Mixed comeback for Max Whitlock after he takes a tumble at the worlds

In-flight concern: Max Whitlock failed to qualify for the floor finals
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Standing on the edge of the floor in Montreal last night for his first competition since the Olympics, Max Whitlock was a bundle of nerves.

And whereas his performances in Rio de Janeiro 14 months ago were polished, winning two golds and a bronze, the signs of ring rust from time away from the sport to get married and travel were laid bare at the World Championships.

A fall late in his floor routine means he will not qualify for the final of the individual discipline in which he won a surprise gold in Brazil. But Whitlock, who has foregone competing in the individual all-around in Canada, returned moments later with a confident pommel horse to ensure his place in Sunday’s final.

Despite his mixed fortunes, the 24-year-old said: “If I’m really honest, I’m pretty happy with the whole performances over here. The floor is a new routine, so I have no regrets in really going for it after no competition practice — four out of my five tumbles were new, so that’s pretty tough.

“I’ve never been so nervous competing pommel, which is really strange. Having made the floor mistake, it upped the pressure, so I was just happy to stay on. I can definitely clean it up a bit for the final. I have a few days’ rest now, so can work on a few things ready for the weekend.”

It was a mixed opening day for the British team, with James Hall, Dan Purvis and Joe Fraser all failing to qualify on their individual apparatus, plus the Whitlock wobble, although Nile Wilson and Courtney Tulloch look sure to qualify in the all-around and rings respectively.

Whitlock’s floor mishap was not so much a sign of frailty but highlighted the complexities of the event having added those new tumbles to his golden Rio routine in a bid to improve his score and be able to defend his Olympic title in Tokyo in 2020.

A double somersault and some extra twists proved too hard to master in a relatively short period of preparation time and, understandably, he described himself as “gutted about the floor because I felt like I landed that tumble until the last minute”.

Having had nearly 14 months between competitions, the star of British gymnastics admitted it was both good to be back but added: “It feels weird, as Rio was my last competition, so it’s been a long time.” But, by the same token, he said he was still itching to “show the world” his latest routines.

Whitlock and his coach, Scott Hann, know there will be lows to experience between now and Tokyo, but both have accepted the risk as the Briton aims to turn himself into the world’s best gymnast.

“I’m back now with new routines and new goals,” said Whitlock. “On floor, I’ve got four upgrades. Just upgrading one tumble is tough, so to do four has been a big undertaking.

“On pommel, I’ve always pushed my difficulty. It’s a risk, but I always want to keep improving. Between London 2012 and Rio, I was always looking to increase my difficulty — and it’s no different between now and the Tokyo Games.”

Whitlock has opted to forego the all-around in Montreal simply because of the lack of preparation time, focusing solely on floor and pommel before reintroducing further disciplines over the winter. As part of that, he is working on the ‘Whitlock’, a trademark move he says is not yet ready for competition, but one he hopes to enter into gymnastics parlance in the future.

“After this, I can get my head down and fully focus on that,” he said. “It’s my dream to have my move in the code of points. For kids out there be trying a ‘Whitlock’ would be amazing. It’s top secret for now, but what I can say is it’s very, very hard to perfect.”

Throughout it all, the mantra with Hann is that Rio is in the past. To a degree, Montreal is merely a stepping stone. Long term, Tokyo and, if the body holds up, a subsequent Olympics in Paris are the goals.

“Hopefully, the risks I’ve taken and the challenges I’m facing means that in two or three years’ time I’ll have got the scores under my belt,” concluded Whitlock.

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