Men's All-Around Final Gymnastics: World Championships

Welcome to the Belgian city of Antwerp for the World Gymnastics

Championships. 410 gymnasts have travelled here from 76 Nations to

get their hands on just 12 titles often it is set to be a star-studded

affair, with no less than seven of the Olympic champions from London

2012 chalked up and ready to go. A glittering cast. After

qualification, Great Britain are A glittering cast. After

hopeful the nine finalists. Quite an achievement when you consider the

team doesn't include two of Britain's greatest ever gymnasts.

What does this Olympic final have in store for Beth Tweddle?

A big setback but she saved it. Louis Smith gets the silver. Beth

Tweddle takes the bronze. They may not be competing but I'm

delighted to say they are part of our coverage. Hello to Britain's

most decorated gymnast, Beth Tweddle, and world and Olympic

champion, Lewis Smith. You announced your retirement on the anniversary

of winning the bronze medal. Was that planned? It wasn't, it just

took me that long to make that decision. It was 20 years of my

life. You don't just decide one day that that is it. Everyone around me

knew that that was me done. For me, I couldn't let go. Even now I'm

still in the gym four times a week. The governing body of world

gymnastics have given new role. I've been voted in as athlete

representative for the women's. It is being the voice of the gymnast.

It keeps my hand in a top-level gymnastics. Bedbug wrote the

anniversary of your medal has passed and you didn't announce your

retirement. What's happening? Still clinging on. I thought it would be

nice to have a laid-back approach but I've come here, I've got itchy

feet, I still feel I've got some fuel in the tank. Really? Even when

I'm 30 I will still jump on the pommel horse. I could still get down

there and mingle with them. Good. This competition is all about the

individuals, there is no team competition this year. We are

focusing on the men's all-round that happened yesterday. Then this

focusing on the men's all-round that evening you can see live coverage of

the women's all-round final, with Rebecca Tony and Ruby Harrold.

As we said, nine finalists, very successful in qualification. Would

you have expected more from the men's side? This World

Championships, being an individual, the first year after 2012, it is the

hardest World Championships. Every country is invited. It's the hardest

to make a final. We've done well so far. We could have had Daniel

Keatings on pommel and Kristian Thomas on a high bar. Have you

spoken to down-macro since? He had a nightmare in qualification. He's the

reigning European champion. He came into this competition wanting to

make a world final. He had a very uncharacteristic mistake and was. He

normally swings a bit faster. I think he felt comfortable. He

started the routine and it was going really well. His shoulders got away

from him there. All it takes is that split second and it can all change.

How about on the women's side? We've lived up to the expectation. We were

hoping for Rebecca and Ruby to be in the all-round. We always knew there

was a chance of two bar finals but we would have definitely been happy

with one. It is a remarkable achievement. Since the World

Championships began, there is only five different gymnasts who have

actually meddled. Two of them, you are sat here. To see this many

British gymnasts in the final phase and the enormous amount for what is

happening. The fact that we can take a

back-seat and see the people making our finals. Daniel and Max could

have made pommels, we've got two in the uneven bars. We've given the GB

guys a chance at the worlds. Ollie Williams caught up with both down

and Max just after qualification, to see how they were feeling ahead of

the men's all-round final. I had a few silly mistakes and there

but overall I was happy with the competition. It was good experience

for me. In the end it was really good. Starting on my first piece, it

was a bit of a disaster. I put my hands down on the dismount. The rest

of my routine was a bit scruffy. But hands down on the dismount. The rest

then it seemed to go smoothly. It worked out really well. There are

very strong competitors out there, but I just want to go out there and

be in the competition. Go out, stay chilled and enjoy it. The team was

so hard to get in this year. Sam is a great all-rounder as well. I

wanted to come here and justify my own spot. I was very happy with the

way it turned out. Even with my high bar down, I can still finish in the

top eight. It's a great confidence boost. If I do that, I will be up

there. I just want to enjoy it and stay calm under pressure. There's a

lot of strong competitors out there. Hopefully I can go out there and

show that I am one of the top ones. There's only two years between them

and age, but they are at very different stages in their career.

