Dutch Gymnast Wows With Horizontal Bar Routine

December 7, 2017 gymnastics, Olympics, Sports, Videos, Watercooler

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Dutch gymnast Epke Zonderland’s knockout horizontal bar routine.

The gold medal-winning performance has us questioning whether Zonderland is part-man, part-Peter Pan, as he acrobatically twirls through the air.

Onlookers and judges — not surprisingly — dropped their jaws as Zonderland performed three back-to-back release maneuvers.

What do you think: Best gymnastics routine you’ve seen this summer?

BONUS: Must-Follow Athletes on Twitter

2012 Olympics: The Must-Follow Athletes on Twitter

1. Lolo Jones

Jones, whose social media success we profiled in May, is the standard bearer for Olympians on Twitter. She’s honest, hilarious, tweets often, and is a world class hurdler for the United States.
2. Kevin Love

A member of the American men’s basketball team, Love is one of the NBA’s cleverest players on Twitter. He should be an entertaining follow in London.
3. Usain Bolt

Bolt will be one of the Olympics’ biggest stars. The Jamaican sprinter recently told us about his interest in tech and social media. He shares photos often on Twitter.
4. Juan Mata

Mata helped Spain to the Euro 2012 title earlier this summer and will look to follow that up with an Olympic championship in August. He tweets in English and Spanish.
5. Caroline Wozniacki

The Danish tennis star is engaging on Twitter, frequently posting her training and status updates. Even better, she dates pro golfer Rory Mcilroy — both are terrific follows when the other is competing.
6. Candace Parker

The top women’s basketball player in the world suits up for the United States. Parker is active, humorous and down-to-earth on social media.
7. Ricky Berens

The American swimmer told us in May that he uses social media to boost his visibility and marketing potential. His lighthearted tweets and frequent interactions with fans on Twitter helped him pick up sponsors like BMW and Got Chocolate Milk.
8. Jordan Burroughs

A wrestler for the United States, Burroughs’ frequent updates, enthusiasm and humor have helped him rack up more than 20,000 followers. His handle, @alliseeisgold, is pretty cool too.
9. Dominik Meichtry

Meichtry swims for Switzerland and is betrothed to American swimmer Jessica Hardy. He’s enthusiastic about sharing the Olympic experience with followers.
10. Nick Symmonds

The American middle-distance runner spoke to us in June. He is super active on Twitter and is an outspoken advocate for Olympians’ rights to market themselves, despite IOC restrictions.
11. LeBron James

Perhaps the 2012 Olympics’ biggest celebrity, James won his first NBA title with the Miami Heat in June and will look to follow up in London with his second gold medal. He took time off Twitter during the NBA Playoffs, but will likely be much more active during the summer games.
12. Neymar

The soccer prodigy tweets mostly in Portuguese, but should be a fun follow as he tries to lead Brazil to its first Olympic title.
13. Natalie Coughlin

An American swimmer, Coughlin is super friendly, funny and accessible on Twitter.
14. Rebecca Adlington

In May, it was reported that Adlington would forsake Twitter in London because of cruel social media trolls. But the swimmer said she could never give up the microblogging network, and looks to be a solid follow as the Olympics visit her home country.
15. Matthew Mitcham

A star diver for Australia, Mitcham is one of the games’ few high profile openly gay competitors.
16. Hope Solo

The United States women’s soccer team’s erstwhile goalkeeper is a great follow for soccer fans and non-fans alike.
17. Manu Ginobili

Ginobili tweets largely in Spanish, but the basketball star is still worth your attention. You’ll love his sheer joy representing Argentina and respect his obvious pride for his country. And really, that’s what the Olympics are all about.
18. Ryan Lochte

The American swimmer and rising marketing juggernaut is generous about interacting with followers and providing a glimpse inside the life of a London superstar.
19. Asafa Powell

Powell is one of a handful of incredible Jamaican sprinters. He frequently posts slice-of-life photos and — as evidenced by the screenshot at left — is religious about replying to fans and well wishers.
20. Tom Daley

Still just a teen, the British diver is already a celebrity in the UK. He’s smart about using social media to his advantage.
21. Oscar Pistorius

Nicknamed “Blade Runner,” the South African runner has prosthetic lower legs. He will become the first double-amputee to ever compete in the Olympics (he’ll also participate in the Paralympics). On Twitter, he frequently provides training updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses while inspiring his more than 50,000 followers.
22. Stephanie Rice

The Australian swimmer responds to followers, posts plenty of photos and speaks her mind — sometimes to a fault.
23. Nastia Liukin

A favorite follow for many Olympic fans, American gymnast Liukin will be a major star in London for NBC after unexpectedly failing to make the U.S. team.
24. Novak Djokovic

The Serbian tennis powerhouse is favored to win in London. He’s more active on Twitter than some of the sport’s other stars.
25. Eamon Sullivan

Sullivan is an Australian sprint swimmer. He has more than 24,000 followers, but tweets pretty much like any other normal dude.