Sports
Olympics gymnastics: Harry Hepworth secures landmark bronze – and now to pass his driving test
As history-makers go, Harry Hepworth seems the most unlikely. Competing in his debut Olympics the 19-year-old had an astonishing hour at these Games. He became the first Briton ever to reach in the gymnastics rings final, then topped that by becoming the only Brit to win a medal in the vault discipline. Which is not a bad return for a lad who, as a child, suffered from constant hip and back problems, who could not play any kind of sport for three years and who has one leg several centimetres shorter than the other.
“I know,” he smiled, holding his bronze medal in one hand. “I just sort of thought if you keep working, good will come of it in the end.”
And good came of it all right in the Bercy Arena. It was an odd afternoon of gymnastics there: one which did not feature Simone Biles. Of the three disciplines on show, two were for men. And the one women’s competition – the uneven bars – is the one she does not favour.
Here was the chance for those who have been wilting in her shadow for the past few years in the sport to get on the podium, maybe even land gold. Unfortunately, Becky Downie was not one of them. In what she revealed afterwards would be her last Olympics, the Briton took a nasty fall from the bars, a tumble indicative of quite how taxing this sport is. Demonstrating hugely impressive resilience, however, she picked herself up, dusted her hands with chalk and went again. But her score was fatally damaged. And the gold medal went to Kaylia Nemour of Algeria, a result that in Paris was almost as cheerfully applauded as French success.
In the men’s rings competition which followed, Hepworth finished seventh. Though his effort, somehow remaining still and horizontal while holding on to two steel rings set some 10-feet off the floor, seemed enough to impress his father, who could be heard yelling his name across the arena from the stands.
“I heard him a couple of times,” said Hepworth. “I don’t know what he was shouting, but he was really loud.”
In the vault competition that followed, the old man had even more to shout about. With his team-mate Jake Jarman, Hepworth was in the first group of four gymnasts to take their turns. Each competitor had two leaps over the vault, which had to be distinctly different. While Jarman’s landing in his first attempt was slightly wobbly, losing him points, Hepworth was sharp, smart and beautifully coordinated in both. At the halfway stage, the pair were in silver and bronze medal position, with the Filipino Carlos Yulo in the lead.
They could only wait and watch as the others went, their faces occasionally appearing on the arena screens looking up with trepidation as the scores of those following them were slowly revealed. But while three of the second four faltered, the Armenian Artur Davtyan’s vaults were both corkers. He may have qualified in seventh place, but he had enough to push Jarman out of the top three.
Hepworth, though, remained on the podium. Which was a perfect birthday present for his coach Andy Butcher.
“Aye,” said Hepworth, who seemed determined to demonstrate his Yorkshire heritage. “And that’s all he’s getting.”
Now he has it in his hands, Hepworth has real ambition for his bronze medal, hoping he can add to it in Los Angeles. Though first there was a more immediate issue.
“I have to thank my grandma Janis, who’s been taking me to gym every day for the past four years because I haven’t passed my driving test,” he said. “Though if I can get a bronze medal surely I can pass my driving test.”
Though it is not entirely clear how running full pelt at a springboard, then doing a double somersault over a vault can help with his three-point turn.
Artistic gymnastics finals: as they happened
04:20 PM BST
A first ever GB medal in the vault
04:14 PM BST
Bronze medal winner
The old jingle for the Leeds-based tailor springs to mind: Hepworth, just a little but more style
04:11 PM BST
Carlos Yulo wins second gold
Follows his gold on the floor with gold in the vault. Jarman was third in the former, Hepworth bronze in the latter.
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Carlos Yulo (Philippines) 15.116
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Artur Davtyan (Armenia) 14.966
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Harry Hepworth (
LeedsGB) 14.949
04:09 PM BST
Hepworth takes bronze, Jarman fourth
Artur Davtyan’s second vault is a corker. He may have qualified in seventh place, but that was a real medal winning effort from the Armenian. It’s good enough to push Jarman out of the top three. And Hepworth into third. Not quite the ending we had hoped for, but a creditable effort from Hepworth.
04:07 PM BST
Davtyan win silver
Scoring 14.966 for his second vault.
04:06 PM BST
Armenia’s Davtyan
Lands the Dragulescu with only the smallest of forward hops. 14.966
Hepworth is on 14.949, Jarman 14.933. Here comes the second vault.