Daniel has been through it all, he's had an enormous amount of

experience. He can afford to sit back and look at this. For Max, this

is his first goal. He's done fantastically well. To deal with

that pressure, the expectation of -- the 2012. To stamp his claim as one

of the best all-rounders we've got at the minute. He seems to be doing

a good job. A quick word on the all-round gymnasts, because you have

competed on all pieces and then started to specialise. It is a very

different discipline. Totally different. When you are doing one

piece you just have to psych yourself up for 30 seconds. But the

all-round competition, it can be up to two and a half hours that you

have to keep on top. If you make a small mistake you have to build

yourself back up and get on with it. In your training you are doing more

pieces, you've got to break it up more. It is. You can't spend all the

hours on one piece. You have to make sure every apparatus is top-notch.

hours on one piece. You have to make You do tend to find that every

all-rounder will have specialist pieces, they

t one piece that is always there at how it breaks is taken.

t one piece that is always there three, the all-round titles

could he go one better and become the most successful gymnast of all

time? 20 years old, 20 years old, he qualified in fifth

place. 20 years old, he qualified Did he

put his fingers out? The line judge lifted his red flag. He's just been

out did he put his fingers out? The line judge lifted his red flag. He's

just The handstand moment, and he is

through very nicely indeed. Well The handstand moment, and he is

done, Max Whitlock. Great start for Max. He will be very happy with

that. The Ukrainian had a torrid time. Nice combination. At the

judges' meeting, they did insist that these strength parts are held

for a good two seconds. He is not in tiptop condition. This is the man

who got the bronze all round in the Europeans.

Louis, there are signs that he is not completely at his best. Rings is

one of those pieces where you are either feeling great on the day, or

you end up a bit undercooked. It is a difficult piece to get right. Sam

Mikulak is the USA's white hope. Did not make it in qualifying, but let's

have a look here. Super opening. One and a half

twists, immediate double front. Fabulous landing. He really looks

focused, stylish. All fired second, and he is doing himself harm here.

Good control on the handstand. And the pirouette.

Rolls out smoothly. Now, he has not altered. Triple twist, the nearest

top . He did not give much away. He is one of the few gymnasts to get

into the 15 is on this apparatus in qualifying. There was no sign here

of nerve. If anything, he stepped up again. He really did show how

landings are supposed to be controlled. He didn't give much

away. It was a great routine. Lovely controlled. He didn't give much

smile from Sam Mikulak. They really have great hopes for him. Max

Whitlock opens with a beautiful score.

A real character. They have got great hopes for him. 21 years old.

Qualified in second, and it is hot out there. Look at that start.

Work champion, silver in the 2008 Olympics, gold in London, Kohei

Uchimura takes to the floor. He makes it look so easy. A little

hop back. You don't usually see that from Uchimura. So clean. He makes it

look so easy. Everything is anticipated.

One thing you will always hear the Japanese coaches shout translates as

to point, and that is what it is. He points his toes. Triple twist, thank

you very much indeed. Well, his opening piece was just a little bit

rushed on the first two tumbles, but once he got those over, the rest was

fabulous. He finished his moves once he got those over, the rest was

right out of the top. Look at the time he gave himself between those

tumbles, not a flicker. That tumble we saw was technically perfect.

Great timing, punched into the one and a half twists. Beautiful work. A

great tumble around vaulter who has never looked very at home on

potholes, but if he can hold firm here and swing with style, as he is

at the moment, then he will be a serious contender, not for the top

spot, but in the mix. Oh, and just wrestled to the finish. He has

always struggled with pommels. It is a difficult apparatus to get right.

He has had a good, long career. But he will get heavy deductions on

that. Set Ewing is the art of not keeping your hands together. With

him, just keeping it clean is an achievement. You have got to stay on

with style. Uchimura is on his way. Sergio Sasaki Junior is one of the

talented Brazilians. These gymnasts give themselves so much time. You

have to land the first tumble so precisely. Ooh, and he just was a

little bit short on that double twisting double back. Super control.

And again, you saw how he finished the two and a half with such ease.

They are allowed on roll-out during the routine. A couple of little

errors, but a good start. 21 years old, 10th in the London Olympics.

Perfect timing. I felt he rushed the routine a little bit. He could have

taken a few more seconds. But it is surprising to see the talent coming

through in Brazil right now. This was one of David Belyavskiy's

problems in qualifying. But that was a good start. The shoulders are

high. But a game, just not in tiptop shape. -- again.

Just the inverted cross is the problem so far. Leads to an

inconsistent handstand. That is a better performance from

him than qualifying. He is showing great control. I think

for Daniel, just getting through the rich team, he will be happy --

getting through the routine. If Max Whitlock has got a piece he

is not spectacular on, it is this. He had problems in qualifying. The

static positions have to be held. Needs all his focus and

concentration. He looks relieved. It is always nice to finish a mount.

