Danell Leyva, the Cuban-born Olympic American gymnast who left his native country as a child to seek care for his asthma, turned in the performance of his life and earned a place in history with a bronze medal in the all-around competition at the London Olympics today.
It all came down to his final routine, an incredible 15.7-score high-bar performance that pushed him into third place. That combined with a stellar performance on the parallel bars for an unlikely come-from-behind surge in one of the best stories of the 2012 Olympics.
Moments before the high-bar triumph Danell was seen slumped with a towel over his head, perhaps not realizing his chance to make history.
The third-place finish is a monster victory for American men’s gymnastics.
Japan’s Kohei Uchimura took the gold, but he was a shoo-in — considered by many the best gymnast of all-time. Marcel Ngyuen of Germany took silver.
15 things you need to know about Danell Leyva
