Chinese gymnast Su Weide’s heartbreaking falls in the final round cost his team the gold medal in the men’s team final, allowing Japan to clinch victory by a narrow margin.
Paris, Bollywoodfever: A Chinese gymnast’s heartbreak was felt around the world as his disastrous final round saw gold medals slip away in the men’s team final.
China appeared to have Monday’s final in the bag, leading by over three points with only the horizontal bar remaining. It would have been their first gold in the event since 2012.
However, disaster struck when Su Weide fell twice, with the shock on his teammates’ faces clear to see. Each of the falls brought two-point deductions to the Chinese score, allowing rivals Japan to snatch victory with a margin of just 0.532 points.
Commentator Steve Robilliard said during the broadcast that Su’s “teammates could barely look” as China’s gold medal hopes evaporated. Co-commentator Liz Chetkovich added: “He’s just completely mistimed, I’m wondering (if it’s) the inexperience perhaps. He’d like to finish strongly.” Robilliard replied, “Your heart goes out to him, really.”
Su went to sit on his own at the end of the team bench, with the Chinese squad looking dejected. The moment sparked sympathy from gymnastics and sport fans around the world, including Commonwealth Games athlete Gabby Logan. “The poor Chinese gymnast who fell twice from high bar. His teammates have deserted him,” she wrote on X. “He’s bereft. I can’t bear it. He might have just lost them gold.”
Bar champion Daiki Hashimoto, the last to go for Japan, held his nerve to produce a flawless title-clinching routine. In a press conference after the event, Su choked up while reflecting on the fateful slips. “Today taught me a big lesson. It’s a big regret,” he said. “I feel sorry for my senior partners in the team. They have worked very hard in this cycle, there were a lot of injuries in the build-up, and because of my errors today, we lost the gold medal.”
Teammates, including medal favorite Zhang Boheng, have rallied around Su despite appearances. Zhang added, “Regrettably in the last part we didn’t perform well. We are frustrated. Up to then we have done very well.”
The emotional moment underscores the pressures and unpredictability of competitive sports, reminding us of the human side of athletes’ triumphs and defeats.
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