When you are as small as Max and can't do all the strength holds, it

is important that when you do the swing elements, they are nice. Great

control. I think he will be happy with that. Ryohei Kato is one of the

youngsters who trains in a relaxed way, but they are focused when it

comes to competition. He has got such a good line. He is

starting to tire a little bit. And he gets the dismount done. Swing

very efficiently. Not the most extended routine. But it is about

consistency. He started off so well, and then you could really see

him start to tire. He is relieved. That is medal winning stuff, if he

can keep it up. This is not easy stuff. It is very hard get yourself

from one end of the pommel to the other. This was where he had

problems in qualifying. How is it going? He is doing great. He is

swinging well. Great routine. The Americans might say, he is cooking!

Great to have pommels out of the way.

I think we just heard him say, I'm glad we got that out of the way!

However advanced the swinging gets an pommels, everyone is glad to get

it behind them. It's such a stressful piece.

Those three steps back will be costly. Not as costly as sitting

down, however. He's like the cat with the cream.

Uchimura, he's got a peculiar style, it is so laid back. This is a

big routine for him. The pommel horse is one of those hit or miss

pieces. Great form, great style. Again,

travelling, great difficulty. No form breaks. Handstand dismount.

There you go, job done. That is superb. Talking about his style,

it's so measured, not hurried, not slow, it's such a balanced style.

And he never seems to tire. Hambuechen, having survived as

pommel horse routine, approaches Hambuechen, having survived as

this, he's very, very strong. When we first saw him in the Athens

Olympics, he was just a young teenager and this was a PC struggled

with. But he's become stronger and stronger. Now he really enjoys the

rings. A really straight position but his

shoulders could be a fraction lower.

Really nice work from Hambuechen. We heard Louis saying come wow! You can

tell he's a professional. We talked about him competing in Athens, two

Olympic cycles ago. He showed his professionalism on the rings. Great

control. And he's such a lovely guy. His shoulders were way Haider, he

will get a big deduction, three tenths at least, possibly five. But

that is a cracking dismount. Is feels so good to stick a dismount at

the end of a routine, I can't explain it.

Likhovitskiy, 27 years old now. 16th, he was, in the Tokyo World

Championships. Again, a little bit high in the

inverted cross. He didn't hold it. It will be

expensive. He settles nicely into straddle lever.

Double pike. A little bit iffy there.

20 years old. Being tested in the world arena in preparation for the

next cycle. Oh, he lost a little bit of form

there. And again on the spindle. Big deduction is there for bending of

the legs. Really starting to look a bit scrappy.

Oh! We could see it, he was struggling. At this level it can

happen. When you see it hit is a surprise, but it can happen.

And he finishes. We have to make sure you miss mount -- dismount.

Verniaiev on vault. This is one he made earlier. It was very

impressive. The situation after two, Uchimura is

where he likes to be, in front of his team-mate, Kato.

He is in second place coming into this, behind the great Uchimura.

His team believe in developing strength, weight ratio, not the bulk

you would expect to see. But he will strength, weight ratio, not the bulk

be accurate and he will be strong. That his own move.

Not for the faint-hearted! He settles well in the L position.

A double backwards twice, double forward twice. That's a really good

cross. Double double with a big pace back,

but that will do him no harm at all. Hambuechen will begin the climb back

now. A lovely lift. Not quite perfect. A

hop for words, but very good and very flighty. Well done.

Plenty of attack. Wraps in nice and tight but still energy left, fuel in

the tank means an extra pace at the end. You've got to use it all up in

flight. Just a tiny bit off-line. You can see he is just to the side

of the white lines. The judges will You can see he is just to the side

deduct a bit for that. Kato's score on rings, very good

indeed. For a man who is not the strongest in the world. Mikulak, in

third place he was. Louis, you've done a bit of rings in

your time. Talk us through this. It's important to keep it level.

That is a very difficult skill. I actually did that.

Straight arms are very important. Tuck Yamawaki, into the straddle

lever. A little bit wobbly in the

handstand, he will get some deductions there. Big double double

dismount, great landing. Consistency is unusual for Mikulak.

It was impressive. Mikulak, they said if he could

consistency is a real threat. He's a young talent, he's 20 years old.

Sorry, I don't think he is 20 years old, but he shows great talent.

Belyavskiy on parallel bars. Beautiful technician. I hope we can

see him in a good light, because every young gymnast and every coach

can learn so much from his style. He hasn't had the best of outings so

far. These little rehearsals are very important at this stage.

Yes, some of the gymnast at this stage, while they are waiting,

visualise themselves performing. Is that something you did, Louis? It

is. I tend to think about normal stuff like, what is my mum cooking?

