Britain's Whitlock negotiates 'crazy' first pommel horse Olympic hurdle / Photo: Paul ELLIS - AFP
Britain's Whitlock negotiates 'crazy' first pommel horse Olympic hurdle
History-seeking Max Whitlock let out a massive sigh of relief after men's qualifying in his final Olympics in Paris on Saturday.
The 31-year-old is seeking a third consecutive pommel horse title and an unprecedented record fourth medal on the same apparatus at the 2024 Games.
And a solid stint in front of a welcome crowd at Bercy Arena after the covid-enforced rows of empty seats in Tokyo saw Whitlock placed second in his favoured apparatus standings after a score of 15.166 behind the United States' Stephen Nedoroscik.
"That was crazy, crazy. I think I've never felt emotions like that in a competition" he smiled.
He said he didn't have words for how nervous he had felt.
"The nerves were there big time. I think you'll never get used to the minute you kind of feel zero nerves in a competition. That's when you should have stopped before that moment."
With world vault champion Jake Jarman, Joe Fraser and Luke Whitehouse, Britain led the early team standings ahead of the appearance later of favourites Japan and China, with Ukraine also strong medal challengers.
Whitlock was buzzing more with relief after putting aside any stress to stay in the hunt to exit the Olympic stage on a high - but still has an anxious wait with only the top eight qualifiers going through to the pommel horse final next Saturday.
"I still feel pressure to do well, especially as this is definitely my last Olympics," said Whitlock, who had the support of his wife and daughter on the stands.
Teammate Jarman, at his first Games, called Whitlock "an inspiration".
"He's someone to look up to, he's a really big role model. He's a really experienced gymnast. He comes to these competitions and does his job time and time again.
"I don't know how he does it."
Like so many athletes who had to perform virtually to a television audience in Tokyo three years ago Jarman was enjoying the energy from the crowd.
"I get quite a buzz out of seeing a crowd and just hearing how much support we all get."
Jarman leads the fledgling men's individual all-around standings from compatriot Fraser ahead of the next two groups of men qualifying coming up later Saturday.
A.Fischer--MP
