# Gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Men's vault

The men's vault competition was one of eight events for male competitors in artistic gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. The qualification and final rounds took place on July 18, 20, and 23rd at the Montreal Forum. There were 90 competitors from 20 nations, with nations competing in the team event having 6 gymnasts while other nations could have up to 3 gymnasts. The event was won by Nikolai Andrianov of the Soviet Union, the nation's fifth gold medal in the men's vault; it was the seventh consecutive Games that the Soviets had a gymnast place in the top two. Andrianov became the third man to win multiple vault medals, adding to his 1972 bronze. Japan returned to the vault podium after a one-Games absence, with Mitsuo Tsukahara taking silver and Hiroshi Kajiyama bronze.

## Background

This was the 14th appearance of the event, which is one of the five apparatus events held every time there were apparatus events at the Summer Olympics (no apparatus events were held in 1900, 1908, 1912, or 1920). Three of the six finalists from 1972 returned: bronze medalist Nikolai Andrianov of the Soviet Union, fourth-place finisher Sawao Kato of Japan, and sixth-place finisher Peter Rohner of Switzerland. The 1974 vault world champion, Shigeru Kasamatsu of Japan, did not compete in Montreal. Andrianov had been the runner-up.
Israel made its debut in the men's vault. The United States made its 13th appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the inaugural 1896 Games.

## Competition format

The event used a "vaulting horse" aligned parallel to the gymnast's run (rather than the modern "vaulting table" in use since 2004). Each nation entered a team of six gymnasts or up to three individual gymnasts. All entrants in the gymnastics competitions performed both a compulsory exercise and a voluntary exercise for each apparatus. The scores for all 12 exercises were summed to give an individual all-around score. These exercise scores were also used for qualification for the apparatus finals. The two exercises (compulsory and voluntary) for each apparatus were summed to give an apparatus score. The top 6 in each apparatus participated in the finals, except that nations were limited to two finalists each; others were ranked 7th through 90th. Half of the preliminary score carried over to the final.

## Schedule

All times are Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)
| Date | Time | Round |
| Sunday, 18 July 1976 | 12:30 19:15 21:00 | Preliminary: Compulsory |
| Tuesday, 20 July 1976 | 15:00 19:00 20:45 | Preliminary: Voluntary |
| Friday, 23 July 1976 | 19:30 | Final |

