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Joe Fraser and Jake Jarman fell short of gaining Great Britain’s first gymnastics medals of the Paris Olympics in the men’s all-around final at Bercy.
The duo finished fifth and seventh respectively in a high-calibre competition won by Japan’s outstanding Shinnosuke Oka, who forced Chinese pair Boheng Zhang and Ruoteng Xiao to settle for silver and bronze respectively.
Jarman, who still has other medal chances having qualified for vault and floor finals later in the Games, started strongly but it was Fraser who took it down to the high bar finale where the athletes above him held firm.
Jarman said: “It was amazing to be out there in the final group and even though I didn’t medal today, it was a great experience.
“Tonight is going to help a tonne for my individual finals. To be able to get out there again and not have to wait for a week will help keep the momentum going and I can’t wait to do it again.”
Despite missing a medal, Fraser will take solace from a performance that re-announced his name on the world stage following a series of devastating injuries, including a broken foot sustained during the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Jarman, who qualified in fifth place, had looked Britain’s best bet for a medal and his path appeared to clear in the opening two rotations as first China’s Zhang then defending champion Daiki Hashimoto stumbled on floor and pommel respectively.
Another prospective challenger, Canada’s Felix Dolci, crashed off the high bar but a relatively low score on rings his least favoured piece of equipment – plunged Jarman down to 10th place at the halfway stage, with team-mate Fraser three places in front.
A top-scoring vault lifted Jarman back in the hunt but with his weaker parallel bars and high bars to come, his chances of becoming Britain’s first men’s all-around medallist since Max Whitlock in 2016 were all but over.
Instead it was Fraser who came to the fore, with a strong performance on the parallel bars. He went into the final rotation – the high bar – in fifth place, 0.7 points off a medal but there was to be no late twist.
“To finish fifth in an Olympic Games, I couldn’t be prouder,” said Fraser. “For me it was all about having fun today.
“I was really disappointed after the team final so I felt I had nothing to lose and went for everything I wanted to. I’m pretty proud and going round with Jake was just a joy.”
