Event
Balance beam

Skill type
Mount

Value
C
(downgraded from D to C in 2022)
(upgraded from C to D in 2017)

Known as
Candle (mount)
Back dive mount
Back dive to candle position
Beukes

Named after
Ramona Beukes (NAM) – 2007

About
The candle mount has its own strange naming and description history. Try to act surprised. It is now attributed to Namibia’s Ramona Beukes, who mounted beam with a back dive at the 2007 World Championship in Stuttgart.

When this mount first entered the code of points in the 2009 update, there was no mention of a candle position whatsoever. It was described as a flic flac over the beam to land in front support, which is indeed how Beukes performed it in 2007. The idea that you pause holding the beam in a candle position before going to front support was a development of the 2013 code of points update. GB’s Laura Edwards was competing this mount to a candle position in that 2009-2012 quad, but not at a naming-eligible competition.

For the 2013 update, the name attribution also got funky. The Beukes name appeared in the code of points, but it was attached to an entirely different skill, the back straddle to hip circle, which is not what she did. The Beukes name was not re-attributed to this mount until 2022 (even though she didn’t do the candle part) and was not removed from the back straddle to hip circle until 2025. Normal stuff.

Now to the term “candle.” I know. But think about one of those old-timey candle holders that Ebenezer Scrooge would have with his long night cap. The beam is the little finger hole, and the body is the candle. Gymnastics: Where your role model is a piece of Victorian brassware.

In 2017, this mount was upgraded from C to D and just started flying off the shelves. Anyone and everyone was doing the candle mount, which sparked awe from the uninitiated (because of scary) but ended up being pretty comfortable for the gymnasts performing it once they got the spacing down and were not immediately terrified of breaking their jaw off on the beam.

Once everyone started doing the candle mount, the women’s technical committee immediately went, “We’ve made a huge mistake” and downgraded it back to C at the first opportunity, the 2022 code update. We still see the candle mount somewhat frequently, but it’s not nearly as pervasive as it was from 2017 to 2021.