Commonwealth Games: England's Jake Jarman, Joe Fraser, Courtney Tulloch and Georgia-Mae Fenton all win golds
- Published
2022 Commonwealth Games |
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Hosts: Birmingham Dates: 28 July to 8 August |
Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV with extra streams on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport mobile app; Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and Sports Extra; live text and clips online. |
England won four golds, with Jake Jarman and Joe Fraser among the victors, as their stellar Commonwealth Games gymnastics campaign continued.
Jarman, the team and all-around champion, scored 14.666 for a routine full of athleticism and precision.
Fraser delivered a spotless pommel routine to beat Northern Ireland's defending champion Rhys McClenaghan.
Courtney Tulloch and Georgia-Mae Fenton defended their rings and uneven bars titles to round off England's day.
Tulloch scored 14.400 to keep Cyprus' silver medallist Sokratis Pilakouris at bay, while Fenton denied Australia's Georgia Godwin, already the all-around and vault champion, another gold.
England have won 10 gymnastics medals, including seven golds, so far with Jarman winning three golds, and Fraser, Tulloch and Fenton all claiming two apiece.
With another day of competition and five medal events to come, the hosts have already surpassed the six gymnastics gold medals they won at Gold Coast 2018.
Jarman head and shoulders above the rest
Jarman, could add more medals to his tally in Tuesday's vault final, was the clear class of the floor field.
Canada's Felix Dolci was a full half point behind with 14.166, while Jarman's team-mate Giarnni Regini-Moran won bronze.
Jarman's high-velocity tumbling skills have never been in doubt. The 20-year-old's training videos, featuring five-twist leaps and flips, have caused a stir online in recent years.
However, the British champion's ability to recreate those pyrotechnics on the international stage had been unproven before this week.
His power, speed and cork-screwing agility on the floor put his third gold beyond doubt long before the judges' scorecards were returned.
"Jake Jarman pulled it all together and that is what we have been waiting for," said six-time Olympic medal-winner Max Whitlock on BBC One.
"He has the difficulty level above everyone else. He has done incredibly to pull it all together when it matters."
Fraser's knockout routine downs champion McClenaghan
Fraser was denied a chance to vie with Jarman for the all-around title after he suffered a burst appendix and broken foot in the weeks before the Games.
However, the Birmingham local, who won 2021 European bronze on the pommel and was the highest-scoring qualifier for this final, was supreme.
His polish and dexterity delighted the crowd and was rewarded with a sky-high 14.833 by the judges.
On managing his foot injury, Fraser said: "I'm doing everything I can to manage it as best I can. Training has been good, the competition has been good. I'm really happy with how me and my support team are looking after myself."
McClenaghan had endured a difficult build-up.
His participation in the Games was put in doubt by an International Gymnastics Federation inquiry into his representing Ireland at major events where Northern Ireland do not appear.
He was eventually cleared to compete, but taking to the apparatus immediately after Fraser's stunning routine he found himself under pressure.
Performing a more straightforward routine, the 23-year-old needed to be near perfect, but a clip on a pass of the horse drew gasps from the stands and threw him off.
McClenaghan shrugged towards his coach after his dismount. An appeal to the judges could not shore up his score and he ended a distant second on 14.133.
Fraser's team-mate James Hall, who competed despite an ankle injury suffered en route to all-around silver on Sunday, was fifth.
Fenton and Tulloch deliver
Fenton continued her habit of rising to the big occasion as she delivered a 13.9 routine to nudge Godwin into second place.
The 21-year-old, who will also compete in the beam final alongside team-mate Alice Kinsella on Tuesday, revealed the secret of her continued success on the apparatus.
"I listen to quite hardcore hip-hop, that gets me in the zone," said Fenton. "I like to stay within myself and not focus on other things going on."
Rings specialist Tulloch, 26, duly delivered, his final score of 14.4 lower than in qualification but enough to take top spot. Fraser was just edged out of another medal in fourth place.
"I bring the firepower to the team," said Tulloch. "To come away with gold and be a double Commonwealth champion on the rings is something I'm very proud of."
Elsewhere, Shannon Archer won Scotland's first ever artistic gymnastics medal in Commonwealth history.
The 24-year-old, who finished fifth at Gold Coast 2018, secured the final step on the vault podium by just 0.033, ahead of Canada's Emma Spence.
Essex-based Archer dabbed her eyes to stem the tears as the result was announced and she absorbed her landmark medal.
"I can't even describe how I'm feeling right now. That has made everything worthwhile," Archer told BBC Sport.
"The hard days in the gym, trying those vaults… it's very much paid off and I can't believe it."
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