Chinese gymnast He Kexin pipped American rival Nastia Liukin under the tiebreak rule to dramatically snatch the Olympic asymmetric bars title on Monday.
In the most anticipated apparatus final at the Games, both the favourites earned identical 16.725 scores for their stunning gravity-defying routines.
Following a complicated breakdown of averages relating to points awarded for execution, a jubilant He was adjudged the winner, leaving Liukin and the American camp bewildered.
‘I honestly was in shock. When I saw that we got the same scores and my name was in second it was weird,’ said the all-round Olympic champion, who had the same 7.7 start value as He for her routine.
‘That's nothing I can control unfortunately. That's all up to the judges. I guess they liked her routine better, which is fine with me. I did what I could.’
The 16-year-old He seemed unfazed by the fuss.
Asked if she knew the tiebreak rules, replied: ‘No, I didn't know.’
Her Chinese compatriot Yang Yilin clinched the bronze with 16.650. He's win increased the host nation's record Olympic haul in gymnastics to seven gold medals.
He, who had fallen off in qualifying, was the first to show off her dazzling array of aerial acrobatics. She drew gasps from the crowd as she executed four stunning release and catch moves in the blink of an eye.
She was captured on camera closing her eyes in concentration as she flew between the bars and the 18,000 fans crammed into the National Indoor Stadium went into a frenzy when she completed her dismount with only a slight hop.
Liukin glanced up at the mark and knew she could outshine her rival since she had scored 16.900 on the apparatus in the team final.
The American's graceful exhibition included three 360-degree pirouettes on one hand while rotating round the higher of the two bars and after floating through her routine, she ended it with a perfect dismount.
But it was not enough.
Her father and coach Valery, who shared a horizontal bar gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, could
not understand the judgement.
‘I tied in my Olympic Games. There were people that tied back when I was competing but I guess they don't want it now,’ Valery told reporters.
‘She did what she could do, she stuck the landing -- the only one by the way -- but it doesn't matter.’
