Canadian gymnast Felix Dolci got a second chance to perform his entire horizontal bar routine in the men’s all-around final at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday after an equipment malfunction sent him flying off the apparatus.
After the 22-year-old effortlessly executed two breathtaking release-and-catch manoeuvres, he was swinging around the bar when unexpectedly his right handgrip snapped and he was flung off the bar and crashed onto the mat with a loud thud.
Still lying on the mat, Dolci was examined by team staff before he walked away from the area, holding his snapped handgrip up to the crowd and showing off his badly bruised hand.
He returned 15 minutes later, after the other gymnasts in his rotation had completed their displays, for a second take.
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Wearing a new grip on his right hand, Dolci mounted the bar again but suffered another crash landing while attempting the Kolman release-and-catch element.
He grimaced as he completed his dismount but after receiving boisterous applause from the crowd, Dolci formed a heart shape with his hands to thank the spectators for their support.
The incident caused Dolci to drop from third at end of the second rotation to 23rd.
Under current rules, a gymnast can get a second try at a routine if it is interrupted for a reason beyond his or her control, including equipment breakage.
In his next apparatus, the floor, Dolci seemed to have lost none of his composure, scoring a solid 14.366 points, the highest of his rotation. He eventually finished 20th.
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