Live Blog: WAG Floor Final on the Last day of Artistic Gymnastics at Paris 2024.
The Final Women's Gymnastics Apparatus Final
13.36pm:
After an eventful beam final, which saw 5/8 gymnasts fall off the beam and Simon Biles take a non-present penalty, we’re over to the last event of the Artistic Gymnastics at Paris 2024: the Women’s Floor Final. 5 Gymnasts from the earlier beam final are making a reappearance in this one.
We have 9 gymnasts rather than the usual 8 in this final thanks to an unbreakable tie in qualification. Equal scores will usually go to a tie-break on E-score, with the gymnast with the highest execution going ahead. But Japan’s Kishi and Romania’s Barbosu had equal D (difficulty, aka the Start Value) and E (execution) scores, so we get to enjoy an extra 90 seconds of gymnastics today. Hurrah!
Warm-up is underway. For the last time in Artistic Gymnastics this Olympics, let the games begin!
13:51:
Manila Esposito of Italy (17) – she qualified 7th with a score of 13.633 from a 5.6 start value and has just been awarded the bronze for beam.
She’s an elegant, expressive dancer. We start with low dance and a neat triple squat spin. Opening acro: round-off flick, double layout, and it goes to knees. Same fall as the AA final, it is a bit wince-inducing. Change-leg 1/1 leap. A triple hug spin into an illusion. Earns a dance bonus and it’s beautifully done! Split leap ring, tourjete 1/2 (aka split leap 1/1). Round off flick 2 1/2 into an immediate straight front for a bonus. 3rd acro line: round-off flick, double pike to land out of bounds with one foot (a 0.1 penalty).
Esposito earns 12.133 from a 5.7 D score. It’s unlikely to be another medal for her today.
13.56:
Rebeca Andrade of Brazil (25) – Qualified 2nd, scoring 13.900 from 5.9 D score.
Straight front 1/1 walkout, into a double double. Round-off flick full twisting double layout. Split-leap 1 1/2. Hug spin, double. Round-off flick double layout. Change-leg split leap, change-leg 1/1 for her dance passage. Round-off flick double pike, just a pace on landing. A great routine from Andrade: fast paced, full on energy and clean landings within bounds. Andrade and Biles have been in close contention all day, a friendly rivalry, and she’s certainly thrown down a gauntlet.
The score is: 14.166 from a 5.9. Slightly up from qualifying, she goes into the lead.
14:00:
Yushan Ou of China (20) – Qualified 6th with a score of 13.666 from a 5.6 D score.
Ou’s opening acro line is a round-off flick triple twist, nicely round. The artistry is a nice blend of modern and traditional. Round-off flick 2 1/2 twist pike front (aiming for straight?), two feet out of bounds (0.3 penalty). She aimed for a quad spin but it’ll be credited a triple and steps out to the side. Round-off flick double tuck, a better landing. Double L-spin. Change-ring, into a change-leg 1/2 for the dance passage. Triple squat spin just before the final note. Expect this to be down from qualifying.
The score is 13.000 flat from a 5.6 D.
14:05:
Rina Kishi of Japan (16) – Qualified in equal =8th, scoring 13.600 from a 5.6 start value.
Opening Acro line is a round-off flick double twisting double tuck back. She comes back with a straight front 1/1, rebound into a 2/2 straight front - it steps one foot out of bounds on the landing (0.1 penalty). Triple squat spin. Goes for a double hug spin, it hops and will be downgraded. Round off flick double tuck, small step on landing. Change-leg ring into a split leap ring with a ½ turn. Round-off flick double pike to end, a little short on landing with a pace forwards. Some lovely moments although (subjectively) the music felt a little heavy for her.
Kishi scores 13.166 from a 5.7 D score. Slight rise in the start value but she ends almost half a mark down from qualifying.
14:10:
Second half of this final group gets underway -
Ana Barbosu of Romania (18) – like our previous competition, qualified =8th with a score of 13.600 from a 5.6 D score.
Opens with a round-off, whip, 1/1 twisting double tuck back. Pike jump 1/1. 2nd acro pass: Round-off flick 2 ½ into a straight front 1/1. 0.1 out of bounds. Scissor kick into a tourjette 1/1. Double squat spin. Round off flick, double tuck back into a tuck front. Change-leg 1/1 to finish. No major mistakes. A very elegant routine, a change of tempo might – debatably – have been welcome.
The score is 13.700 from a 5.8 D score. She goes into 2nd.
14:14:
Alice D’Amato of Italy (21) is up next. She’s fresh from winning gold on beam and qualified 5th for floor with 13.700 from 5.6 D score.
