LONDON -- In the end and on the beam, it really did all balance out for Aly Raisman.
The Needham native won the bronze medal in the women’s balance beam Tuesday when her initial score was adjusted after an inquiry, and she then won a tiebreaker with Romania’s Catalina Ponor.
The situation was remarkably similar to the outcome of the women’s all-around, when Raisman finished tied for the third-best score with Russia’s Aliya Mustafina but lost out on a medal due to a tiebreaker.
The difference, of course, is that this time the tiebreaker worked in Raisman’s favor.
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After the inquiry, Raisman’s degree of difficulty score was boosted 0.120, changing her score from 14.946 to 15.066, equaling Ponor. Raisman was awarded the medal because her execution score (8.766) was higher than Ponor’s (8.466), which was the tiebreaker.
China went 1-2 atop the podium, with Deng Linlin getting gold (15.600) and Sui Lu the silver (15.50).
All-around champion Gabby Douglas fell during her routine, catching herself on the beam with her leg and pulling herself back up. She was seventh (13.633).
Despite a smooth routine with just one wobble, a hop on a dismount, Raisman’s initial score of 14.946 put her a fraction of a point behind Ponor and apparently off the podium.
As the crowd booed, seemingly recognizing that she had been misjudged, her coach, Mihai Brestyanm, filed an immediate appeal, requesting a review of her score.
When her new score was announced, the crowd roared.
The medal is Raisman’s second in London, having been the anchor during a gold-medal performance in the team victory.