Max Whitlock: I am gutted – and done with bars in gymnastics

For Max Whitlock, there was one saving grace to an otherwise disappointing men’s team final, which saw Great Britain finish fourth for a third successive Olympics.

“It was a really nice feeling that I did successful p-bar [parallel bars] and high bar and they will be the last p-bar and high-bar routines that I’ll ever do,” said Whitlock, 31, who is competing at the final event of his glorious career.

“That was my first thought after coming off high bar,” Whitlock added. “That’s me done on those pieces.”

Whitlock said he was “gutted” to have come up just short yet again. Had the team nipped in for a bronze – as they did at London in 2012 – he would have claimed a seventh Olympic medal and moved into fourth place on the list of Britain’s most successful Olympians.

Even so, there was plenty for Whitlock to be pleased about – and not just his release from a pair of pieces that he has no great fondness for.

Monday night found Whitlock delivering the second routine of the British campaign on his favoured apparatus, the pommel horse, and absolutely nailing an audacious routine studded with his trademark “flares”: the wide-hipped, swinging lunges which he pioneered after taking inspiration from breakdancing.

Whitlock’s score for that routine came in at 15.266, one-tenth ahead of the figure he had recorded in Saturday’s qualifying event. It was better than either his main rivals – Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan and the USA’s Stephen Nedoroscik – have managed this week, and the equal fourth-highest score recorded in the whole of the men’s team final, on any apparatus.

“I can take a lot of confidence from that today,” he explained. “That was the big routine, the highest difficulty, the highest risk factor, which has the highest chance of getting the big score. So I think I can use that but there’s still a lot to do, I need to go and rest and recover, watch the boys, then we’ve got apparatus finals. I’m excited, all I can do is give it my best shot.”

As for the overall campaign, which saw Great Britain finish 2.266 marks behind a magnificent American team – and inevitably short of the world-ruling Japanese and Chinese outfits – Whitlock said: “It was hard and I’m really gutted. I think fourth is always difficult. We’ve come fourth quite a few times now which is rough. Right now it feels quite raw but overall we can be quite proud. Looking at each and every performance we did everything we possibly could.”

Great Britain had qualified in third place behind the inevitable China and Japan, which raised hopes bronze might be within reach. However, the Americans had experienced a real off-day on Saturday.

Rewinding back to those qualifying routines, the USA’s Brody Malone had suffered two falls on the high-bar, and further issues on the pommel horse. But when it came to the final, Malone was note-perfect – remarkably so, for a man who taught himself to walk again last year after a catastrophic fall off the high bar.

On the British side, Luke Whitehouse committed the only howler when he under-rotated his Dragulescu vault and landed on his knees. That meant a deduction of around a mark and a half. But even if he had nailed the vault, it is hard to see how the gap on the USA could have been closed.

The fact is the British selectors picked a group of individuals here, rather than opting for strong team performers such as Courtney Tulloch and James Hall, and this policy was justified when their four leading men qualified for a record eight individual finals.

Looking beyond the British performance, the team finals reached a spectacular conclusion – though an agonising one for China – when Su Weide made an absolute hash of his high-bar routine, falling twice and costing his team almost three marks.

Weide’s disaster came in the penultimate Chinese routine of the night, and left the likely high-bar gold medallist – Zhang Boheng – needing to bump his qualifying score of 15.133 up to 15.266 if his team were to prevail. It was frankly unlikely, given that Boheng had left nothing on the table with his impeccable Saturday performance. As things turned out, Boheng made a slightly imperfect landing to score 14.733 to hand victory to the Japanese.

Men’s team gymnastics final: As it happened . . .

07:25 PM BST

Congratulations to Japan

and hard lines to China. What an epic battle that was. USA were solid as a rock in third place, hardly put a foot wrong if lacking some of the out-and-out class of the two Asian powerhouses. Team GB gave it their all in fourth although in truth they always looked a bit behind those three. That being said, the format means things can change very quickly and furthermore, Team GB had guys who were right up at the business end in their specialist apparatuses, so plenty of reasons to be optimistic that they can have a say in the individual finals coming up.

Thanks for following with us, from myself Alan Tyers and from Simon Briggs in Paris, cheers and see you next time.

07:10 PM BST

Team GB finish fourth

Final total for GB is 255.527.

Superb effort but China, Japan and USA are all ahead of them and rightly so on the day.

Final result:

1) Japan

2) China

3) USA

4) Team GB

5) Ukraine

6) Italy

7) Switzerland

8) Canada

“Hard lines for Great Britain but what an absolutely magnificent competition. Such a privilege to be here. So few errors from the top countries – at least until China had a late crisis on the high bar.

