How wide is the balance beam in gymnastics at the Olympics?

At the Olympic Games, the balance beam event sees gymnasts perform flips and leaps on a narrow surface

The gymnastics at the Olympics in Paris is in full flow with the women’s and men’s artistic team events offering the sport’s first gold medals of this year’s Games.

Athletes take part in several disciplines, including the floor, vault, pommel horse and balance beam events, all of them demanding incredible displays of strength, elegance and control.

The balance beam, in particular, sees gymnasts perform leaps, flips and turns on the narrowest of surfaces.

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The beam, which is only used in the women’s team event and also has its own individual event, is 1.25 metres off the ground and five metres long but is just 10 centimetres wide.

Simone Biles has won bronze on the balance beam at the last two Olympics, and made her dazzling return in Paris on the apparatus to qualify for another final.

Gymnasts have 90 seconds to perform their routines before dismounting from the bar, and are judged for the difficulty and execution of their performance.

Male gymnasts do not compete in the balance beam, just as the women do not take part in the rings, pommel horse, parallel bars and horizontal bars.