How a mistake at the Sydney Olympics 'could've killed' competing gymnasts.

The Sydney Olympics put Australia front and centre on the world stage. Audiences from across the globe fell in love with Cathy Freeman after her 400m sprint, and Nikki Webster in the Opening Ceremony. 

But there's one particular moment from the Games in 2000 that has marred its reputation...

Russia's Svetlana Khorkina was a Gold Medal favourite in the gymnastics. 

She gave a strong floor performance routine, and the crowd was expecting her to win big. Then she went for the vault, and everything changed. She launched herself into the air, off the vault and landed badly. 

American gymnast Elise Ray was also expected to perform well. 

But after running towards and then dismounting off the vault, she fell on her back and crashed on the mat. She almost landed on her neck, which could have caused horrific injuries. 

"I thought it was nerves, I thought my steps were off... something that I was doing. I blamed myself," she later said.

@ian.gunther The biggest mistake at the Olympics 🤯 #olympics #gymnastics #gymnast #sports #sport #vault #didyouknow #olympic ♬ Intro - The xx

Overall, 17 gymnasts attempted the vault, only to all have similar results — fumbling, falling, and even injuring themselves. Sports commentators at the time were scratching their heads, wondering why these Olympic greats were performing at such a low level.

But it hadn't been nerves, like Elise Ray had assumed. It was the vault.

It turns out the vault had been set two inches, or five centimetres, too low. So instead of 125cm, it was set at 120cm. 

"One inch is a really big difference," Elise Ray reflected to podcast Blind Landing. "It completely plays a factor in your run and your hurdle and your entry."

There were injured ankles, strained ligaments and bruised egos. One athlete nearly ran into the vault, and another rebounded onto her head.

Thankfully though, no one was seriously injured, but if the vault had remained at the incorrect height, there's every chance a catastrophic accident could have occurred.

Numerous athletes were injured. Image: Getty.

Australian gymnast Allana Slater was the one who flagged her concerns, and subsequently the alarm was raised.

"The vault was the wrong height. I had a choice as a 16-year-old — say something and stop the competition or just get on with it. I chose the first option," she said to BBC News.

"Unless I had grown overnight, it was too low. [My coach] looked me dead in the eye, measured it [the vault] up on his own body and then this horrified look came over his face."

Olympic officials and gymnastic coaches rushed to the vault to confirm there was in fact an error. 

They unscrewed the bolts and repositioned the vault to be the correct height of 125cm. By this point, around half of the gymnasts had already competed (and failed) the vault.

Fortunately, Olympic staff agreed that these athletes deserved a second chance at the vault to ensure an even playing field. Realistically though, the mental damage had been done. Their confidence was wrecked and their confidence shaken.

As Slater said to Sydney Morning Herald: "I felt for the athletes who vaulted unknowingly, vaulted on the too-low setting, it was an unfortunate situation. The athletes trust that the equipment will be set correctly, as there is enough adaptation that they have to contend with at a major event like this."

In Olympic Games since, gymnastic competition managers now have appropriate policies and run-throughs in place, where experts measure the vaults in significant detail before the competition commences. 

Ultimately, the vault mishap is still considered one of the biggest mistakes in Olympic history.

Feature Image: Getty.