If a gymnast balks during a vault, what deduction is made?

In gymnastics, when a gymnast balks during a vault, this refers to a situation where the gymnast stops or hesitates before executing the intended vault attempt. The appropriate deduction for this action aligns with the guidelines set by the governing bodies of gymnastics, which stipulate a specific penalty for balking.

The correct deduction for a balk is 0.0, meaning that while it is an important consideration in the evaluation of the performance, it does not incur a penalty in terms of scores. Instead, the gymnast is typically allowed to attempt the vault again without a deduction taken for the balk. This allows for fairness in judging, recognizing that sometimes a gymnast may hesitate due to various factors, but it does not warrant a score reduction.

In contrast, other choices suggest a higher deduction, which is not consistent with the current judging standards for balking in gymnastics vaulting. Such penalties reflect more significant errors or failures to execute the vault rather than a simple hesitation.