I find myself banging on about poor Luke Whitehouse’s under-rotated vault because there was nothing else of significance that went wrong among the second tier of nations (GB, USA and Ukraine). In any case, the margin between GB and the USA was a solid 2.266 so it wouldn’t have made a difference. The quality was remarkable, when you consider the level of ambition on show.

We expect insanely clean performances from China and Japan and we mostly got them, until poor Su Weide made a hash of his final routine, handing gold to the Japanese at the death. But the USA didn’t put a single foot wrong across 18 routines. Well, okay, maybe Asher Hong did put a foot over the edge of the mat on the floor. But I’m really having to search hard here.

The Americans are deserving bronze medallists – their first team medal at an Olympics since 2008. The American boys spend their lives in the shadow of their girls, but here they really stood up.”

07:09 PM BST

Jake Jarman

07:08 PM BST

TV out of focus?

I do get this point of view...

but at the end of the day, Team GB are looking like an outside bet for bronze at the absolute best and you’ve got a story of absolute epic drama between Japan, USA, and China in a three-way ding dong.

07:06 PM BST

Hashimoto

Smashimoto more like! That was an absolutely magnificent routine on the high bar from Daiki Hashimoto and I think that might put Japan into the lead.

07:04 PM BST

The Chinese guy, Su

has got an 11.6. Oh wow. That’s blown the competition right open again. Hashimoto of Japan - the guy who made a blunder earlier on pommel - has a chance to pinch it from China. Wow.

07:03 PM BST

BBC coverage?

07:02 PM BST

Luke Whitehouse meanwhile

has done a really solid floor routine and scored 14.500. They’re not showing all that much of the Brits on BBC? I guess from a host broadcaster?

07:01 PM BST

It’s head in the hands time for China!

OMG. They are in first place and they’ve taken their eye off the ball / the bar at the last. Su Weide, who got a medal at the World Champs on the high bar, has fallen off it not once but twice. China might drop down from first to third as a result. Oh the poor kid he looks devastated. DEV A STA TED I say.

06:53 PM BST

Harry Hepworth

has done a cracking job on the floor.

06:53 PM BST

China looked to have it won

but have had a problem on the high bar, Xiao’s touched the floor with his knee.

06:43 PM BST

Going to the wire

“Going into the floor, which is their strength, Great Britain are 1.535 marks behind where they were in qualification. The Whitehouse under-rotation on vault cost 1.467. Tough sport, this! But I make the Americans 3.867 ahead of where they were in qualification. So it might not have made a difference anyway. The only thing that can save GB is if the USA make a mess of pommel now. Which isn’t out of the question. In fact, Ukraine are also looking likely to beat Great Britain - although they performed poorly on floor on Saturday so there’s no guarantees.”

06:41 PM BST

Team GB will finish on the floor

Harry Hepworth, then Luke Whitehouse, then finally Jake Jarman.

Ukraine also finish on the floor.

China, leading, and Japan, second, will finish on the horizontal bar.

USA, currently third, on pommel.

06:39 PM BST

With one rotation to go

Team GB are in fourth, Ukraine are in third. But still several teams in it, the Japanese are coming with a late run as well.

06:32 PM BST

Bar boys

06:26 PM BST

Jake Jarman

Has done a terrific job there on the high bar. A 13.4. Putting pressure on the Ukraine team, who are using the same apparatus at the moment.

06:23 PM BST

Max Whitlock on the high bar

and he has scored 13. Steady rather than spectacular which, or so I learn from the BBC’s experts, is what GB aim for on this particular piece. The thinking is that there’s a lot to go wrong so play it safe.

06:17 PM BST

That puts GB into fifth

06:16 PM BST

Malone

I bring grim tidings, I fear. One factor I hadn’t calculated is that Brody Malone, the American gymnast, fell twice on the high bar in qualification. He has just nailed his routine for a score of 14.166 so that’s a two-mark improvement. The bronze is now the Americans’ to lose.

06:16 PM BST

More on USA’s Frederick

That Richard Frederick chap is a thorn in the British side. He’s just delivered a stunning high-bar routine, scoring 14.833, which is about a 0.7 point boost for the USA. That would have qualified him in third place for the high-bar final, but he didn’t quite nail his routine on Saturday and thus is only the third reserve.

06:15 PM BST

Brody Malone

of the USA (I mean obviously he is) has played a blinder on the horizontal bar and that could well push USA up into third.