He nails it.
Wait for the marks.
04:04 PM BST
Only Davtyan to come
Mahdi Olfati’s stumbling landing on both his leaps has guaranteed Hepworth at least bronze. With just the Armenian gymnast to leap, Jarman must be increasingly optimistic. A British double on the podium is looking a distinct possibility.
04:03 PM BST
Iran’s Mahdi Olfati
Tries a beast of a double pike somersault that gives him too much momentum as he tries to spot the landing and has him treading off the mat as he scrambled to stay on his feet. Penalty of -0.3. 14.166
Much better with the second effort which earns him 14.366 for an average of 14.266, sixth place.
03:59 PM BST
Croatia’s Aurel Benovic
Is awarded 15 dead for a very elegant Dragulescu (front handspring double (tucked) somersault with ½ twist). He follows it up with a well executed two and a half twist. Hop forward on landing.
Will he edge Jarman out of the medal positions.
Nope 14.800 for that and 14.900 overall average keeping both Jarman and Hepworth in medal places.
03:55 PM BST
Live from Bercy
Carlos Yulo took the lead after the first four. Hepwoirth second, Jarman third. The chance of still being there still when the next four have had their turn? We’re about to find out. And Igor Radivilov’s landing on his backside has given their chances a big boost. Still three gymnasts to go however.
03:54 PM BST
After a short break
Igor Radilov is the first of the final four. Dragulescu first up earns him 14.900 and then he stumbles, falls on the landing after a double pike somersault. ‘Bum already behind the heels’ is the technical explanation.
It’s Radilov’s third vault final and he is given 13.433 which is an average of 14.566. He looks close to tears. Poor lad.
03:47 PM BST
Carlos Yulo of Philippines soars into lead
Champion on the floor also goes for the Dragulescu followed by the triple twist. He nails the first and is given 15.433. The second vault is not as good as Hepworth’s I don’t think and he is awarded 14.800. It’s enough for the gold medal place with four gymnasts to come.
03:42 PM BST
Jarman goes second
Jarman goes for the hardest in his repertoire with three and a half twists, a bigger hop on landing. Great in the air and execution but the landing was the least stable so far. The difficulty gives him 15.100
Next up, like Hepworth’s first, the ‘Dragulescu’. Excellent but again the landing isn’t spotted but that big first vault score should put him on the podium for now. Second vault score of 14.7666 gives him an average of 14.933.
Jake Jarman does three and a half twists. Such a difficult thing to do. His landing is slightly wobbly, but he still comes up with 15.100. His second is even better, full of spin and turn, two and a half rotations from hands to feet. He gains an average of 14.933 leaving him just behind Hepworth. This is promising to be a good afternoon for the British pair.
03:37 PM BST
Hepworth goes into the lead
Doesn’t spot the landing after front handspring double (tucked) somersault with ½ twist, the ‘Dragulescu’. Drifts to the right a bit. 14.833, same as Chapurnyi for his first effort.
Handspring two and a half twist – this one executed all but perfectly by the Yorkshireman. Landed dead centre, quarter step back on landing. 15.066 – average 14.949 puts him into the lead.
Jarman next.
The two Britons have two vaults each to make their mark, each has to be different in execution. Their scare is an average of the two. And they do them as a pair, which is something of tension killer, you might think.
A good steady first one from Harry Hepworth, two somersaults, low sit in his approach. His landing is a touch raggedy. But nothing wrong with the rest. The crowd don’t, however, seem thrilled. His second though is a humdinger, matching the difficulty of the Ukranian effort, and it is greeted enthusiastically by the crowd. And it is enough to put him in first place. Early doors yet, but couldn’t have done better.
03:33 PM BST
On to the vault
And it’s Ukraine’s Nazar Chapurnyi up first. Double somersault with twist finish. 14.833 for his first of two back-to-back vaults.
Triple twist, second time round and he pulled it off with aplomb. Preposterous height. 14.966 for that giving him an average of 14.899.
Next up is Harry Hepworth.
03:28 PM BST
Becky Downie speaks to Eurosport
People need to learn that sport doesn’t always go your way. I couldn’t have done any more. The sport’s changing for the better. It’s great to see all the countries gelling together and supporting each other. I’m ready to take some down time now and celebrate this whole journey. I think yes [this is the end]. Highly likely. If I said I was going to carry on my family would hate me!
