Petrounias added the Olympic gold to the world the European titles he now holds with a score of 16.000.
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Arthur Zanetti, the 2012 Olympic champion on still rings, came within a few tenths of doing but couldn’t compete with Eleftherios Petrounias’ effortless-seeming holds and perfectly stuck landing.
Brazilian veteran Arthur Zanetti failed to defend his title, but brought home a silver in 15.766 points, followed by Denis Abliazin of Russian Federation in 15.700 points.
Petrounias, showing off his bulging biceps and the Olympic rings tattooed on his upper back, delivered a routine that combined moments of ideal stillness with a rapid series of somersaults, his body unfurling like a ribbon.
Uncoiling for the final time, he launched himself into his dismount and on nailing it he saluted the crowd with a raised fist, confident he would become the first Greek since Dimosthenis Tampakos in 2004 to win the rings.
This is Greece’s second gold in Rio after Anna Korakaki came first in women’s shooting. “We worked a lot”.
The 2015 world champion put together a flawless routine, while China’s Liu Yang and You Hao both struggled after delivering strong showings in qualifying.
You’s performance highlighted a dismal showing by the Chinese. Petrounias is the first athlete in the last 20 years, who has managed to win a gold medal in men’s rings for two consecutive years.
“My aim was to win a gold medal”.
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Dutch gymnast Yuri Van Gelder, who has also been dubbed “Lord of the Rings”, returned home in disgrace a week ago after being kicked off his country’s Olympics team for a night out drinking in Rio.
