- 18 Aug 08, 02:01 PM
National Indoor Stadium, Beijing
0.025.
That's how much stood between Beth Tweddle and her long-awaited, and deserved, dream of an Olympic medal.
The British gymnast finished fourth in her uneven bars final at the Olympic Gymnastics Hall tonight by the narrowest of margins.
She was pipped by tiny Chinese sensation Yang Yilin, who is just 16 (but looks about 13) and who pulled off a wonderful routine which ended with a full-length somersault (apologies gymastics' fans if there is a proper name for this) and stuck the landing for a 16.650.
Yang's dismount was greeted with a huge roar from the home crowd, and brought a beaming smile to her young face.
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The crowd erupted again as she trotted down off the platform to be lifted aloft like a small trophy by her coach.
The stadium was still ringing as Tweddle, seventh out of the eight competitors, came up the steps to prepare the bars for her routine.
I don't think the commotion put her off - anyone who has ever been to an international gymnastics event will testify how much is going on during the routines, stuff you just do not see or hear on the TV pictures or radio commentary.
For instance, I was at the women's team event last week, in which four teams compete on four apparatus in rotation.
There is no standing on ceremony, as each gymnast goes at the same time on their piece of apparatus (bars, beam, floor or vault).
So while the Italian gymnast was desperately trying to compose herself and clear her mind after falling from the beam, five members of the US team were literally bawling their heads off in support of superstar Shawn Johnson as she built for her final tumble.
It's all part of what makes gymnastics such a great live spectator sport.
Tonight, it was the Chinese fans and coaches making the most noise, yelling in high-pitched support sounding like a flock of lost lambs as Yang went through her moves.
Still, Tweddle, a true ambassador for her sport, did not let it faze her as she focused on her routine, at 7.8 tariff, the most difficult on show.
Had she nailed it, a medal would have been hers.
But the gamble did not pay off. She came late out of her final turn and did not have enough power for the dismount.
Her mark of 16.625 was still an extremely creditable score and higher than that which won her the World Championships in 2006.
She seemed to know it would be tight as she waited for the scores - she gave a big puff of her cheeks and took a big swig of water with two cameras trained just feet from her face waiting to capture her reaction.
BBC TV presenter Adrian Chiles had also popped into the hall to watch -"more stressful than watching football!" he said up in the stands.
When the score came, she shrugged it off with a wry half-smile and tossed her hand-guards down, the model of professionalism, trying not to let her disappointment show.
There were a few forced hugs all round (there did not seem to be much love lost down on the floor - when Tweddle took her seat next to Steliana Nistor to await her turn, the Romanian immediately got up and went and found another chair).
And as He Kexin, Nastasia Liukin and Yang lined up for the medal parade, Tweddle could only look forlornly up into the crowd for support from her British fan club.
And then it was over, Tweddle leaving the hall with the other gymnasts, pinching her (watery?) eyes and shaking her head.
Before the Games she'd said she was going to retire but she told BBC gymnastics commentator Matt Baker she was planning to carry on.
"I don't see myself quitting now, although I will have some time off," she said.
However, her chance of an Olympic medal is gone - she'll be 27 by the time London 2012 comes along, which is pretty ancient in gymnastics terms.
It was all over so quickly.
Gymnasts do not muck about - the whole final took less than 30 minutes and Beth's routine was over in less than two minutes.
Two minutes, 0.025 of a mark - and bang, all gone.
She told Baker it was time to handover the mantle to young gymnasts such as Louis Smith, who was in the crowd watching her final.
I wanted to ask Smith - who I can confirm has an extremely fine pair of pecs - what he thought of Beth's legacy.
But he told me he could not speak without his press officer which was a shame, though no doubt he was just doing what he has been told.
Instead, I will have to leave it to Baker speak for Tweddle.
"Beth Tweddle is a gymnast who has changed British gymnastics.
"She has been such an inspiration for so many aspiring British gymnasts, who now realise that it is possible to get a medal at the highest level."
In his Blue Peter presenting days, Baker had filed a report on young Smith after the Londoner won the European Junior Championships, and Baker said it had been nice to follow it through by reporting on his historic bronze medal win on Sunday.
"He is the future now."
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Comments
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Absolutely gutted for Tweddle, who never seemed to get the public attention that should have been her due as a World Champion.
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I did not believe I would ever see a British gymnast capable of competing at the top level until Beth came along. She has indeed been an ambassador for the sport in the UK. She went for a tough routine, tried her best, but sadly it didnt work out on this occasion.
I wish her all the best for whatever she decides to do in the future. Personally I hope she doesnt retire yet, but I can well understand her wanting to live a more normal life without the pressures of training and competing.
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"apologies gymastics' fans if there is a proper name for this" I don't know the word for it is, but if you are a publicy-funded broadcaster reporting on gymnastics, then you should know whether their is a word for it, and if there is, then what that word is.
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"levdavidovich"
Before you start sniping at others, get it right yourself- you used "their" instead of "there" in your moan.
I'd like to wish Beth all the best for the future. She has been a fantastic ambassador for British gymnastics.
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Levdavidovich
I have just been looking through your recent comments. Your comment here and all of your other comments are extremely unhelpful. This was a perfectly reasonable remark by Claire who does not claim to be an expert on gymnastics. Are you aware of your misanthropy? Can you please try to keep it to yourself in future, it is tiring and unwelcome.
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Yang's dismount is a double layout. That means she rotates twice in the "laid out" (straight) position.
