How the U.S. Got Too Good at Pommel Horse

The U.S. has built a deep pipeline of pommel horse workers, brought about by NCAA coaches' recruiting decisions, a rebuilt junior program, and a strange one-time Olympic qualifying rule.

A four-horse race: The U.S. pommel horse title is up for grabs at the 2026 Championship

An Olympic medalist, a World medalist, and an NCAA champion are among the four men chasing the title in Phoenix, each capable of a 6.0-plus difficulty score.

EXCLUSIVE: Parker Thackston to upgrade pommel horse difficulty to 6.1 difficulty for 2026 U.S. Championships

Thackston confirmed to Auric Gymnastics that two specific skill changes will push him to the exact difficulty mark USA Gymnastics requires event specialists to hit to make the national team.

Who's going to be the 2026 U.S. men's all-around champion?

Frederick Richard and Shane Wiskus come into Championships each having posted an identical 83.65, the highest score by any American man so far this year.

The Koudinov II, New High Bar Release Rated Most Difficult in Code

Misha Koudinov has second skill named after him on high bar, a piked Gaylord with a full twist. Misha Koudinov of Team New Zealand has become the first gymnast to successfully compete this new skill. The skill has been given an "I" difficulty value (0.9) in the

USA Gymnastics Has Its Own Scoring Rules. Explaining the Domestic Bonus System.

USA Gymnastics · Scoring Reference Domestic Bonus System Bonus values added to Difficulty Score by apparatus, used only in U.S. domestic competition. Floor Exercise Pommel Horse Still Rings Vault Parallel Bars Horizontal Bar D-ScoreBonus D-ScoreBonus D-ScoreBonus D-ScoreBonus D-ScoreBonus D-ScoreBonus 5.50.2025.40.2025.

The Vera, New Parallel Bars Dismount

Camilo Vera becomes the first to compete new dismount, and the third Colombian gymnast to have an original parallel bars skill named. Camilo Vera of Team Colombia has become the first gymnast to successfully perform a backward tucked double-double from a long hang off the end of the parallel

The elimination of Full-Twisting Back Handspring Vault

Once a symbol of innovation, the complex vault has been erased from the Men’s Code of Points after update Following the rule updates after the Paris Olympics, 14 different vaults were removed from the Men's Code of Points. All of these vaults featured “Scherbo” entries, requiring gymnasts

The Garza, New Parallel Bars Dismount

Mexican gymnast Carlos Garza performed a new parallel bars dismount: a front double pike performed from the end of the bar

Why 2025 Was the Most Exciting Year for NCAA Men's Gymnastics in Years

How Rule Changes Tightened Scores and Made Outcomes More Unpredictable Colt Walker stepped up to the parallel bars for Stanford’s final routine at the 2025 NCAA Championships. Stanford trailed Michigan by a thin margin of just 0.33 points. As Stanford’s top performer on parallel bars, all eyes

The First Perfect 10 in Men’s Olympic Gymnastics

Nadia Comaneci of Romania famously earned the first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics history at the 1976 Montreal Games. The scoreboards, unable to display a 10.0, showed a 1.00 after her bars routine. Later in the competition, Nellie Kim also achieved a perfect 10 on vault. However, no

Who Is the Highest-Paid Coach in Men’s College Gymnastics?