06:13 PM BST

Joe Fraser

even better on the same piece, he’s scored 14.633

06:11 PM BST

Jake Jarman

with a superb routine on that one, scores 14.366

06:04 PM BST

Parallel bars

now for our guys.

Ukraine are also using that apparatus currently and they are really doing some excellent work on it. Something of a speciality for that country apparently.

05:56 PM BST

SBT in the gymnastics

Squeaky bum time at the halfway mark. I reckon the Americans are a little more than “plus one” on their qualification score, mainly through some awesome vaulting. Great Britain have done well on everything apart from the Whitehouse vault which delivered a big hit. They’re about “minus one-half”. Put that in alongside GB’s three-point lead and it’s looking tiiiiighht.

05:53 PM BST

But China

are looking ominously good in the lead...

05:52 PM BST

Frederick Richard

of the USA, I think this guy is going to be massive, having watched him interviewed the other day. Christine Still: “A performance full of zest, virtuosity, fantastic landing.”

05:49 PM BST

Team rallies round

Great response to adversity from Jarman, who scores a massive 15.266 with his high-difficulty Yonekura vault, and Hepworth. They make up some of the ground lost by Whitehouse via his under-rotation, and there’s a lot of huggling and cuddling in the British team at the side of the stage. Meanwhile Americans are getting an incredible response from the crowd here, by far the biggest cheers, which could boost their prospects dangerously (from a British perspective).

05:47 PM BST

At the halfway mark

05:41 PM BST

Grimace

Yikes, the Whitehouse vault error has taken a mark and a half off Great Britain’s projected score. They came in with a three-mark edge over the USA and Ukraine, their rivals for bronze. That’s effectively been cut in half. They can’t afford another blooper like that. Grimace emoji.

05:33 PM BST

Here is Whitehouse on the vault

5.6 difficulty. Amazing speed but he’s landed on his knees. Shame.

05:32 PM BST

Vault a heavy scorer

You might have seen that the USA have gone to the top of the table and Great Britain have dropped back to fifth, but don’t worth too much about that. The vault is always a high-scoring apparatus. The Americans have just done it and now it’s GB’s turn.

05:31 PM BST

Rules recap

There are six apparatus, each country has to put up three participants. So that’s 18 routines and they all count, there’s none of that “ditch your lowest score” business.

05:29 PM BST

China lead in pommel

Xiao, Zhang and Zou have between them scored 43.566 on pommel and that is more than Team GB.

05:27 PM BST

Meanwhile

Briggsy’s eyes do not deceive him... the Americans and the Chinese both going well.

05:27 PM BST

GB are smashing it

Great Britain are third of the way through the event, with two apparatus complete, and so far they are SMASHING it! Harry Hepworth, who on Saturday became the first Briton ever to qualify for an Olympic rings final, scores 14.800 on this apparatus and bounces up and down in palpable excitement! I’ve been focused on the Brits but out of the corner of my eye I have seen a lot of celebratory air-punches from the USA’s Asher Hong, so maybe the main rivals are also flying.

05:23 PM BST

Whitehouse on the rings

Magnificent double-back somersault to finish the rings routine from Luke Whitehouse, the 22-year-old from Leeds, who might not be here but for the injury to Giarnni Regini-Moran. That’s almost a whole mark up on his qualification score. Oh ... and we have our first faller as Hashimoto - the reigning all-around champion from Japan - comes off the pommel horse to a big “oooh” from the crowd.

05:22 PM BST

Harry Hepworth

with a superb routine on the rings.

05:20 PM BST

Shocker!

Japanese lad has come a cropper on the pommel horse - and that was meant to be a banker for the Japanese. Hashimoto of all people! He fell off, got back on and then hit his legs.

He’s scored just 13.1 and he looks devastated the poor guy.

05:07 PM BST

Spectacular!

Spectacular routine from Max Whitlock on the pommel horse, improving by a tenth of a mark from his qualification performance. His flares - the move where he kicks his legs out wide and swings wildly from one hand to the other - drew whoops and cheers from a thrilled crowd. Whitlock’s score is the highest of the whole Olympic event on pommel, beating the 15.200 recorded by Ireland’s Rhys McCleneghan and the USA’s Stephen Nedoroscik in qualification.

05:02 PM BST

After first rotation

GB are in top spot!

05:00 PM BST

Max Whitlock

is going on the pommel horse. It’s a huge effort to start with! Wow.

04:55 PM BST

Joe Fraser

has had his turn on the pommel horse and has managed 13.933

04:48 PM BST

And here is the reigning champion

Hashimoto, who won the all-around gold at Japan’s home games last time out.

