Amid the shouts of encouragement, a child’s voice distinctly rang out as Max Whitlock completed the final 90 seconds of his career, solidifying his legacy as one of Britain’s premier Olympians.
Whitlock shared that his five-year-old daughter, Willow, enjoys giving him spontaneous encouragement during competitions. Although he was absorbed in the moment and couldn’t hear her, the thought of her support heightened the emotional stakes of his perilously short last routine.
In contrast to Andy Murray’s hour-long farewell in this city on Thursday, the grind for pommel horse glory concluded in the blink of an eye, carrying significant risk.
As Whitlock prepared to perform, he noted that a fellow competitor five years younger had just completed their routine with a score that made it more difficult for him to keep hold of his gold.
He realized that the younger contenders—Irishman Rhys McClenaghan, who claimed gold, and Kazak Nariman Kurbanov, who earned silver—would be close behind him. Scheduled to go early added further complications to his performance.
Team GB’s Max Whitlock missed out on a final Olympic medal on pommel horse in Paris
Whitlock’s score of 5.2 wasn’t enough as he was usurped by his younger competitors
Whitlock typically approaches his competitions with three potential routines, executing the one his coach Scott Hann determines will secure victory. In the 2016 Rio final, he was able to dictate his own fate by performing last.
However, when competing at the beginning of the lineup, as Whitlock did when he triumphed in Tokyo, he has to aim high, hoping to set a score that others cannot match. ‘When you’re early in a strong final, it feels like you’re left with limited options,’ he remarked Saturday night.
This time, he simply couldn’t achieve the technical precision necessary for success. There were mistakes—legs not as straight as they should have been and slight imperfections amid the added difficulties. The familiar spark seemed absent. Gradually, he was outperformed and ultimately placed fourth. Had he duplicated his Tokyo score of 15.582, he could have retained his title, but he scored only 5.2.
The result left Whitlock broken but he will be remembered as one of Britain’s great Olympians
Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan took the gold medal to deny Whitlock in his last ever Games
Whitlock was unable to hit the technical level with small errors slipping into his performance
The outcome left him devastated. He closed his eyes for a moment to gather himself, fighting back tears that threatened to fall as he spoke. ‘Looking back, there were a few mistakes I’d be upset about, and I wish I could have cleaned those up,’ he expressed. ‘It is what it is. I’m not sure what to say. I’m sorry. I’m just a bit thrown.’
At 31 years old, he found himself competing against a younger generation, although this wasn’t how he envisioned his end when he returned to the sport after a mental break following Tokyo. He had aimed to compete in an Olympics where both his wife, Leah, and Willow could be there. ‘I’m proud I managed that,’ he added.
Great Britain did secure one medal, with Jake Jarman earning bronze in the individual floor final after setting a challenging difficulty level but missing crucial landings. This allowed the Philippine gymnast Edriel Yulo to take home gold. Yet, it was Whitlock who drew the crowd’s attention, with a career highlights reel displayed before his performance.
In his attempt to find solace following the event, he reflected, ‘If you take it back to before 2012, I was a 19-year-old who dreamed of winning a medal. I didn’t know how achievable it was. Now that I’ve finished, I can look back and be really happy.’
Looking back on his illustrious career, he deserves recognition as one of the most graceful and honorable athletes from the 12 years of uninterrupted British Olympic success.
Since his competition days alongside Louis Smith, he has transformed the public’s perception of gymnastics, motivating countless others to pursue the sport. ‘I aim to enhance access to gymnastics—especially in schools,’ he stated. ‘At the grassroots level, I want to foster positive changes in the sport.’
Yet, as he walked away into history, it was difficult not to reminisce about a conversation held in Tokyo, where he conveyed his intense desire for gold that left him aching. ‘Winning gold feels incredible, and you crave that experience again,’ he admitted. That sentiment persists; the ache to win will take its time to diminish.
