The 23-year-old triumphed in the floor and pommel horse on Sunday, becoming Great Britain’s first Olympic gymnastics champion.
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Russia’s Aliya Mustafina finally ended the American women’s stranglehold at the Rio Games as she captured the asymmetric bars gold for a second successive Olympics with a routine full of grace and power.
Louis Smith today (August 14) hit back at claims he refused to congratulate Max Whitlock after last night’s thrilling pommel horse final in Rio.
“Getting to carry the flag at the opening ceremony was an incredible experience and I was very honoured”.
2016 Rio Olympics – Artistic Gymnastics – Victory Ceremony – Men’s Pommel Horse Victory Ceremony … It was the first Olympic medal for both, and the second and third Olympic medals for Brazilian gymnasts.
He told the BBC: “There are many different emotions”.
However, pundits and social media commentators suggested there appeared to be palpable tension between him and Whitlock, who took gold on the pommel while Smith had to make do with silver.
With one gymnast left to go the Brit was guaranteed at least a silver medal, with no one so far going close to his score of 15.633. It wasn’t until I was 17 or 18 years old that I realised I wanted to go an Olympic Games.
He said: “Because it wasn’t shown on camera doesn’t mean I didn’t show my respect”. His arsenal of vertigo-inducing twisting skills has earned him the aforementioned nickname, four skills named after him (three on floor and one on vault) and the 2015 World title on floor.
He did so, landing 15.966, then waited as the final athlete, Russian Nikolai Kuksenkov, delivered a mediocre performance and sealed Whitlock’s unlikely double gold.
Tweddle added: “I remember Max when he was a junior and I remember watching him thinking “there’s something special about him”.
“Since the team announcement so many people questioned why I was in the team.saying he’s not as good as Max any more”.
That is probably why he was able to produce two brilliant performances in such a short space of time; that and the tough, focused mindset of all great champions.
Klishina, 25, was the only Russian accepted for the Olympic track and field but the sport’s world body suspended her on Friday after new information on her doping record emerged.
After Biles picked up a global vault title for the first time, Paseka said: “I want to be first of course but I look at Simone and I understand at the moment she’s untouchable”.
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“When I was doing the team, I felt that we were pushing each other’s backs, propelling each other along”.