Starts with a double hug spin. A moody start to the routine. Round off flick, double double (tucked). Round-off flick triple twist, 1 foot steps back out-of-bounds on landing. Double squat spin. Change-leg into a split leap 1/1. Split jump 1/1. Handspring 2/2 straight front. Change-leg ring. Her leotard definitely looks to be riding a little high in this routine, but we haven’t seen any leotard penalties taken this games.
She’s ending her Olympics with a broad smile, looking deservedly tired. The score is a 13.600 from a 5.6 start value. She goes into third with three competitors still to go.
14:18:
Simone Biles of the USA (27). After missing out on beam, she’ll be looking for redemption (within this Games, her ‘redemption tour’ after Tokyo) She qualified in 1st place, scoring a huge 14.600 from a 6.8 D score.
Opens to the tones of Taylor swift’s ‘Ready for It’.
Round-off flick, triple-twisting double tuck. Beautiful landing with a tiny hop back. Straight front 1/1 walkout, into a double double, tucked. Two feet out-of-bounds on the landing. Change-leg, split leap 1 ½. Double squat spin. Round off flick, double layout ½ (the Biles). Change-leg 1/1 – she may have intended 1 ½ but not sure it’ll be credited. Round-off flick double straight to finish, both feet out of bounds. It’s a hugely difficult, powerful routine and such a crowd pleaser. She’ll be down 0.6 on boundary penalties however.
It’s 14.133 from a 6.9 start value, meaning they’ve given the change-leg 1 1/2. She goes into second, 0.033 behind Andrade.
Now, our penultimate gymnast in this final.
14:23:
Sabrina Maneca-Voinea of Romania (17) - she qualified 4th with a score of 13.800 from a 6.2 start value.
Round-off flick, double double, landed it dead! Round-off flick double layout into an immediate punch front – it’s a signature tumble which was also performed by her mother, who won silver with team Romania in the Seoul 1988 Olympics. A better landing than we’ve seen from her on that pass. Single spin. Change leg 1/1. Round off flick 1/1 double tuck. Straddle jump 1/1 (aka a popper). Round off flick double tuck, small pace to the side. Split leap ring, dances into a tourjete ½. It’s perhaps the cleanest floor routine she’s put out this games – she has definitely come back fighting after her 2 falls on beam.
The score is 13.700 from a 5.9, so some downgraded elements in there. There’s a 0.1 penalty, not sure what for. The routine looked nicer than the score reflects and there’s some grumbling from the audience, but you never fully know the judge’s view.
An inquiry into Sabrina’s D score, but it’s rejected and the score remains unchanged.
14:28:
Final gymnast. Jordan Chiles of the USA (23) – she qualified 3rd with 13.866 from a 5.8 start value.
Dancing to Beyonce! Opens with round-off flick 1/1 double straight. Straight 1/1 walkout round-off flick 1/1 double tuck. 2 ½ squat spin. Change-leg, split leap 1 ½ for her dance passage. Round off flick double layout, just a pace forwards. Finishes with a Pike jump 1/1 to prone. It’s a solid routine, perhaps looked a little tired in the dance at times.
The score in 13.666 from a 5.8.
14:30
Current standing in this the last final of the Artistic Gymnastics this games, Rebeca Andrade finally pips the gold from Biles! BUT there’s been another inquiry into Jordan Chiles, so this is subject to change -
On current scoring,
Andrade wins Gold with 14.166
Biles takes the Silver with 14.133
Ana Barbosu of Romania takes the bronze with 13.700.
14:40:
The enquiry into Jordan Chiles’s D score has been ACCEPTED, which puts her score up by 0.1, making the final score 13.766 from a 5.9 D score. This means a change in the medal rankings and Chiles knocks Romania’s Ana Barbosu, on 13.700, out of the bronze medal position. It’s Chiles first individual medal of this games (the 2-per-country rule placed her out of several finals) and a lost medal chance for Romania. But Rebeca Andrade is the new Olympic Floor Champion and finally gets to hear the Brazilian national anthem fill Paris’s Bercy Arena. A phenomenal afternoon of gymnastics.
The final podium results are:
Andrade (BRA) wins Gold with 14.166
Biles (USA) takes the Silver with 14.133
Chiles (USA) takes the bronze with an amended score of 13.766
Wow, that was a finals day FULL of drama!
Thanks for following along with me today. I hope you’ve found these games as breathtaking and entertaining as I have. Enjoy the other sporting events still ongoing this Olympic Games, and be sure to come back and follow along as I head to Paris for the Paralympics later this month.