## Results

Ninety gymnasts competed in the compulsory and optional rounds on July 18 and 20. The six highest scoring gymnasts advanced to the final on July 23. Each country was limited to two competitors in the final. Half of the points earned by each gymnast during both the compulsory and optional rounds carried over to the final. This constitutes the "prelim" score.
| Rank | Gymnast | Nation | Preliminary | Preliminary | Preliminary | Final | Final | Final |
| Rank | Gymnast | Nation | Compulsory | Voluntary | Total | 1⁄2 Prelim. | Final | Total |
| | Nikolai Andrianov | Soviet Union | 9.65 | 9.70 | 19.35 | 9.675 | 9.775 | 19.450 |
| | Mitsuo Tsukahara | Japan | 9.50 | 9.80 | 19.30 | 9.650 | 9.725 | 19.375 |
| | Hiroshi Kajiyama | Japan | 9.65 | 9.70 | 19.35 | 9.675 | 9.600 | 19.275 |
| 4 | Danuţ Grecu | Romania | 9.60 | 9.70 | 19.30 | 9.650 | 9.550 | 19.200 |
| 5 | Zoltán Magyar | Hungary | 9.60 | 9.55 | 19.15 | 9.575 | 9.575 | 19.150 |
| 5 | Imre Molnar | Hungary | 9.75 | 9.70 | 19.45 | 9.725 | 9.425 | 19.150 |
| 7 | Ferenc Donath | Hungary | 9.55 | 9.55 | 19.10 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 7 | Sawao Kato | Japan | 9.55 | 9.55 | 19.10 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 7 | Andrzej Szajna | Poland | 9.40 | 9.70 | 19.10 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 7 | Jiri Tabak | Czechoslovakia | 9.35 | 9.75 | 19.10 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 11 | Mihai Borş | Romania | 9.40 | 9.65 | 19.05 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 11 | Roland Brückner | East Germany | 9.50 | 9.55 | 19.05 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 11 | Alexander Dityatin | Soviet Union | 9.40 | 9.65 | 19.05 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 11 | Béla Laufer | Hungary | 9.50 | 9.55 | 19.05 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 15 | Eizo Kemmotsu | Japan | 9.65 | 9.35 | 19.00 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 15 | Gennady Krysin | Soviet Union | 9.50 | 9.50 | 19.00 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 15 | Vladimir Marchenko | Soviet Union | 9.45 | 9.55 | 19.00 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 18 | Imre Bánrévi | Hungary | 9.45 | 9.50 | 18.95 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 19 | Gabriel Calvo | Spain | 9.30 | 9.60 | 18.90 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 19 | Eberhard Gienger | West Germany | 9.50 | 9.40 | 18.90 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 19 | Hisato Igarashi | Japan | 9.45 | 9.45 | 18.90 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 22 | Henri Boerio | France | 9.35 | 9.50 | 18.85 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 22 | Robert Bretscher | Switzerland | 9.30 | 9.55 | 18.85 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 22 | Wolfgang Klotz | East Germany | 9.35 | 9.50 | 18.85 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 22 | Georgi Todorov | Bulgaria | 9.30 | 9.55 | 18.85 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 26 | Ion Checicheş | Romania | 9.40 | 9.40 | 18.80 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 26 | Bernd Jäger | East Germany | 9.40 | 9.40 | 18.80 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 26 | Willi Moy | France | 9.25 | 9.55 | 18.80 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 26 | Vladimir Markelov | Soviet Union | 9.60 | 9.20 | 18.80 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 30 | Keith Carter | Canada | 9.25 | 9.50 | 18.75 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 30 | Dimitrios Janulidis | Czechoslovakia | 9.15 | 9.60 | 18.75 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 30 | Lutz Mack | East Germany | 9.35 | 9.40 | 18.75 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 30 | Maurizio Milanetto | Italy | 9.30 | 9.45 | 18.75 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 30 | Volker Rohrwick | West Germany | 9.35 | 9.40 | 18.75 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 35 | Árpád Farkas | Hungary | 9.30 | 9.40 | 18.70 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 35 | Marian Pieczka | Poland | 9.20 | 9.50 | 18.70 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 37 | Philip Delesalle | Canada | 9.30 | 9.35 | 18.65 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 37 | Vladislav Nehasil | Czechoslovakia | 9.20 | 9.45 | 18.65 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 39 | Wayne Young | United States | 9.20 | 9.40 | 18.60 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 40 | Sorin Cepoi | Romania | 9.30 | 9.25 | 18.55 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 40 | Nelson Fernández | Cuba | 9.15 | 9.40 | 18.55 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 40 | Pierre Leclerc | Canada | 9.35 | 9.20 | 18.55 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 40 | Łukasz Uhma | Poland | 9.10 | 9.45 | 18.55 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 44 | Tom Beach | United States | 9.20 | 9.30 | 18.50 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 44 | Bart Conner | United States | 9.20 | 9.30 | 18.50 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 44 | Ştefan Gal | Romania | 9.20 | 9.30 | 18.50 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 44 | Ian Neale | Great Britain | 9.15 | 9.35 | 18.50 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 44 | Reinhard Ritter | West Germany | 9.15 | 9.35 | 18.50 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 44 | Werner Steinmetz | West Germany | 9.15 | 9.35 | 18.50 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 50 | Ueli Bachmann | Switzerland | 9.15 | 9.30 | 18.45 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 50 | José de la Casa | Spain | 8.95 | 9.50 | 18.45 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 50 | Reinhard Dietze | West Germany | 9.25 | 9.20 | 18.45 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 50 | Eric Koloko | France | 9.25 | 9.20 | 18.45 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 54 | Jeff Davis | Great Britain | 9.15 | 9.25 | 18.40 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 54 | Gustav Tannenberger | Czechoslovakia | 8.95 | 9.45 | 18.40 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 54 | Mariusz Zasada | Poland | 9.15 | 9.25 | 18.40 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 54 | Angelo Zucca | Italy | 8.95 | 9.45 | 18.40 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 58 | Philippe Gaille | Switzerland | 9.20 | 9.15 | 18.35 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 58 | Peter Kormann | United States | 9.10 | 9.25 | 18.35 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 60 | Ole Benediktson | Denmark | 9.00 | 9.30 | 18.30 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 60 | Armin Vock | Switzerland | 9.10 | 9.20 | 18.30 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 62 | Marshall Avener | United States | 9.05 | 9.20 | 18.25 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 62 | Edgar Jorek | West Germany | 9.40 | 8.85 | 18.25 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 62 | Michael Nikolay | East Germany | 9.25 | 9.00 | 18.25 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 62 | Roberto Richards | Cuba | 9.30 | 8.95 | 18.25 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 66 | Patrick Boutet | France | 8.90 | 9.25 | 18.15 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 66 | Grzegorz Ciastek | Poland | 8.95 | 9.20 | 18.15 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 66 | Bernard Decoux | France | 8.75 | 9.40 | 18.15 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 66 | Stoyan Delchev | Bulgaria | 8.75 | 9.40 | 18.15 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 66 | Maurizio Montesi | Italy | 8.75 | 9.40 | 18.15 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 66 | Roman Tkaczyk | Poland | 8.75 | 9.40 | 18.15 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 66 | Jan Zoulík | Czechoslovakia | 8.90 | 9.25 | 18.15 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 73 | Fernando Bertrand | Spain | 8.70 | 9.40 | 18.10 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 73 | Andrey Keranov | Bulgaria | 9.15 | 8.95 | 18.10 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 75 | Vladimir Tikhonov | Soviet Union | 9.40 | 8.65 | 18.05 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 75 | Bernhard Locher | Switzerland | 8.85 | 9.20 | 18.05 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 77 | Toncho Todorov | Bulgaria | 8.65 | 9.35 | 18.00 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 78 | Rainer Hanschke | East Germany | 9.05 | 8.90 | 17.95 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 79 | Dimitar Koychev | Bulgaria | 8.85 | 9.05 | 17.90 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 80 | Zhivko Rusev | Bulgaria | 8.65 | 9.20 | 17.85 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 81 | Dov Lupi | Israel | 9.05 | 8.75 | 17.80 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 82 | Phil Cheetham | Australia | 8.50 | 9.25 | 17.75 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 82 | Miloslav Netusil | Czechoslovakia | 8.50 | 9.25 | 17.75 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 82 | Nicolae Oprescu | Romania | 8.35 | 9.40 | 17.75 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 85 | Tommy Wilson | Great Britain | 9.05 | 8.65 | 17.70 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 86 | Michel Boutard | France | 8.90 | 8.75 | 17.65 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 86 | Kurt Thomas | United States | 9.20 | 8.45 | 17.65 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 88 | Peter Rohner | Switzerland | 8.60 | 9.00 | 17.60 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 89 | Peter Lloyd | Australia | 8.70 | 8.80 | 17.50 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| 90 | Shun Fujimoto | Japan | 9.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| — | Jorge Cuervo | Cuba | DNS | DNS | DNS | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |