Paris 2024 | China wins men's team silver in artistic gymnastics, sparks controversy

Team China's silver medal winners wave during the awarding ceremony after the men's team artistic gymnastics final at the Paris Olympic Games, France, July 29, 2024. (Photo: China News Service/Sheng Jiapeng)

(ECNS)-- China won the men’s team silver medal in artistic gymnastics, with a total score of 259.062 on Monday at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, following Champions Japan by only a point of 0.532.

Their achievements made a big splash on Weibo.

Team China was ahead of their rivals in the first five rotations, but fell behind Japan in horizontal bar final where Su Weide scored just an 11.600 after two falls.

Su's performance has sparked some controversy. According to record, he fell twice at the Asian Games and World Championships respectively, leading some netizens to question why he was allowed to participate in the Olympic Games.

Su, born in the 2000s, was originally a substitute for the men's team, and only competed after veteran Sun Wei was injured during the pre-match training.

China’s artistic gymnastics men's team won three Olympic championships 12 years ago.

“We have yearned for the gold medal so long, so we need time to accept the result”, team China member Zou Jingyuan said.

“This is an especially big lesson. I am very sorry for my teammates, since they have worked very hard for this event, going through a lot of injuries. But because of my mistakes we did not get the gold medal ..." Su said, choking up at a public interview.

Noticing his teammate’s feeling of guilt, Zhang Boheng tried to help him answer the media’s questions.

Former Olympic champion Li Xiaopeng expressed his regret and said, "Even though they came in second, they all fought hard. There are still all-around and individual competitions to come, so keep up the good work and win back what you lost.”