Try and get away from the environment of things. Then when it

comes down to it you just get yourself in the zone. That was an

comes down to it you just get inside there. Top pressure and you

think of your mum! 51 kilos, Uchimura. It's about

strength weight ratio. Many good ring workers are very, very broad,

full of muscles. Uchimura is a very slight gymnast. But his timing is

immaculate, as you can see. The lighter you are, the less bulky you

need to be. Look at that shoulder line. Absolutely level with the

hands. So measured, so controlled in all

the swing phases. Doesn't give anything away. Kills the swing,

lifts the head. Every muscle fires together for the next move. Such a

lifts the head. Every muscle fires stylish gymnast, so full of control.

Fabulous. He is amazing, and he is the scruffiest guide training in the

gym you could wish to see. He looks like he comes in in pyjamas. His

hair is like he has just woken up. But you don't have to be an expert

gymnast to see he is world class level. He makes it look easy.

The double double. The give him that little skip to the side. -- forgive

him. Look at that string of 15s. That

translates to a score of over 91. You need to time it right. That is

nice. What a future this young man has

got. 21 years old, part of the Brazilian surge. Well, they are

building for Rio. And if they keep improving at this rate, they are

going to be a force in men's gymnastics. I have really been

impressed with the increasing difficulty of the dismount is often

rings in these championships. An important piece here for Max.

That was well controlled. Oleg Verney IAF, third all round at

the European Championships. -- Oleg Verney IAF.

This is nice work. Ooh, and he has asked the bars. That will be

expensive. Verney IAF it won't him up a bit

when he kicked the bars. He is going to be saw in the morning. He has got

when he kicked the bars. He is going a very nice rhythm and style. He is

one of those gymnasts that make everything look very easy. He goes

from element to element. That was really good. Beautiful basic work,

but that was the expensive and painful are. Ouch.

And he fought to hold that landing. A rare 15, hard to come by in this

competition. Well done. Brilliant stuff from Verniaiev.

Sam Mikulak was in fourth place coming into this rotation. A little

bit untidy in the legs, but no problemo with the landing order

direction. As the coach says, right down the line! The great thing about

the American gymnasts is that they're in choosy as grows through

the competition. So they will be getting hyper and more excited as he

goes on. He actually hopped back in the line. He did not land on it. He

very cleverly hopped back to the line.

Never make a prediction about high bar. It is a tough one to go

through. Ooh, and there you go. As I speak, he finds himself with a very

through. Ooh, and there you go. As I early dismount. Problems for David

Belyavskiy. Kohei Uchimura, almost a point ahead

after three. Here he is, with number four. He is so relaxed, so measured.

Ooh, two and a half twists of the handspring. Beautiful flight,

beautiful style, quite a deep landing by his standards. Yeah, he

had to pike down quite a lot to get the landing. Huge push, but the arms

want quite straight, so he wouldn't have got the heights he wanted. This

is probably the piece of apparatus where his slight physique shows the

most. The volt is the same height for everybody. If you are small, it

is a long way up. He was not going to miss it. He is

having a good competition. Another vault with a high tariff. Good

style. And he could get even higher if you didn't bend his legs so

early. He has great potential. Yes, he says. Good to see him

getting back into the swing. That was aimed really neatly packed

routine. One difficulty after the other. And as you said, you could

see his confidence gaining once the tricky bits were over. Very

controlled. Lovely height and lift off the parallel bars.

Look at that string of scores for Uchimura.

Quietly impressive. That was a great routine. Started very promising, and

he will be happy with that. Very stylish gymnast, typical of all the

Belarussian gymnasts from over the years. Beautiful technique.

Ryohei Kato found himself pushed into third at the halfway stage, but

he has lots still to offer. Very young man, very promising. That is

one of the best double twists we have seen. 20 years old, a future

mapped out as part of the Japanese have seen. 20 years old, a future

super machine. It was a great landing. Didn't look for the floor,

so his momentum did not carry him forward too much.

Max has had a good, steady competition. Gone were the nerves

that were fluttering around in qualifying.

Swings to handstand. Here comes the brick does not big front. He is

working smoothly. Oh, and he has broken again! The

nightmare has revisited. He has lost focus completely. What can you do?

Now, that is a prime example of a gymnast not thinking quickly on his

feet, but rather giving up and hopping off. Like you said, he

should have tried to think as quickly as possible and planned for

something going wrong, and he hasn't. It was a simple mistake.

