--- description: An event at London's North Greenwich Arena gives the world's best gymnasts one last opportunity to qualify for this summer's Olympic Games. title: Grace and Power: Bending Over Backwards to Reach the Olympics image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd19d57d1c8bcbb4f/69879bf8e20a873998a86b27/rtr2w2cs1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Grace and Power: Bending Over Backwards to Reach the Olympics by [Phil Bicker](/author/phil-bicker/) ## Phil Bicker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 13, 2012 7:00 PM CUT  January 9, 2012\. A gymnast practises on the beam during a training session before the Olympic gymnastics venue test event in east London. January 9, 2012\. A gymnast practises on the beam during a training session before the Olympic gymnastics venue test event in east London.Stefan Wermuth—Reuters by [Phil Bicker](/author/phil-bicker/) ## Phil Bicker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 13, 2012 7:00 PM CUT The routines of gymnasts are precious ones—a matter of inches separate a perfect performance from a complete disaster. From landing back handsprings on a four-inch-wide balance beam to sticking triple twists within the white border of a floor mat, gymnasts must balance aerobatics with precision. An international competition at the North Greenwich Arena in London that runs through Jan. 18 is giving Olympic hopefuls one final chance to qualify across all three disciplines—artistic, trampoline and rhythmic—for this summer’s Games. It also affords Olympic photographers a chance to perfect their angles and hone their artist approach at a venue where qualifying athletes will perform in London this summer. Herewith, TIME presents a gallery of images from this week’s event, which creatively captures the power and grace that merit a perfect 10. (For TIME’s daily coverage of the 2012 Olympics, visit: [**Time.com/Olympics**](http://www.time.com/olympics "undefined"))  January 9, 2012\. A gymnast practises on the beam during a training session before the Olympic gymnastics venue test event in east London. Stefan Wermuth—Reuters  January 9, 2012\. Gymnasts practice during a training session before the Olympic gymnastics venue test event in east London. Stefan Wermuth—Reuters  January 9, 2012\. A gymnast practices on the uneven bars during a training session before the Olympic gymnastics venue test event in east London. Stefan Wermuth—Reuters  January 11, 2012\. Slovenia's Sasa Golob is seen framed through the legs of another gymnast as she performs on the beam during the international gymnastics Olympics test and qualification event at the North Greenwich Arena in London. Matt Dunham—AP Photo  January 10, 2012\. Epke Zonderland of the Netherlands performs on the horizontal bar in the men's artistic qualification round during the International Gymnastics competition in east London. The competition is the second and final chance for gymnasts to qualify for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Eddie Keogh—Reuters  January 9, 2012\. Gymnasts practice during a training session before the Olympic gymnastics venue test event in east London. Stefan Wermuth—Reuters  January 11, 2012\. Australia's Georgia Simpson during the Unever Bars qualification round. Steven Paston—Action Images/Zuma Press  January 11, 2012\. Wyomi Masela of The Netherlands performs her floor exercise during the women's qualification of the Artistic International Gymnastics London 2012 Olympic qualifier, a part of the London Prepares series of test events, at the North Greenwich Arena in London. Adrian Dennis—AFP/Getty Images  January 11, 2012\. Great Britain's Rebecca Tunney competes on the Beam during the Visa International Gymnastics at the North Greenwich Arena, London. Anthony Devlin—PA Photos/Landov  January 10, 2012\. Chalk is seen on the toes of Jeffrey Wammes from The Netherlands after he performed on the high bar during the international gymnastics Olympic qualifying and test event at the North Greenwich Arena in London. Matt Dunham—AP Photo ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3785039/grace-and-power-bending-over-backwards-to-reach-the-olympics/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3785039/grace-and-power-bending-over-backwards-to-reach-the-olympics/"},"headline":"Grace and Power: Bending Over Backwards to Reach the Olympics","datePublished":"2012-01-13T19:00:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:41:15.271Z","description":"An event at London's North Greenwich Arena gives the world's best gymnasts one last opportunity to qualify for this summer's Olympic Games.","url":"https://time.com/3785039/grace-and-power-bending-over-backwards-to-reach-the-olympics/","keywords":["LightBox","olympics","london","Competition","Gymnastics","2012","Man on the Wire"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd19d57d1c8bcbb4f/69879bf8e20a873998a86b27/rtr2w2cs1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Phil Bicker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/phil-bicker/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd19d57d1c8bcbb4f/69879bf8e20a873998a86b27/rtr2w2cs1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"January 9, 2012","caption":"January 9, 2012. 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