SM
Barcelona vs. Brann: 6 hrs 19 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

Tokyo 2020: Max Whitlock retains Olympic pommel title

:Headline: Tokyo 2020: Max Whitlock retains Olympic pommel title:
Ireland's Rhys McClenaghan finished out of the medals.
Sports Mole

Max Whitlock rose to the occasion once again to successfully defend his Olympic pommel title at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

The 28-year-old went first in the eight-man final and posted a score of 15.583 that proved unbeatable, with Chinese Taipei’s Chih Kai Lee coming closest on 15.4, and Japan’s Kazuma Kaya winning bronze.

Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan, who had topped the qualifying standings alongside Lee, came off the apparatus early in his routine and finished out of the medals.

Max Whitlock defended his title (Mike Egerton/PA)

Whitlock had swept out the Rio Games with the singular intention of emulating his Japanese idol Kohei Uchimura and launching a concerted bid to claim the all-around title.

But a pair of disappointing results on the floor convinced him to essentially shift all his focus to his most successful piece of apparatus for the remainder of the Olympic cycle.

Whitlock successfully defended his pommel title in Montreal in 2017, but McClenaghan confirmed his emergence as a major rival the following year, when he won his first major title at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

McClenaghan also won the European title in Glasgow, where Whitlock fell, and a tough year for the Briton ended in him narrowly losing his world title to China’s Xiao Ruoteng in Qatar.

Undaunted by his apparent dip in form, Whitlock began to feel the benefit of his singular focus the following year, when he regained his world title in Stuttgart.

But the challenge to Whitlock was made plain during qualifying, when a minor mistake saw him qualify in a relatively lowly fifth out of eight finalists, his score of 14.9 comfortably eclipsed by both McClenaghan and Chinese Taipei’s Chih Kai Lee, who topped the standings on 15.266.

As so often in his career, the incredibly focused Whitlock provided a nerveless response, setting a standard that yet again none of his rivals were capable of meeting.

Whitlock said defending his title had been “a million times harder” than winning it for the first time in Rio.

“This is probably the most pressured environment I’ve ever been in,” he told the BBC.

“Experience pays a lot in situations like this and I’m just incredibly happy and thankful for the journey that we’ve been on to get here.

“Going up first is hard. If you’re talking to any gymnasts, they know going up first is really difficult.

“Me and Scott (Hann, his coach) knew I had to go all out, I had to lay down a good score.”

Asked how it felt to now be a six-time Olympic medallist, Whitlock said: “Surreal. If you ever said that to me as a youngster growing up, I would have never believed you.”

body check tags ::

amp_article__457698 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2021-08-01 11:06:19:
html db last update - 2021-08-01 10:40:11 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Share this article now:


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Max Whitlock Gymnastics
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Lionel Messi reveals decision over retirement
England attacking duo 'in danger of missing out on Euro 2024'
Spurs 'reignite interest in former academy starlet'

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

How Man United could line up against Brentford

1

HM

Preview: Brentford vs. Man Utd - prediction, team news, lineups

2

PB

Preview: Spurs vs. Luton - prediction, team news, lineups

NEW

3

PS

Spurs 'reignite interest in former academy starlet'

NEW

4

S'

Real Madrid injury, suspension list vs. Athletic

5

RM

Arsenal 'draw up 10-man striker shortlist'

6

A'

Arsenal injury, suspension list vs. Man City - Saka, Gabriel

7

AI

Liverpool injury, suspension list vs. Brighton

8

LI

Key Man City defender 'serious doubt for Arsenal clash'

9

KM

Liverpool 'hopeful defender has avoided serious injury'

10

L'


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .