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“Welcome back to the Rio Olympic Arena. If you’re just joining us after the late news back home in England, good evening to you. You’re here with me, Kate Garridebs, and my fellow commentator, Irene Adler, as we’re just about to head into the fifth rotation of the second subdivision here in the qualifying day for the men’s artistic gymnastics. Team GB are in action tonight in this qualifier, some positive results from the boys so far, wouldn’t you say Irene?”
“Without a doubt Kate. The men are in fine form tonight, looking strong and confident. We’ve seen the floor, pommel horse, horizontal bar and vault so far with strong results on each apparatus. Nearing the end of this subdivision, we’re looking well placed to qualify for the team finals; with Mike Stamford, John Watson and Philip Anderson all aiming for a berth in the individual all-around final. With a maximum of two athletes from each nation able to make the finals, the atmosphere will be tense down on the floor as we head into the final two rotations.”
“Some strong results on the individual apparatus so far, too, Irene?”
“Indeed. Henry Knight, the young Yorkshireman certain to qualify for the vault final following a simply stunning turn, strong showing by both Watson and Bill Murray on the pommel horse, and Mike Stamford giving a tidy performance on the floor that should see him through to the final for that apparatus. And we go now to the rings, where Bill Murray is about to commence his routine.”
“Getting underway here with a beautiful inverted cross… moving through these strength positions, holding each for the full two seconds required… Murray of course an Olympic veteran, taking the bronze in the horizontal bar apparatus in London at the last games….”
“He is so steady on these bars, isn’t he? They really don’t call them the still rings for nothing…incredible strength!”
“Coming up to the dismount now…. A little bit of flair here and… oh! A stuck landing! He’ll be happy with that Irene.”
“He certainly will Irene, look at the expression on his face there… he knows he’s done the team proud.”
“Nice work there. We’re going to cut away to the parallel bars, where the Irishman Sebastian Moran is preparing himself for his routine now.”
“This competition wide open Kate. The gold and silver medallists from London retiring after those games, not back to contest their medals, our own John Watson coming second to this man at the world championships, let’s see how he does now… very strong beginning with this handstand sequence.”
“Quite tall for a gymnast isn’t he Irene?”
“And a one and half turn there with a small step along the bar, there’ll be small deduction for that… somersault element now, this is a very strong routine so far…. Going for the double front roll off to finish…”
“Oh-ho! Sticks the landing! Moran for Ireland there, that’ll score highly Irene?
“At least a 15.5 or a 15.6 there, very nice routine, Moran showing what he’s come for… and it’s a 15.8, excellent score, John Watson on notice with that one!”
“Back now to the rings and Philip Anderson coming up to the apparatus… I interviewed him in London you know, he seemed very confident on this apparatus and hopeful for a place in the all-around finals.”
“Mmm, a bit ambitious there if you ask me Kate. While we were looking at Moran, Mike Stamford scored a 14.3 for Team GB, respectable work… but up Anderson comes now to the apparatus. Starting off with a backwards roll through to planche position, lowers to lever and then back up to Maltese cross, so incredibly difficult…”
“And look at the expression on his face! Really showing the strain there…”
“Moving into the strength elements now with the inverted cross… you know I don’t think that was held for the required two seconds before moving into this forward roll sequence and oh! Oh he’s off!”
“Oh and what a fall… oh dear, looks a bit stunned there, really landed flat on his face…”
“What a disappointment! Well, that’s the end of his ambitions to qualify for the all-around I’d say Kate. And the expression on his face, he knows it. Is he going to continue with the routine? No, there’s his salute, and the camera following him down, he doesn’t look happy, not happy at all. John Watson coming over to the apparatus now but we’re going to cut to the floor where Karoly Baumann is taking position.”
“Irene, any tips on what we can expect from the Hungarian?”
“I have it on good authority he’s going to attempt the Shirai this evening, the extremely difficult quadruple backwards twist named after the Japanese champion, of course.”
“Oh there it is! The Shirai! Irene, not many would have picked that tonight.”
“Well, Baumann is working with a new coach this year, and let’s just say I know what he likes.”
“You heard it here first folks, from The Woman of gymnastics herself!”
“And a lovely way to finish the fifth rotation of this session. The boys from Team GB on the parallel bars for the final rotation as they come up to the apparatus now. And Bill Murray will start… but looking at the team there, does Philip Anderson’s nose look a bit swollen to you Kate?”
“I think you might be right there Irene… that was a nasty fall from the rings he had earlier, did land in an almost flat position… here Bill Murray has a 6.2 difficulty score to start. Moving up along the horse, good swing and nice tempo….”
“Very quick routine. Opening up the legs now into the handstand preparing for the dismount… and there it is. Very clean, it’s a 14.5 for him on this final apparatus. To the rings next, Arthur Zanetti, the local favourite ….”
