Two notable names will be missing from the high bar event final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Defending Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto of Japan and American Brody Malone, the 2022 world high bar champion, both faltered during the qualification round and did not advance to the final. Both were anticipated to be strong contenders for the gold medal.
Only the top eight athletes per event (two per country) move on to the event finals.
Malone mounted a remarkable comeback from a gruesome knee injury in March of 2023 to win his third all-around national title this year and looked to be the U.S. men's best shot at an all-around medal in Paris. However, during the first subdivision, Malone fell once on pommel horse and twice on high bar, knocking him out of both the all-around and high bar event final.
"(It was) just silly mistakes that I don't usually make," Malone said. "But I mean, it happens. It's sports. You will not always be perfect. So, I'm just going to reset tomorrow in the gym, reset my foundation with some basics and then just be ready for team finals."
In the second subdivision, Hashimoto's chance to defend his title was dashed when he fell on his high bar dismount, preventing him from advancing to the final.