GLORY bee! Fans were puzzled by a bottle of honey in the gymnastics arena – on an historic day for Team GB’s vaulters.
Harry Hepworth won Britain’s first-ever Olympic medal in the men’s event via bronze, with Peterborough’s world champion Jake Jarman fourth.
But TV viewers made a bee-line for two tiny pots of honey spotted during the final.
One was just behind Armenia’s Artur Davtyan as he ran in for a silver-clinching vault.
And the other bottle provided more of a clue – as it was next to a container filled with chalk.
Fans struggled to make the connection between honey and the sweet taste of success – especially as it appears the competitors never ate any!
One viewer got straight to the point by asking on X: “Why is there a bottle of honey next to the chalk in the gymnastics arena?”
It’s a sticky question – but not with a tricky answer…
Some vaulters believe honey and chalk is an excellent combination for providing the right amount of grip.
Stars look for a secure feeling on apparatus – but not with a great deal of friction.
That’s why honey and chalk is also an option on the parallel bars – where, arguably, grip is even more important.
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The Wall Street Journal have listed beer, gummy bears, syrup and Coca-Cola as other alternatives in the past.
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Hepworth celebrated the outstanding achievement of scooping a podium spot in his first Games.
Jarman, however, was stung as if by a bee as he lost his second medal of Paris 2024.
The event’s final competitor, Davtyan, leapfrogged both the Brits to take second place.
Nobody though, came close to Carlos Edriel Yulo of the Philippines, who added the vault crown to his floor title.
Hepworth was the early leader in the eight-man final, opening with 14.833 and then absolutely nailing his second to score 15.066 for an average total of 14.949.
It put the heat on the field.
Jarman was next, opting for a three and a half twist routine with a difficulty factor of 6.0 but taking a step forward on landing to earn 15.10.
He was only a fraction off with his second as well, a tucked somersault forced to take a slight movement backwards as he hit the mat.
It was good enough to be worth 14.766, to place him behind Hepworth.
Briefly, it was a GB one-two.
But only for a couple of minutes as Yulo flew through the air with the final pair of vaults in the first half.
Yulo’s opener was stunning and immaculate, scoring 15.433, the highest of the entire final.
It meant he did not need to gamble on his second, worth only 5.60 difficulty and a secure 14.80 took him to 15.116 and top spot.
It looked as though the Brits would both win medals. Davtyan, though, changed that.
