Balance Beam, Women

The format was the same as it had been from 1984-96, with eight gymnasts advancing from the team all-around, but no more than two per nation. China’s Liu Xuan had won a silver medal in the all-around in Sydney, but the balance beam was her best event. She had won the 1998 World Cup, a bronze medal at the 1996 World Championships, and was 1998 Asian Games gold medalist on the beam. She won the gold medal in Sydney as well, after qualifying second. The leading qualifier was Romanian Andreea Răducan but after her positive doping test in the all-around, she withdrew from this event. Russia had the other medalists in the event, with Yekaterina Lobaznyuk winning silver and Yelena Produnova the bronze. Liu retired from competition after the 2000 Olympics, and became an actress, mostly in Hong Kong.