Verniaiev is well off his game. Now let's see what he makes of this. He

has remounted. Oh, and he has gone again! It is a shame. It is about

conditioning, I think. Get through the routine. So, it can go wrong,

even if you are one of the best in the world. Here is the wind-up. This

-- he will be so relieved for his feet to hit mother Earth. That is

really unfortunate, because he was in with a real chance. He was up

there with the best. Hambuechen comes to his best

apparatus. He's been European champion. Fabulous swing.

Lovely, straight Tkatchev over. Into the front somersault with Fulton.

-- full term. Legs locked together. Not a flicker.

He has shown us all types of somersaults. Now away from the bar.

Two twists, two straight somersaults. That was magic!

He can still get up there into the top six, certainly. This was

amazing. I was on the edge of my seat! Fantastic routine, full of

energy, daring somersaults, releasing catchers. It was

brilliant. I'm all excited now! He produces what he needed under

pressure. He is so full of confidence on the high bar. It's

such a daring routine but he never holds back, does he?

You saw the legs straight before they made contact. Look at the

rhythm in that. Suarez, nicely done. Just the first

adjustment he's had in handstand. All the kick outs have been... What

a combination! Just a little hop back. That was

brilliant. I absolutely love watching him work. The skills that

he does our top level stuff. He makes it look easy.

And that really is the measure of a fantastic gymnast, when it looks so

easy. The sport is called artistic. Look at that score!

Likhovitskiy has impressed us with a quiet competition. What about his

high bar, Chris? Great technician all round. That was lovely.

Super straight arms in all his swinging.

He makes the shape changes as he goes. Oh, that was close... Nicely

done into the back swings. He is very supple, a beautifully

prepared to gymnast. Full twisting double straight. That was very

original, enjoyable work. It's nice to see a bit of old school

gymnastics in there as well. A bit of variety which is what we like.

Sergio Sasaki Junior for Brazil. We've been impressed with his

power. That start impressed me, his swing.

Funny preparation there but it worked.

He is having a very promising round. A good dismount as well. 20

years old. Brazil can be proud of him. A busy, little gymnast. He

doesn't let time stand still. He him. A busy, little gymnast. He

controls the apparatus. Definitely not one to give up. He

fights his way through everything. Which is a feature every coachloads.

-- which loathes. -- coach loathes. Christine, you will be impressed

this. I hope I haven't put a curse Christine, you will be impressed

on him, but his high bar in qualifying was super. Well, we've

certainly been treated to some fantastic high bars so far.

A little bit round the houses on the Perra wet. -- wet. Oh! I laid the

commentator's curse upon him. You want to catch at full stretch,

but he just went two centimetres too far. Good, exciting stuff. It's what

a World Championships is all about. He has to carry on from where he

fell. He needs an impressive dismount.

That's going to hurt! That is something we don't want to see. Miss

timed his release, brought it into close to the bar. He is going to

have sore ribs. Max Whitlock. He won't feel like

laughing quite yet. It's only because I've spent so much time with

him. We all say we can see the little traits he can -- he does when

he goes on. You should see him when he tries to lock his door, he checks

it six times. OCD is good in gymnastics. If you are obsessed, you

get perfection. This is nerve shattering, this. Come

on, Max! He was in a top six position going into this rotation.

Here we go. Max Whitlock, apparatus number five.

Nail it, Max. That will do! Well done. Well done, Max. Great landing,

great finish. Talk about being on the edge of my seat. That was a good

routine. He will be happy with that. Big dismount.

This gymnast has really impressed me during this competition. As with all

the Japanese gymnasts, wonderfully prepared. So supple, associate

wrong, every skill performed beautifully.

All these moves are linked together, and that is how the difficulty

builds. Not only is it so difficult, but the execution of it is so good.

The judges have got hardly any area to take marks off. Look at that

landing, not a flicker. The only thing that moved was the chalk dust.

Unbelievable. The top gymnasts are making it look like a high bar

routine. It was beautiful. The Japanese really have taken the lead

on this. This is their apparatus, parallel bars.

I think that is Oliver Hegi, having a bit of a nightmare. I think he

snapped his high bar guard. You should always have a spare. And you

have to re-mount in 30 seconds, so will he be given extra time? He has

got five seconds to get back on. If he can't, that is the end of his

routine. They won't let him get back on. They have told him, that's it. I

think the head judge will check with the officials. The crowd are

clapping to say, give him his chance. They have cut it. That is

the end of it. That is not good. I am not happy with that.

Sam Mikulak can swing this apparatus.

