Gymnastics Tie-Break Rules Explained

A tied score doesn’t necessarily mean a shared result. The FIG Technical Regulations set out exactly how ties are broken, and the same rules apply at the Olympic Games and the World Championships.

Apparatus finals (except vault)

If two gymnasts finish level on any apparatus other than vault:

1. The gymnast with the higher E-score wins.
2. If still tied, the higher D-score wins.
3. If still tied, the gymnasts share the placing.

Execution comes first. The best-known British example is the London 2012 pommel horse final, where Louis Smith and Hungary’s Krisztián Berki both scored 16.066; Berki’s execution score was 0.1 higher, so he took gold.

Vault

A vault final score is already an average of two vaults, so the order is different:

1. The gymnast with the higher of the two individual vault scores, before averaging, wins.
2. Then the higher E-score of either vault.
3. Then the higher D-score of either vault.
4. If still tied, the placing is shared.

All-around

In the all-around, the first tie-break isn’t the E-score — it’s a total that leaves out each gymnast’s weakest apparatus:

1. The gymnast with the higher total of their best apparatus scores wins — the best five of six for men, the best three of four for women. If that’s still level, the best four (or two) are compared, and so on.
2. Then the higher total E-score across all apparatus.
3. Then the higher total D-score across all apparatus.
4. If still tied, the placing is shared.

Team

Team ties are broken only by the total of the team’s best apparatus scores — the best five of six apparatus for men, the best three of four for women, then fewer if needed. If that doesn’t separate them, the teams share the placing; execution and difficulty aren’t used.

Qualification

The same principles apply to ties for a place in a final. If a tie survives every criterion, both gymnasts or teams share the ranking, and a draw sets their starting order in the final. On vault, a tie in qualification that survives every criterion is not broken.

When ties aren’t broken

At the Junior World Championships, ties at any place in the team ranking, all-around final and apparatus finals are not broken, and other junior and age-group competitions may leave ties unbroken too.

For how D-scores and E-scores are built, see how gymnastics scoring works.