Max Whitlock ended Great Britain’s 120-year wait for gymnastics gold and then proceeded to double his tally in the space of two extraordinary hours on this day at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Whitlock clinched gold on both the floor and his favoured pommel horse apparatus to become the first British athlete to win two individual Olympic titles on the same day.
If his victory in the pommel final, pushing team-mate Louis Smith into silver, was almost to be expected, it was his earlier performance on the floor which stunned those who believed he had only a slim chance of a podium place.
The then 23-year-old landed a superb score of 15.633 then waited as a result which even he had intimated might be out of the question slowly began to turn to reality as key rivals including Kenzo Shirai and Samuel Mikulak messed up.
Ultimately Whitlock, who refused to watch any of his rivals’ routines, edged Brazilian pair Diego Hypolito and Arthur Mariano into silver and bronzepositions respectively, an unexpected result which sparked wild celebrations among the home fans and earned the Hemel Hempstead star his slice of history.
Whitlock grinned as he watched the Union Flag being raised highest in an Olympic gymnastics venue for the first time, then somehow refocused to deliver a pommel routine which lived up to his status as favourite after winning the world title in Glasgow the previous year.
Whitlock, who already boasted a bronze medal from the men’s all-around competition a week before, said: “It was quite difficult – I couldn’t take in whathad happened on the floor. It hit me like a ton of bricks because I wasn’t watching any of the routines before or after me, and it was crazy and it madehistory.
“But I knew I had another job to do – I had to head back in the training gym, refocus and start warming up for the pommel because I had one more routine to do and now I can proudly say I have finished the Olympics with a smile on my face.
“This has out-done our expectations. This was my first floor final in the Olympics and the fact it only comes around once every four years makes it even more special. It makes me feel complete, I think.”
