Despite his young years, the Belarusian displayed all the calm of a veteran in the sport and rightly celebrated the climax of his routine with a pump of his fists while still in mid-flight.
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Goa looked to deliver the most hard routine of the competition but the 23-year-old, though, lacked the control of his qualification round and his final score of 60.175 points was only good enough for the bronze medal.
“It was an explosion of feelings”, he told journalists after the competition.
However, 20-year-old Hancharou had an Olympic debut to remember and robbed Dong of his perch just minutes after the Chinese star became the first gymnast to break the 60-point barrier on the night.
China’s trampoline gymnast Dong Dong has had to settle for silver, after Uladzislau Hancharou of Belarus topped the defending champ in another surprise win.
“I’m not disappointed, ” Dong said. I performed well in the first several rounds, but later, I reduced the height to attain a more accurate landing. “He was outstanding. I watched him with admiration”. He rose quickly through the ranks and wasted little time making an impact at the highest level.
The world runner-up and two-time European champion, won the gold with 61.745 points in the exercise.
“It’s all about tactics, ” Hancharou said.
“I think I knew I did quite well”, said Hancharou after winning Belarus’ first gold medal of these Olympics. Yet he’s the only one that qualified for the games and his steady performance helped end China’s decade-long run at the top.
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Hancharou joked he would put his medal “under his pillow” when he heads back home as he prepares to enter the prime of his career.
