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How does the individual all-around competition work in artistic gymnastics?

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Simone Biles of Team United States performs a flip above the balance beam during the Women's Balance Beam Final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. — gymnastics Simone Biles performing on the balance beam at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (delayed until 2021). She won a bronze medal in the event.

In artistic gymnastics, the individual all-around competition is a format where a gymnast’s performance is evaluated across all apparatuses specific to their gender.12

For men, the all-around score is the combined total of their performances across six events: floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, and horizontal bar. For women, the all-around score is the combined total of their performances across four events: floor exercise, vault, uneven bars, and balance beam.32

In each individual event, a panel of judges determines a score based on two components:
* Difficulty: Points are added based on the complexity of the moves performed.3
* Execution: The score starts at 10, and judges deduct points for errors or poor form.3

The final all-around ranking is determined by the sum of these event scores, rewarding the gymnast who demonstrates the highest level of consistent skill and versatility across the entire discipline.31