03:20 PM BST
Kaylia Nemour wins gold
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Nemour (Algeria) 15.700
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Qiu (China) 15.500
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Lee (USA) 14.800
03:17 PM BST
Bronze for Sunisa Lee
Awarded 14.800 she knocks the reigning champion, Nina Derwael, off the podium.
Sunisa Lee goes last, hoping to fill the Simone Biles shaped hole in this afternoon’s competition. There are gasps and she swings, yells as she leaps, a chant of “USA” at her landing. Will it be enough to overtake the Algerian and seize the one gold medal Biles does not pursue? Answer? No. It’s gold for Algeria, which in Paris is almost as popular a result as a French win.
03:16 PM BST
Nemour captures crowd’s hearts
Wow. The crowd have really got off their seats after that routine by Algeria’s 17-year-old Kaylia Nemour. And no wonder, what a skilful effort that was: smooth, lithe, ending with a wonderful double straight somersault with not a flicker on the landing. The crowd sense she is heading for the top of the leaderboard. And she is. To huge acclaim she has overtaken the Chinese with a massive score of 15.700
03:15 PM BST
Finally it’s Sunisa Lee
All around gold and bars bronze in Tokyo. Another extraordinary routine with a double twisting, double back dismount. Such height between release and catches.
Good enough for a medal I’d hazard.
03:13 PM BST
Kaylia Nemour takes the lead
Also with a 7.2 difficulty she scores 15.800. Huge moment potentially for Algerian women’s sport.
Helen Kevric of Germany scores 14.566
03:08 PM BST
Nemour nails a great routine
And finished with a double straight back somersault. Ridiculous. She was born in France, lives there and represented her country of birth until she was 14 so, understandably, is given a hero’s reception both before and after the routine.
03:06 PM BST
Qiyuan Qiu takes the lead
An amazing routine with a 7.2 difficulty in her quest for a medal. ‘Judicious use of the stoop’. Well, quite.
Big, big score. 15.500.
03:03 PM BST
Tweddle on Downie
“She can walk out with her head held high after giving it her all.”
02:59 PM BST
She went all out for victory
With a complex routine, aiming for gold and it didn’t quite come off. Perfect landing.
What a rotten shame. Having fallen off she scores 13.633.
Downie draws gasps for her audacity as she really tries to pick up points for difficulty. Then, even as the crowd as swooning, she falls, the bar slipping from between her palms. She dusts her hands in chalk and goes back to the bars. Does a brilliant spin and landing. But she will have lost points for that fall. A real shame. Still she has done enough to go into third place. For now.
02:57 PM BST
Great dismount
And she smiles as she walks off but her medal chances are toast now.
02:57 PM BST
Downie falls off
Full pirouette and good tkatchev with half turn. And then she falls off doing the ‘Downie’ loses her grip
02:56 PM BST
Nina Derwael
Also performs brilliantly. Very graceful. And just into top spot with 14.766.
Notts’ Downie up next in her third Olympics.
02:53 PM BST
Alice D’Amato up next
The Italian, who won silver in the team all-around, nails a routine with a high difficulty rating. Dismount with double back tuck. Into first with 14.733.
02:50 PM BST
Zhang Yihan is up first
The 16-year-old falls heavily after a release and catch following a tkatchev in pike. She will lose a full mark for that. She gets back up and competes a very difficult routine. Excellent dismount with a one and a half pirouette.
Poor lass.
12.800
Ouch. Poor Yihan Zhang of China misses the bar completely as she attempts a spin and bellyflops to the mat. It is an indication of how physically demanding this sport is. But also how brave the gymnasts are. She goes back on to the bars when most of us would head straight to a quiet corner for a leap. And does well. The collapse will undermine her chances. But you can only admire her resilience.
02:44 PM BST
The bars finalists are practising now
Becky Downie arrives in the arena for the uneven bars final. In the era of Simone Biles domination, this is not a bad discipline to make your speciality, as Downie has. Largely because Biles has no empathy for swinging herself round from bar to bar. Indeed she is not even in this final. Which much give every other competitor a hint of possibility.
02:32 PM BST
Davtyan scores 14.866
That puts Hepworth in seventh, the same place he qualified in.
