As the final rotation of the gymnastics men’s team final began, the Chinese team seemed almost certain to finish Monday as Olympic gold medallists. After dominating the qualifying on Saturday, they had established a commanding three-point lead over Japan with three routines to go. Both teams closed out the competition on the horizontal bar, where China had outscored Japan. With plenty of room for error, all they had to do was remain relatively solid to secure their win.
However, when attempting to execute some of the most difficult gymnastics skills in the world under suffocating pressure, things can quickly fall apart. What followed was a meltdown of the ages. First Xiao Ruoteng, the Chinese veteran, landed his dismount to his knees, stumbling forward before regaining his balance. Then came Su Weide, a 24-year-old in his first Olympic Games, who fell twice. First he peeled off the horizontal bar, then, after regrasping the bar, he immediately tumbled again.
