Mr. Wall's technical descriptions of what happens on a trapeze, or even of how asomersault is turned, make you look afresh at what had previously seemed obvious.
And it has never been clear whether the prime minister is a diehard ideologue or a clever populist who is happy to perform asomersault when it suits him.
And China proved that it was a contender when gymnast-turned-aerial skier Xu Nannan executed a "back, full, double full" somersault, the highest-scoring of the games, to win one of her nation's six silvers.