Individual All-Around, Men

The format was the now standard of 36 gymnasts advancing to a final round from the team all-around, with no more than three gymnasts allowed per nation. The total score consisted of 50% of the qualifying scores, and the final round score from an optional routine. Soviet men had swept the medals in this event at the 1987 World Championships, led by Dmitry Bilozerchev, who had also been World Champion in 1983. Bilozerchev had been severely injured in a 1985 motorcycle accident, almost losing his left leg, and he was not expected to compete again, much less win further World titles.

In Seoul, the Soviets had the top four qualifiers, and five of the top six, but could only advance three to the final round. They swept the medals quite easily, with Vladimir Artyomov winning the gold medal, Valery Lyukin silver, and Bilozerchev bronze. They not only led the qualifying but those three had the highest scores in the final round as well. Their dominance can be shown by the margin of Bilozerchev over fourth-place finisher Sven Tippett of East Germany, which was almost a complete point (0.975).

This was only the second time, after the Japanese in 1972, that a nation swept the medals in this event at the Olympics. In fact, it became impossible to do in 2004 when the rules were changed allowing only two gymnasts per nation to advance to the final round. Lyukin would later settle in the United States, after the break-up of the Soviet Union, and his daughter, Nastia Liukin, won the women’s all-around gold medal at the 2008 Olympics for the United States.