Canadian Olympic gymnast Felix Dolci will likely never forget the Men’s Individual All-Around Final at the Paris 2024 Games.
But while he got quite the roar from the crowd on Wednesday while competing at a packed house in the Bercy Arena in downtown Paris, Dolci probably would rather not think about the reason for his big cheers.
One of 24 competitors in the medal event, Dolci was in the horizontal bar portion of the final when his hand grip fell off, causing him to crash to the mat in the middle of a rotation.
Gymnastique artistique 🤸: 3e après 2 rotations (!!!), Félix Dolci 🇨🇦 chute durement à la barre fixe! 😰@FelixDolci5 @gymcan1 #Paris2024 #JeuxOlympiques #rcsports #gymnastique pic.twitter.com/M6LIVfk8BQ
— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) July 31, 2024
After getting up, Dolci then saluted the crowd with a heart symbol made by his hands as a thank you for the show of support.
Dolci went around for a second attempt at the apparatus, but crashed to the floor once again.
Brought to tears at the resilience of athletes at the Olympics. Canada’s Félix Dolci fell from the bar after his hand grips ripped on the exit from the apparatus, ripping his hand with it. He got a second chance, fell again, in pain, and the stadium cheered him on to the finish. pic.twitter.com/5jkeyyqIO7
— Rafa Sales Ross (@rafiews) July 31, 2024
Gymnastique artistique 🤸: à son 2e essai à la barre fixe, Félix Dolci 🇨🇦 complète son exercice en deux temps et récolte 11,733 points. @FelixDolci5 @gymcan1 #Paris2024 #JeuxOlympiques #rcsports pic.twitter.com/HEiDcWguwR
— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) July 31, 2024
Dolci finished the event with scores of 11.733 while also putting up points at press time in the f14.366), p12.533), r13.766), v14.366) and p14.333), finishing 20th overall.
Rene Cournoyer also competed for Canada in the same event, also putting up scores in
floor exercise (13.600), pommel horse (13.100), rings (13.700), vault 13.733, parallel bars (14.300) and the horizontal bar (13.300), to finish 17th.
How have other Olympic gymnasts been doing for Canada?
In the men’s all-around team final on Monday, Canada finished eighth with a score of 245.426. That team consisted of Dolci, René Cournoyer, Zachary Clay, William Émard, and Samuel Zakutney. It was the second-best finish ever by the Canadian men, who finished seventh in 1984.
In the women’s artistic team final at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Canada finished in fifth place, with a score of 162.432, finishing behind the United States, Italy, Brazil, and Great Britain. The mark tied Canada’s best-ever result on the women’s side in the event, equalling their efforts in 1984 and 2012.