The gymnastics competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics is heating up! It started with the individual events kicked off with the men’s all-around final. U.S. team member Fred Richard entered with the best chance of winning an all-around medal. But his start on the pommel horse won’t help. Richard, 20, appeared off balance as soon as he mounted the apparatus and then fell off it altogether when his hand slipped during a flare. While there’s still a lot of gymnastics to go, his score of 12.733 left him sitting 23rd out of 24 gymnasts after the first rotation.

It seems the pommel horse was the bane of the day, as Daiki Hashimoto, the reigning Olympic champion and two-time world titleholder, also fell during his routine. He stumbled after a scissor to handstand. He is still in contention for the podium, though. Following the mishap, Hashimoto found himself in 18th place.

The unexpected errors left gymnastics fans stunned, with Scott Bregman commenting on X, “Wowowowo—Hashimoto goes over on a scissor to handstand, steps forward, and then comes off.” Fans have since expressed their concern and disbelief over these high-stakes performances.

However, Daiki Hashimoto’s dream is at risk as he aimed to secure the gold and match Kohei Uchimura’s record of two Olympic all-around titles, joining the ranks of one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. Despite his achievements, Hashimoto still had a considerable way to go before he could be mentioned alongside his idol Uchimura, who had dominated the world and Olympic all-around events from 2009 to 2016.

But looking at Hashimoto’s achievements, it’s clear he has already made history. At just 19 years old (now 22), he became the youngest male gymnast to win the individual all-around gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He also secured gold on the horizontal bar, becoming the first Japanese gymnast to do so since Shinji Morisue in 1984, and earned a silver medal in the team competition.

However, Fred Richard also was most favorable to win. Even he shone brightly in Paris as Team USA made history on Monday in the qualifying round. He secured their first team medal in men’s gymnastics in 16 years. Leading the charge, Richard excelled on the rings, parallel bars, horizontal bars, and floor exercises, helping Team USA clinch the bronze medal.

The U.S. finished behind Japan, who took gold with a score of 259.594, and China, who earned silver with 259.062 points, while Team USA scored 257.793. Richard posted top marks for his team with scores of 14.466 on the floor exercise, 14.566 on the parallel bars, and 14.833 on the horizontal bar. Although the 20-year-old was a strong contender, a recent setback that he and Hashimoto had left social media fans on edge, expressing their concerns about his performance.

“Pommel Horse Is on a Killing Spree,” fans call for change after Fred Richard and Daiki Hashimoto’s setback

Among the many fans who were concerned few comments stood out. One fan commented, “Cancel this final, I hate it,” seems that history might be repeating itself. This year’s U.S. Classics had already earned a reputation for being “cursed” this year due to a series of unfortunate incidents. Gabby Douglas endured two falls on the uneven bars, while Konnor McClain suffered an Achilles injury during floor warmups. Fans at that time speculated whether the numerous errors on the bars were mere coincidences or if something was amiss with the equipment. The same is happening again!

Another fan remarked, “Goodness! Sounds like a rough start for everyone!” It wasn’t just Fred Richard and Daiki Hashimoto who faced challenges. Zhang Boheng of China, the favorite for the all-around gold, also encountered trouble. He executed a 3 1/2 twist on the floor exercise with precision but lost control on the landing, ending up on top of his head. Although Boheng seemed to be okay, he will need to improve in the remaining five rotations to secure the gold medal and keep his lead.

“Someone tell the pommel horse to stop,” a fan joked after Fred Richard and Dahimoto fell during their routines. This comment highlights just how tough the pommel horse can be. But why is it so hard? Well because it has a narrow width which makes it hard to balance, and gymnasts have to perform tricky moves like circles, scissors, and flairs while holding up their entire body weight with their arms. This requires a lot of upper body strength and precise timing.

In a similar vein, another fan exclaimed, “Pommel horse is on a killing spree throw it away, please!” and yet another chimed in with, “I HATE IT.” These comments clearly show the frustration and disappointment many fans feel toward this demanding apparatus. What are your thoughts on the pommel horse? Share your comments below and let us know!