Capturing the Moment: Gymnastics

Excellent athletes from around the world competed on the same stage at the 2017 Universiade in Taipei. They fought to win or lose, but even more to surpass themselves.

Artistic gymnastics includes the pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, horizontal bar, balance beam, uneven bars, and floor exercise. Competitors must complete a routine within 30–90 seconds, and then are scored on their performance by the judges.

Gymnastics is also one of the sports that demonstrate how people can push their bodies to their extreme limits. Using shutter speeds of 1/2000 of a second, we lifted our cameras and captured instants of action, moments too brief for the naked eye to grasp, to reproduce them in classical form.

Sweat dripping, muscles straining, chalk dust billowing—all are moments in which athletes transcend themselves, causing us to cheer them on.

photo by Chuang Kung-ju

photo by Chuang Kung-ju

An athlete on the pommel horse moves his body with great concentration, hoping to win a high score from the judges. (photo by Jimmy Lin)

The parallel bars and the balance beam are two disciplines that can best exhibit the contours of the human body. (photo by Jimmy Lin)

The parallel bars and the balance beam are two disciplines that can best exhibit the contours of the human body. (photo by Chuang Kung-ju)

The gymnasts’ arms support the weight of their bodies, defying gravity. Every move makes onlookers hold their breath. (photo by Chuang Kung-ju)

photo by Chuang Kung-ju