That was so quick. He is loving every minute of this. These top

three gymnasts are not writing a foot wrong. When it is a big

competition, that is what it comes down to. Not a hesitation. Really

dynamic work. Quite a different style to that of the Japanese

gymnasts. Very fast. Super, super height on that

dismount. And he is smiling before he hits the floor. His smiles are

getting better with each apparatus as well!

Dan Purvis for Great Britain. Go on, Dan.

Another wonderful landing. He landed in a bucket of quick drying cement!

What he lacked in difficulty on the high bar, that dismount was perfect.

He will be happy with that. It is good at this stage to do yourself

justice. What a dismount. As. -- wow. It is

getting thrilling now. Sergio Sasaki Junior has really

impressed me in this competition. Double double! What a competition I

have had, he says, and we agree with you, young man. If you do a good

routine, it is cool to jump off the side. You can't ask for any more

than six clean routines. Two days in a row. Lost his legs just slightly

on the full twisting somersault over the bar. Full of energy. Control to

the end. What a cracking way to finish. Six pieces tucked away under

his belt. He has come a cropper. 30 seconds to

get back on. He is only going to take ten.

This is his great piece of apparatus. Let's see what he makes

of it. Look at that! Three and a half twists. He is so efficient on

this twisting. He knows he needs maximum difficulty, but has to have

control as well. This is some of his own unique work. Lovely flair.

Brings a bit of virtuosity to the whole thing.

Fantastic competition, Max. He has not put a foot wrong. This will do

him no harm. Amazing routine. He is a great twister. He has got me on

the edge of my seat. I am all nervous. How you guys do this year

after year... ! That I know he will nervous. How you guys do this year

be happy with that routine. Go on, Scott! The smile is there. What a

way to finish. Max is expecting a score. And by

Jove, he got it. One hand will do! He did very well

to hang on. We have had ups and downs in this

routine in this competition. But he is going on, undaunted.

He will be glad to hit mother Earth, and he did with some style.

He will be glad to hit mother Earth, A few problems on the apparatus.

Both the gymnasts from China have had very mixed fortunes during the

competition. Hanging on with one hand, that's when you know it comes

down to determination. He wasn't coming off at all.

Some lovely releases here. He just didn't get the second-hand right

over the bar. He did the upright on one arm,

that's incredible! I guess they have to credit the

move, he hung on. Had he let go and fall of... He will get the move.

There'll be a big deduction. Inc. -- for stopping.

He did well to get that. Fourth at the moment, but some very big guns

still to come. Traditionally, this is the home of

the Japanese, the high bar. This really is for a medal. He has

to He is going to go through. He is

determined. Wind-up, double double and just a

little skip forward. He has gone through.

What an impressive young man, not a foot wrong tonight. Now you can see

the smile. He has been all concentration all evening. Now he

has finished, he's done his job. A little bit of an edgy performance

here. A couple of bent arm patches. There's the wind-up, change of

shape. Lovely technique. And a little skip forwards. Kato will

definitely be in the running. Very big performances still to

come. Significant medal winning or medal losing performances still in

the locker. Three big names still to see. Whitlock has done a very nice

89 point zero 31. That will take a little bit

Kato, good competition for him. He's gone into the lead with that, head

of Max Whitlock. But big performances to come. Here he is.

Mikulak from the USA. This, in qualification, was his best

apparatus. That was very close! Huge

difficulty. The full twist in the tuck as well. Two of the most

difficult moves already. Oh, he held that well. Lovely

catch-up with the half turns, swings. Just a tiny bit of a loss of

form. That was not very good. Oh, oh! This could be a major upset.

Who would have thought that? He has shown every ounce of fight.

The two twists and makes the finish, but that was not... The smile is

still there. We really have now a but that was not... The smile is

thriller of a finish. The game is six pieces, he hit five and missed

number six. That's the way it goes, he says. That's a great attitude.

That was not in the script. The medal surely has gone. Let's see

what happens. Hambuechen. He's got some tools in the bag for

this routine. Two and a half, punch one and a half. He's always been a

great floor worker. One and a half twisting tuck roll-out. Very fast

pace, always moving. Into the first spindle. Showing

great flair work as well as tumbling skills.

A little stutter on the wide on handstand, but he's up there.

Pulling back out, land it and you can see he's happy. He's gone into

second. Whitlock is hanging on in third. But look who is still to

come. Mikulak just faulted on the last

apparatus. It always comes down to this, him

last on the high bar, everyone watching him. Nerves of steel. He

will shut this out. Absolute silence in the crowd. He

was the top gymnast in qualification. He shows how and why.

Style and difficulty. Straight into the full twisting

Kovac. Lovely straight arms on the catch.

