There was one individual Olympic spot left. According to the intricate set of rules governing who gets slots for the games, it would come down to who placed highest in the high bar final: Croatia’s Tin Srbić or Brazil’s Arthur Nory Mariano.

They were at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, last October. Mariano went first. He fell during his routine, giving Srbić some wiggle room. He didn’t need it, though: Srbić completed a clean routine, with Tkachev connections and a double-twisting double layout that he stuck cold; at the end of his routine, he pumped his fists in the air in celebration. He’d qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.