Danell Leyva’s high bar routine was the last of his six in the men’s gymnastics all-around competition on Wednesday. It was also a very good one, one that secured his bronze medal in the event.
Danell Leyva’s High Bar Routine Secures Bronze Medal
The high bar is the equivalent of the uneven bars for men’s gymnastics, but it swaps the precision of the uneven bars’ transitions for the power of the flips male gymnasts pull on it. For example, the one to the right, in which Leyva whips himself around for a backflip.
Leyva was America’s best hope for a medal in the all-around event, and he got it done with this routine, which ended up netting him a 15.700, tops in the event on the day.
The backflip wasn’t Leyva’s only strong move in the routine, as he also pulled off a flip that had a twist to it, but it wasn’t until Leyva’s dismount that he was well and truly assured of a great routine.
Leyva steps out a bit, but you can tell from the cheers of the crowd as he straightens out that he had done something good. Indeed, it was good enough to win the first medal for an American in the men’s all-around since Paul Hamm touched gold in 2004, and only the second since 1984.
You can find a complete medal tracker at SI.com.
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