Women

China's Huang Shanshan and He Wenna bounced to the top of the standings during qualifications, where the previous two Olympic champions surprisingly did not fare so well.

Huang, the 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, ranked first after the compulsory and optional routines. She held off younger teammates He Wenna by 1.00 points, with two other Chinese athletes (Zhong Xingping and Li Dan) following in third and fourth places, respectively.

Zhong and Li cannot advance to the final because only two athletes per country can qualify. Furthermore, Huang and He represented China, while Zhong and Li competed for the Chinese Gymnastics Association and are therefore ineligible for awards. Another Chinese competitor, Luo Dan (also CGA) finished sixth.

Reigning world bronze medalist Rosannagh Maclennan of Canada officially placed third in qualifications, followed by Olena Movchan (Ukraine), Natalia Chernova (Russia), Anna Savkina (Uzbekistan), 2004 Olympic champion Anna Dogonadze (Germany) and Jaime Moore (Great Britain). Moore was the eighth and last qualifier for the final.

Reigning world champion Irina Karavaeva of Russia was eliminated during qualifications. Performing with a bandage on her left ankle, Karavaeva ended her optional routine after just two skills.

Karavaeva, the 2000 Olympic champion, said she stopped her routine because she has not fully recovered from her ankle injury.