“Listen to this crowd! The other competitors will really struggle blocking out this noise, Henry Knight for Team GB on the parallel bars will need all his energy to block out the cheers of this delighted home crowd here, at the Olympic Arena. Zanetti of course taking home the gold in London in this event, which was also Brazil’s first gymnastics Olympic medal… can he repeat the feat at his home Olympic games?”
“Off to a wonderful start here Kate, those strength positions are certainly very impressive, holding those for three seconds there rather than two, wonderful cross position now… hardly any movement in those rings at all… and a two and a half flip to land. Very elegant routine there from this experienced competitor. His score… is a 15.533, which ought to be enough to seem him comfortably into the finals for this apparatus to defend his gold medal.”
“And speaking of experienced competitors, we cross back to the parallel bars to see John Watson’s routine. Watson of course coming second at the World Championships last year in this event to Moran who we saw score a 15.8 in the previous rotation. Here we go, John Watson now, third man from Great Britain on this apparatus….”
“Judges looking for that effortless swing, good tempo throughout the routine… looking so controlled here, really using his strength to set that controlled pace…”
“…very measured pace, quite different from some of the other competitors, Watson’s considerable upper body strength really on display here.”
“Indeed it is Kate, great strength required in this apparatus as well as accuracy, and Watson so exact in his performance… picking up the rapid pace there through these spins and the dismount, and tremendous height for the dismount. And look at his face, he’s very happy with that, little fist pump there…”
“And the score is a 15.75, just behind the Irishman Moran, marvellous job from the veteran competitor.”
“At 27, this is likely his last games, disappointed in London after a shoulder injury just weeks prior to the games, finishing with a sixth-place finish in this event after just scraping into the finals.”
“We all remember that Irene, Watson so stoically pressing his lips together as he iced up his shoulder just before the routine, looking like he was in tremendous pain but going out there and giving the performance of his life in front of the home crowd at the North Greenwich Arena. He had that shoulder reconstruction just days after the games finished.”
“He’ll be wanting a different outcome this time, and with that score he’s certainly on track for the final in this apparatus and for the individual all-around competition, too. He’ll have everyone at home watching eagerly over the next two weeks of competition.”
“And a lovely way to finish the second subdivision of this qualifying round. And the apparatus scores are coming across the screen now, should be some good news for those Team GB supporters in the crowd and watching at home of course. First up the floor, Mike Stamford there with a 15.2, will it be enough Irene?”
“I think so, still China, Ukraine and Russia to come later on this afternoon, but they’re not strong floor nations so I think Mike Stamford should book a finals place. Pommel horse now – John Watson in fourth place behind the strong scores of the American and Japanese gymnasts, and Bill Murray will also make the top eight here. Horizontal bar, no Brits here but strong performances from Team USA again and Fabian Hambuechen, the German taking out the top spot. Vault, Henry Knight right up there, Russians and Ukraine still to come, both strong vaulting nations, but Knight has done enough at his first Olympics to make the finals.”
“Scores for the rings, Zanetti, the local favourite through, certain to have two Chinese athletes qualify in the next subdivision; and now the parallel bars, Watson finishing just behind Moran at this point, although with strong competition from Russia and Ukraine in this event we may see that slip a little. So four, potentially five gymnasts in the individual apparatus finals, excellent result for the men.”
“And the all-around standings now, of course only two athletes from each nation can qualify, in this case it will be Watson and Stamford, Philip Anderson’s fall from the rings apparatus too serious to recover from in the scores. Twenty-four athletes in total will qualify; after the results from the third subdivision I’d say the Brits will be placed somewhere in the middle of the qualifying field with these scores.”
“So, Irene, a fabulous evening of gymnastics here in Rio with plenty more on the programme. If you stay with us for the third subdivision, we’ll see world-leading athletes from Russia, China and Ukraine in their qualifying rounds. Over on BBC1 there’ll be a wrap up of the action from Day 2 of the Olympics including preliminary matches in volleyball and basketball, Great Britain’s matchups with Japan and Brazil in the Rugby, and the first day of competition in the equestrian competition. And of course, on the BBC Sport website you can access up to 24 channels showing every event taking place. Tomorrow, back with the women’s artistic gymnastics qualifying rounds, sure to be exciting. But stay with us now as we start the third and final subdivision in the men’s qualifying rounds here at the Rio Olympic Arena, just a few minutes away.”
****off-air****
“Ugh, I need a drink. My jetlag is still killing me.”
“Maybe if you stopped drooling over the contestants, you’d be better hydrated?”
“Contestants? What are you commentating here, The X Factor?”
“Fetch me a drink, harridan, before I bend you over this desk and have you beg for mercy.”