He has laid down the marker on the floor: 14.633

04:45 PM BST

And here’s

Zhang Boheng, one of China’s stars, opening his campaign on the floor.

04:39 PM BST

Jake Jarman

with a very solid opener on the pommel horse. Nothing too flashy but fair play to him for going first. Each country sends three guys up for each apparatus and every score counts so one fall really can be a hammer blow.

Pommel is a hard one to start with, the experts say. Adrenaline is a factor.

14.133 for Jake.

Simon Briggs: “So one way of looking at this is that Great Britain come in with a three-mark edge on Ukraine and the USA from the scores registered in qualification. But the USA’s Richard Frederick has started with an excellent routine on rings, which earned him 14.033 and boosts his score from qualifying by half a mark, eating into Great Britain’s lead.”

04:35 PM BST

Japan and China

are expected to battle it out for the gold.

04:33 PM BST

And here are Team GB

Max looking very much the senior man of the five!

Here’s Simon Briggs: “A lot of British flags in the audience and a pretty warm welcome as the boys are introduced. They’re the last men to be announced to the arena, each wearing a sort of cerise jacket. In the absence of any French representation, the other popular teams at introduction stage were the USA and Ukraine. GB will being on pommel, where the legend that is Max Whitlock qualified in third position.”

04:31 PM BST

The competitors arriving

Here are the Japanese and Chinese teams.

04:28 PM BST

Bit of news

from around the gymnastics world: about Simone Biles

She is in the lineup for all four events during Tuesday night’s Olympic team finals.

She tweaked her left calf while warming up for floor exercise during qualifying on Sunday. She retreated briefly to have the calf taped but then returned and posted the top scores on floor and vault on her way to topping the all-around.

Last week, U.S. team leaders had considered holding Biles out of the uneven bars in team finals to give her a small break during the Games. Instead, Biles will be part of every event during the finals, when three gymnasts compete and all three scores count.

The Americans are heavily favored to win gold after finishing runner-up to Russia in Tokyo three years ago.

Biles will go last for the U.S. on three events — vault, floor exercise and balance beam — and will be up second on uneven bars.

04:23 PM BST

Starting us off

will be the Chinese and Japanese teams on the floor.

Then Team GB and the lads from Ukraine on pommel.

The Italians and USA start their campaigns on the rings.

And it’s the Swiss and the Canadians to get the ball rolling on the vault.

04:08 PM BST

Medals up for grabs

Team GB takes its place in the men’s team final this afternoon, with action beginning at 1630 UK time.

The team is led by their talisman Max Whitlock. In rotation one (of six) Max and his colleagues will have first use of the pommel horse alongside competitors from Ukraine. Jake Jarman and Joe Fraser wil lalso go in the pommel.

Next for GB will be rings, then vault, then parallel bars before horizontal bar and, finally, the floor.

Whitlock described his “crazy” relief after the double defending champion successfully negotiated the qualifying round for the Olympic men’s pommel competition at the Bercy Arena in Paris.

Whitlock, who is competing at his last Games, scored 15.166, placing him second behind Stephen Nedoroscik of the US after the first qualifying rotation, a result that means his place in next Saturday’s eight-man apparatus final is effectively assured.

The 31-year-old, who won the pommel title in both 2016 and 2020 but has struggled with injury since reversing a retirement decision in the wake of his success in Tokyo, believes he is still capable of plenty of improvements.

“The relief is crazy,” admitted Whitlock, who also did his bit to help the team with routines on horizontal and parallel bars. “I had to wait a while to present that routine, so I was mega pleased.

“Of course there’s some increases I can make, some bits that I can clean up a little bit, difficulty I can increase on. But it’s a huge relief to come out and do it successfully.”

A successful team performance saw Great Britain top the standings at the top of the first rotation ahead of the US and Germany, with Jake Jarman top-scoring on floor and Harry Hepworth leading the way on vault with a score of 14.766.

The results should be good enough to ensure at least one individual final for all five of the men’s team, and leave them in with a shout of landing their first team medal since their bronze at London 2012.

Joe Fraser, the former world parallel bars final whose all-around score of 84.666 was only eclipsed by team-mate Jake Jarman in the first rotation, paid tribute to his team’s ability to deliver under pressure.

“Me and the team really just gave it our all out there,” said Fraser. “We really put our necks on the line and just gave it our all.

“We weren’t really focusing too much on the finals, it was more about trying to put out our best work today. And I think we did as much as we could. I’m proud of each and every one of us.”