After exceeding expectations by qualifying for the men’s gymnastics team final Monday night, Great Britain’s last-minute bump to bronze left the nation’s fervent fans unfazed.
“Going into the last apparatus, we would have been happy with any medal, so I think bronze is amazing,” said Tom McKay of Stratford, England. “If it’s a fair question of the judging, then so be it. We respect their opinion.”
The scoreboard above the North Greenwich Arena stadium revealed China as the gold-medal champion, with Great Britain and the Ukraine following in second and third place—but not for long.
The silver medal slipped away from the team after a Japanese appeal, which raised Japan’s score 0.241 points ahead of Great Britain and bumped the Ukraine out of the top three.
Despite the demotion, cheers of victory echoed from the stands as the crowd watched the men collect medals for the first time since the 1912 Olympic Games.
Based on Great Britain’s unsuccessful past and this year’s fierce competitors, Juliet Levinson from London, England said simply making the finals was a huge accomplishment.
“When they were getting into bronze medal position, we were on the edge of our seats,” Levinson said. “It was a shame it wasn’t a silver, but, hey, the expectation wasn’t there at all to get anything.”
Though China dominated the competition with a final score nearly five points ahead of the second and third places, Great Britain kept pace with Japan and Ukraine throughout.
The team comprises five members, including Kristian Thomas, Daniel Purvis, Louis Smith, Sam Oldham and Max Whitlock.
“It was absolutely nail-biting,” Robert Heard from London said. “The British can be really, really proud of what the guys have done today.”
The team’s shocking success not only ended the gymnastics drought, but it may also help portray the nation as a serious competitor during future games, Heard added.
“It’s just an amazing boost for the country,” Heard said. “Hopefully the London Games will inspire the next generation even more than the other games that have taken place around the world.”
This article was provided through Scripps London 2012, a program allowing students in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism to cover 2012 Summer Olympics events in London. Four Post staff members are participating in the program.
