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Gold for Germany's Hambüchen on high bar

August 16, 2016

Germany's star gymnast Fabian Hambüchen won gold on the high bar ahead of Danell Levya of the US and Britain's Nile Wilson. It broke quite a German gymnastics drought: no gold medals since the 1996 Atlanta Games.

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Olympia Rio 2016 Reckturner Fabian Hambüchen feiert Gold
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Stache

The 28-year-old Hambüchen, a winner of 27 medals at international competitions over the years, added Olympic gold to his trophy cabinet on Tuesday with a splendid showing on the dangerous horizontal bars.

Bronze in Beijing, silver in London, Hambüchen continued his four-yearly upgrade process to claim the ultimate prize, competing in the fourth Olympic horizontal high bars final of his career.

Former world champion Danell Levya of the US took silver with a score 15.500, to Hambüchen's 15.766, while Britain's Nile Wilson's acrobatic display scored him 15.466 and a bronze medal.

Rio Momente 16 08 Reckturnen
Image: Reuters/M. Blake

Defending Olympic champion Epke Zonderland of the Netherlands suffered an awkward fall midway through his routine, missing the bar after an aerial flip. Despite a heavy landing on his knees and then face, Zonderland subsequently got back onto the bar - completing his routine with a flawless dismount.

Germany's last gymnastics gold, at Atlanta in 1996, also came on the horizontal bar: Andreas Wecker won that.

msh/apc (dpa, Reuters, SID)