Arthur Zanetti of Brazil won the gold, his nation's first medal in the event. The 2008 winner, Chen Yibing of China, earned silver to become the 12th man to win multiple medals in the event. Matteo Morandi of Italy took bronze.
Background
This was the 23rd appearance of the event in the Olympics. Three of the eight finalists from 2008 returned: gold medalist Chen Yibing of China, sixth-place finisher (and 2004 finalist) Matteo Morandi of Italy, and eighth-place finisher Yordan Yovchev of Bulgaria. Yovchev was competing in his sixth Olympic Games, a record for a male gymnast; he had previously won a silver medal in 2004 and a bronze medal in 2000.[3] In addition to his 2008 title, Chen was the 2010 and 2011 world champion in the event. Arthur Zanetti of Brazil was the world championship runner-up in 2011.[2]
Azerbaijan and Vietnam each made their debut in the men's rings event. The United States made its 21st appearance, the most of any nation.
Competition format
The top eight competitors in the qualification phase (with a limit of two per country) advanced to the apparatus final. Qualification scores were then erased, with only final-round scores counting.[4]
^Oksana Chusovitina was also competing in her sixth Games in 2012, sharing at the moment the record for any gymnast with Yovchev. She competed again in 2016 for a total of seven Games.
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