The basics
The vaulting table is 1.35m high for men, with a run-up of 25m. The vault requires clean and powerful movements that combine height and length with one or more rotations, ending with a well-controlled landing. The level of difficulty determines the value of a vault. Marks are also awarded for the body control and the landing position.
Competition format
The Olympic Artistic Gymnastics competition has four phases: qualification, Team final, Individual All-Around final and individual apparatus finals.
All gymnasts compete in the qualifications. The best eight teams then go through to the Team final, where three team members compete on each apparatus. Teams are ranked on their total score.
The best 24 individual gymnasts (maximum two from each country) go through to the Individual All-Around final, where gymnasts compete on all apparatus. The best eight gymnasts on each apparatus (maximum two from each country) go through to the individual apparatus finals.
Each apparatus is judged for difficulty and execution, with the highest scoring athlete the winner.
For further information please refer to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
Find out more about the Artistic Gymnastics competition at the Olympic Games on the International Olympic Committee website.