Full of variety, full of difficulty. One more move... The double double.

A great landing. That is a champion's performance. An

unprecedented four times he's done That is a champion's performance. An

it. Unbelievable! I'm happy for him. I think he was 20

after the first rotation. What a fantastic competition. Those top

five gymnasts without an error. Really battling it out. I actually

don't think I've seen a more competitive, really well contested

World Championships for a long time. I'm with you on that one, Chris. And

we've seen a few between us! That was an exercise in six apparatus...

Mikulak is still smiling. What an experience he's had. These two guys

at the top between them have two medals. Solid gold and shiny silver

for Japan. Brilliant stuff! And what a competition Max Whitlock has had.

Him and Daniel Purvis, great routines, all clean. Amazing.

Absolutely fantastic. Really just pushed out of a medal at the last

moment by this guy, Hambuechen. He has had the competition of his life.

Uchimura, confirmation if you needed it. 15.500 and 33.

Such a focused, pleasant young man. True, dedicated professional. Max

Whitlock, hats off, just shave away from bronze medal. Hambuechen, what

a cracker he is. Everyone seems to be smiling. What a competition it

has been. This is a proof of test,

determination, ambition and pure, raw talent. Hambuechen emerged from

in the doldrums. And here he is, a popular bronze medallist. He takes

the bronze. A sign of the future. Japan

thermally stamp their mark on this World Championships. Kato takes the

silver medal for Japan. Flashes of brilliance. Mixed with consistency.

A roar of delight. Incredible. Four times, any has done this. Four

times, he has shaken hands with the guys who finished behind him. He

will climb the podium with a nice, broad smile. What a popular gold

medallist. Kohei Uchimura is in the history books. He is the one they

all have to beat. And until he retires, no one is going to do that.

Brilliant. Fourth consecutive world championship.

Max, what a final to be part of, and you have proved you can hold your

own with the best. Thank you, that was an amazing competition. That

first experience of a World was an amazing competition. That

Championships was amazing. You looked like you had barely any

Championships was amazing. You nerves out there for a debut. I just

wanted to enjoy it as much as I could. The qualification felt a bit

stressful. But I just wanted to go out there and enjoy my first worlds

stressful. But I just wanted to go and have fun. And I have. Damn, how

happy are you? Over the moon. It was a big aim of mine to try and get in

the top eight again, ever since the Olympics last year. So it was a

fantastic atmosphere. Max, a world for the world champion. I know you

were struck the first time you met him. It is difficult not to be

starstruck with what he has achieved tonight. Uchimura is unbelievable.

He absolutely nailed his routine. It is a pleasure to compete against

him. Damn, two British boys in the top eight alongside two Japanese

boys. It shows how strong the British are. It is fantastic.

Especially after the Olympics, it is always hard to pick yourself up, but

that is fantastic. Max, how does this set you up for the pommel horse

final on Saturday afternoon? I am looking forward to it. Hopefully, I

can show a good pommel routine. Well done, both of you.

What a remarkable performance, to have two British gymnasts in the top

eight. There is a feeling of the joy of being here when Uchimura did what

he did and made history. You said it in commentary, Louis. Everybody has

had such a great time. And with Hambuechen coming back from where he

did! To commentate on that competition was brilliant. Even

people who made mistakes were smiling at the end. It was a

feel-good competition. You have got to feel for Max to finish fourth,

the worst place to be. But for his first goal, it was remarkable, the

way he kept his composure. It is always the hardest place to finish,

fourth place. But Max will be pleased. We can't ask more than for

people to go out and do their best routines. Max did everything he

could. It was brilliant. Where can he make up that territory? Uchimura

is impossible to beat, but can he get an extra Mark? I think he can.

Max is 20 years old. If he gets a bit beefier, he can do more on the

rings and parallel bars. I was reading about Uchimura saying he

wants to try and make it to Tokyo in 2020. You know what it is like

competing in front of a home crowd, but he will be over 3010. Do you

think he will still be going all around, or will he have to

specialise in something? He has got being the best in the world behind

him, so maybe they will let him stay in the team for that reason. We will

see. So there is hope, better? There is. We all know what it is like to

compete in front of a home crowd. But me and Louis were discussing

this morning and debating whether he would even make it to 2016. But if

he is not doing the all around, maybe he will do some specialist

pieces. We will see. But he is the most amazing gymnast we have ever

had in the history of gymnastics. Let's bring it back to our lads and

look at the pommel horse. We start with Dan's routine.

