Artistic gymnast Yeo Seo-jeong finished seventh in the women’s vault at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, coming up short in her bid for a second straight medal as she competed with an injured shoulder.
Yeo scored an average of 13.416 points after two attempts in the final at Bercy Arena in Paris. Yeo earned 14.166 points with her first vault and 12.666 points with her second vault.
At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Yeo won the bronze medal to become the first South Korean female gymnast to reach an Olympic podium.
Yeo wasn’t at her best on Saturday, unable to stick the landing on either of her two vaults and finishing second from last in the final.
Yeo said afterward she had dislocated her right shoulder during a warmup session about two hours before the final.
“Because of that injury, I felt very tight and nervous throughout the final,” Yeo said. “Since I had done well in the qualification, I didn’t want to withdraw. I decided to compete because it would have been more disappointing not to perform at all.”
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he American gymnastics legend Simone Biles won the gold medal, her third in Paris and seventh of her career, with 15.300 points. Rebeca Andrade of Brazil grabbed the silver medal with 14.966 points, followed by Jade Carey of the United States at 14.466 points.
An Chang-ok of North Korea, the 2023 Asian Games champion, finished fourth with 14.216 points.
“After watching Biles and Andrade, I honestly felt quite discouraged,” Yeo said. “I guess it was even more so because I didn’t have a lot of confidence due to my injury.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency