Sacramone is awesome. She deserved silver, or at least bronze. I feel so badly for her and hope she cleans up at worlds next year in 2009.
The judges should be reviewed and fired. There was such an obvious bias against the Americans. It was so apparent throughout but it was topped when they gave the medals to the girls on vault that stepped over the line and fell over Alicia who only had a little hop on landing. It is wrong to do that to these girls that worked so hard training for so long. You have to judge fairly.