He has always had a bit of trouble with that manoeuvre. He tends to

rush. He just catches himself of God, but he picks up nicely. He is

so strong, and he has been there before. So it has stood him in good

stead. Yes, he went through from start to finish. He did not fall.

But he tends to fall back into his old ways when it comes to that one

section. What are you feeling about Max's routine, as our resident more

horse expert? Hello! He tried a 7.2 here. He has got every chance.

He had a bit of a skewed spindle. He is in with a real chance. There is

him, the Chinese guy, the Australian. It will be a very close

final. I have got my leotard underneath here! I can rip my top

off will stop let's talk about the Olympics, because you did get the

same score as Christian body, but he beat you an execution. Let's have a

quick look at his qualifications routine. This is where it all went

wrong. I think he tried a new routine. He does not usually do

this. Is that an easier option for him? I don't know. I think he had a

bit of an error going into that. And then that spindle. And as we have

seen, it just takes that one moment, and it can all go wrong. That is the

interesting thing within this Olympic cycle, because some gymnasts

try and hang on a bit longer to reap the benefits of the other gymnasts

that may have retired. So has Christian Berki hung onto long, or

is he still in his prime? I think he has still got a lot to offer. There

are not many Hungarians challenging his place on the pommel horse. He

can carry on going. Unfortunately, you are not in the pommel horse

final, but let's have a list of the finals that are still to come.

So, let's turn our attention is to the women's competition. Becky

Downie has made it into the bars final. She has always been a strong

contender. She has. The past couple of years have been difficult. She

contender. She has. The past couple did not quite make London last year

and snapped her Achilles a couple of years earlier, so it was nice to see

her back to her usual self. The routine she died in qualification

was the best we could have asked for. She had once more are on the

lower bar. And qualifying in fourth, she will go in with an enormous

amount of confidence. Speaking to her after qualification, she was so

pleased. Her aim is to get her name back out there. She has been around

for a while and has always been there or thereabouts and not quite

made it. So she is pleased just to be in the final. She will go in, all

guns blazing. She has nothing to lose. We have two British gymnasts

in that final. Ruby has got the all-round final tonight. She is

young, but she has so much mental strength. As soon as you put her in

front of a crowd, she seems to love it. It was difficult for her growing

up, she lost her mum to cancer. She has spoken openly about it over the

last few weeks. But I think she has learnt to deal with it and her dad

and sisters are out here, watching her. I hope she does well. Another

gymnast competing tonight will be Rebecca Tunney. She was the youngest

member of Team GB in the Olympics. She qualified 13th. She had an

injury earlier in the year, so she has had to fight back to fitness,

but she is back now. She is strong on the floor. And again, she loves

it as soon as she is in front of the crowd. She came 13th at the

Olympics. The qualification was not my best. I

got through the bars, which was my main aim. I had the mistake on the

beam, but I showed that I can still make it. I just want to go out in

the final and hopefully hit all my routines and show what I can do.

the final and hopefully hit all my Qualifying is the most stressful

thing to do, so now I just want to enjoy it. I know I have done it

once, so I can do it again. Does it help to have Ruby alongside you?

Definitely. We are always cheering each other along anyway. To have her

there will be great. When they are in the crowd, you can't hear them.

But when they are closer, they get us through our routines. You can see

coverage of the women's all-around competition tonight on BBC Three.

What will the girls be doing, with just over four ousted go? They will

be back at the hotel, getting ready. They will be chilling out and trying

not to think about it. There is no Gabby Douglas in this all-around

competition, so the Olympic champion is not here. What are your

predictions, with a new kid on the block? Simone from America is

unbelievable. She has got the most amazing routines, clean and tidy.

She is a powerhouse. Her floor routine is insane. Everyone stopped

to watch her as soon as she walks onto the floor. She is looking for

medals. She has qualified for the final, so she will be hoping to get

a medal on nearly all of them. At the thing with the Americans, you

don't tend to see them for more than one cycle, whereas on the British

team, we try to keep them longer. She is the one to beat at this

competition tonight. It is hers to lose. The Uchimura of women's

gymnastics, Louis. Just a word on the arena behind us. You can see

that some gymnasts have come in and are warming up for various

presentations. White, good or bad? The gymnasts down there probably

can't notice it. I find white Craig Dawson disorientating -- I find

white disorientating. It is spreading light around the arena. I

think it is good. As long as you can do your job. Beth, give us a top

three for tonight? I think the Americans will be hoping for the top

two. Michaela qualified, but you are only allowed two per nation. We will

find out in four hours' time. Hope you can join us. Bye for now.