Rings, Men

The format was the same as it had been from 1984-2004, with eight gymnasts advancing from the team all-around, but no more than two per nation. The two top recent performers on pommelled horse were China’s Chen Yibing and Dutchman Yuri van Gelder. Chen won the 2006-07 World titles, after Van Gelder had won in 2005. Van Gelder could not compete in Beijing because the Netherlands did not make the team competition, he did not qualify on all-around scores, and only the most recent apparatus World Champions were allowed in as wild cards. In his absence Chen led the qualifying and won the gold medal in the final quite easily. He would add an Olympic silver on rings at London in 2012.

Second in qualifying was Bulgarian Yordon Yovchev, competing in a record-tying fifth Olympics. Yovchev had won a bronze medal on rings in both 2000 and 2004, but missed a handstand in the finals and would finish eighth and last. Yovchev would compete again in 2012, becoming the first male gymnast to compete in six Olympics, a mark also equalled in London by German-Uzbeki Oksana Chusovitina.