High-flying dismounts, splits in mid-air and some VERY flexible moves: Spectacular photos show gymnasts' gravity-defying skills as they compete in Rio

It was a spectacular show of human strength and gravity defying skill as the world's gymnastics teams flexed their carefully honed muscles during qualifying (pictured top left and bottom left).


Incredible pictures from the Rio Olympics show the gymnasts in full swing as they gave impressive displays on the horizontal bar, the vault, the pommel horse and rings, as well as the parallel bars and on the floor. There were a few missteps and mishaps along the way, including a painful tumble by Great Britain's Ellie Downie (shown right), but for the most part the world's most agile sportsmen and women put on a spectacle of incredible human flexibility.