The Olympic beam, known simply as beam
History of Flávia Rosa - Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil
The Olympic beam, known simply as beam, is a fundamental device in women's artistic gymnastics, present in all official competitions. Its competitive use dates back to 1934 and its Olympic debut occurred in 1936. Initially, the exercises were performed on pine trunks and were improved over time. The modern beam is 5 meters long, 10 centimeters wide and is located 1.25 meters above the ground. Gymnasts have 90 seconds to perform their series, which includes jumps, spins, spins and acrobatic elements. The difficulty of the exercises has increased over the years, with pioneers such as Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci introducing acrobatic sets. The score is determined by the quality and difficulty of the choreography, with penalties for errors such as imbalances, falls or exceeding the performance time limit.