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Liu Yang
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Zou Jingyuan
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Eleftherios Petrounias
02:31 PM BST
Armenia’s Vahagn Davtyan is last up
He is 35 and has swathes of strapping across both shoulders. A but too much flexing apparently. Good dismount, though.
02:28 PM BST
Hepworth becomes first Briton in a rings final
Starts with an inverted crucifix and into the Maltese, double pike front somersault and into a handstand. Dismount ‘sensationa;’, says Craog Heap, double twisting double somersault.
He scores 14.800. That’s sixth place with one to come.
Big calls of “C’mon Harry” echo round the arena as the British competitor Harry Hepworth does his turn on the rings. The youngest competitor in the final, he clearly has a lot of support. Rather more supporters than points, however. He comes up with 14.8 which puts him in sixth place.
02:25 PM BST
Big cheer for France’s Samir Ait Said
He is the only French gymnast to make a final. And the crowd is on its feet after a ridiculously good performance. Immaculate show of shoulder strength.
Can he nudge up to third?
No, not quite. 15 dead.
Here comes Hepworth.
02:22 PM BST
After a short break
Adem Asil of Turkey is lifted up to the rings. Takes his time to hit the handstand but perfect when it comes and then double twisting, double back somersault to land. One step back as he plants his feet will cost him some tenths of a mark.
He scores 14.966. That wobble has cost him third place. Hepworth is next but one.
02:19 PM BST
Here’s the champion and leader
02:16 PM BST
Glen Cuyle of Belgium up next
A hugely difficult routine ends with a triple back somersault dismount which he couldn’t land and ended up forward rolling which cost him. He is awarded 13.333.
02:13 PM BST
2016 champion is third up
Eleftherios Petrounias has a battle to regain the title but he pulls off an immaculate dismount with a double back somersault which gives him a fighting chance even if the routing, Craig Heap says, ‘not quite as crisp as the two Chinese gymnasts’.
Apparently he wavered in the handstand – 15.100. Into third. Which isn’t saying much at this stage but that could well be the top three.
02:10 PM BST
Liu Yang, Olympic champion is second
Big swings into an inverted crucifix is ‘fabulous difficulty’ we are told, as is the plank into a double somersault. Remarkable routine, huge difficulty and he held himself perfectly at 90 degrees for longer than necessary, just because he can. Tiniest of hops on the big dismount. Straight into first place with 15.300.
02:06 PM BST
First up on rings is Zou Jingyuan
Rounds of applause in the crucifix and wings into the Maltese. Handstand impeccable and dismounts with a double twisting, double somersault. Slight wobble on the spotting. China on course for two of the three medals everyone thinks.
His score is 15.233.
01:57 PM BST
Preview: Rings, bars and the horse*
Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of today’s three artistic gymnastics finals. First up is the rings in which Leeds’s Harry Hepworth will be trying to become the first ever Briton to win a medal on an apparatus that was historically dominated by the Soviet Union, Warsaw Pact countries and Japan until Atlanta. The last two winners, Greece’s Eleftherios Petrounias, who won in Rio and took bronze in Tokyo, and China’s Liu Yang who won at the 2020 Games are among the eight qualifiers but Hepworth has had a string couple of years of improvement and could challenge for a top five placing.
He has a better chance in the vault which follows later this afternoon, but not as strong as Jake Jarman, who has already won a bronze on the floor and took the vault world title in 2023 and is the reigning double European champion. Although Hepworth qualified in second place and Jarman in fifth, the Peterborough lad has a much better recent record and had the mitigation of floor final preparation taking precedence in his mind. Again, GB has never won a men’s vaulting medal and will find the crowd largely on the side of the two Ukrainian qualifiers Nazar Chepurnyi and Igor Radivlov.
On the asymmetrical bars, which comes between the two men’s events, Becky Downie at the age of 32 is hoping to follow the path trodden by Beth Tweddle at London 2012 to a medal. Downie, who was left out of the squad for the Tokyo Games in jarringly unempathetic fashion after the sudden death of her brother and her whistleblowing about the abuse within the sport, faces formidable opposition in Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour who was fifth in the all-around after a scintillating performance on the bars, nudged out of a medal place at the death.
* Yes, we know they call it a table, now. Shame. How would you tunnel out of Stalag Luft III under a table?
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