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So sad - sport is the cruelest of mistresses..
Even sadder was the fact that new young star Louis Smith was not permitted to even speak without his press officer!
Now THAT'S a good way to alienate your public on your first day in the limelight!
For goodness sake!
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Beth was robbed (as was the American girl of the gold medal). The judging was at least transparently disgraceful, but disgraceful even so. As for the ages of the Chinese competitors, China's own news agencies haven't yet managed to agree how being "13" nine months ago can become "16" now...
A really disappointing occasion - but not because of the quality of the gymnastics.
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Tweddles routine was fantastic, it was an absolute shame that she didnt nail that landing as it was the only one that made me think, "wow". None of the other routines impressed me, they were clean and efficient, but when you have seen 1 double summersault you have seen 100. What Beth can do on those uneven bars is unlike anything else the other athletes would attempt and she is a true Olympian for that regard.
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do you really think Yiling is 13, or you just heard it from rumours. Yiling certainly looks young, but before you find any proof that she is under 16, please don't use words like "looks about 13", it could be misleading
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It was a real travesty that Tweddles routine didn't win a medal. She was brave, athletic, original, skillful and exciting. It was like a breath of fresh air after all the other routines that looked so alike. I really didn't understand the judges overall marking and I concur with makropulos who thought that the American should have won gold.
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To fiftygoldmedals:
There seems to be some documentary evidence for this, including at least one Chinese report in 2007 announcing her 13th birthday that year (i.e. last year). There's a screengrab of it on this page:
http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/china/gold-medal-gymnasts-underage-scandal-china-olympics-2792.html
Since then, she's apparently acquired a new passport. The IOC allegedly declined to investigate any possible discrepancy when it was brought to their attention before the games opened.
In other words, it doesn't seem just to be rumour.
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Re:Yiling
There has been a lot of international controversy in the media about the ages of the Chinese gymnasts. makropulus is right about the reported age of Yiling-in the chinese state press she was 13 years old, nine months ago.
Once she won team gold and questions were asked, the age was amended, web pages blocked etc. The Sports minister said something like 'we are a mere sports department, how could we change someones age?'
It asks a lot of questions. I predict the full story will come out in years to come and the medals reallocated.
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If I were the ref, I would give both Liukin and Yang the gold and both Tweddle and He the bronze. Even He Kexin herself think Yang performed better than her.
I don't know their real ages, but there's one story I can share with you. Last year in Edinburgh, I was told to show my ID for buying beers in a super-market named Somerfield. Since I'm already 27, I asked why naturally and they told me they needed to know if I was under 18. As an ethnic Chinese, believe it or not, we do have a younger face than Westerners when we're young. That might be the reason all Chinese gymnasts look like 13 yo.
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Beth - you were brilliant. To go for the hardest routine ever shows guts and commitment and I for one was roaring at the TV in support. It's trite to say "you deserved a medal" but you really really did! Well done.
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Even though Tweddle might not show up as a competitor in the 2012 Olympics, I hope she will continue exerting her positive influence in the sport even then. She took a great risk with her routine, and it was a great. Never mind what several numbers say in the end.
Along the lines of what derekjoe said; I also get carded before buying alcohol and I'm way past the minimum age (my entire family is ethnically Chinese and looks young for their age....even my mum got carded...awkward.) Not proof that Yang might be 16, but the possibility is there....
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"However, her chance of an Olympic medal is gone - she'll be 27 by the time London 2012 comes along, which is pretty ancient in gymnastics terms."
I'll admit that a lot of female gymnasts are incredibly young, and reach their peak at around 19/20, but are you forgetting Oksana Chusovitina? She won vault silver this week at the "ancient" age of 33 - she first competed in the 92 Olympics. I'm sure if Beth really wants to compete in London 2012, she will even if it is only on Bars.
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Weren't Daley and Comaneci 14?
Anyway, Asian people have always looked young for their age (some of them look old too).
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Well done Tweddle!
I believe she has the medal chance in 2012 and more Britons will be involved in gymnastics next time.
Most East Asians look quite young even at their 30s and the age topic is somehow speculative. epochtimes.com as far as I know, is anti-China and not to mention its slanderous free newspaper that is impairing London's environment.
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To be fair, I think Yang deserved a gold and He a silver. Tweddle and Liukin should share a bronze.
The way I see, because Liukin was forced to settle for the silver due to the tie break procedure and in order to avoid another incidence, Yang's performance was obviously underscored.
He Kexin was the first one to do her routine in the final, her performance was underscored because of that. This is a well-known secret in the gymnastics competition.
As to Tweddle, she was obviously underscored to avoid another tie break.
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All those girls in the final delivered absolute fantastic performance, and this certainly shows clearly in the marks which are so close to each other.
As why Liukin didn't get a gold, if you look at individual score closely, she got 9.0, 9.30, 9.0, 8.8, 9.0, 9.10; while Kexin got 9.30, 9.10, 9.10, 8.90, 9.0, 8.90.
The 16.725 score they both got was adding from the marks given by Jury A (7.7) and Jury B (9.025), discarding the highest and the lowest scores given by jury team. But since it was a draw, I believe the judges then looking into each individual scores...which Kexin won by 0.10...hence the gold !
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Some fantastic routines and some highly questionable judging - to my eyes Liukin and the second Chinese gymnast performed more fluent routines than the gold medallist, and all were judged off the same difficulty level.
Beth was very unlucky not to at least tie for bronze - there were a couple of errors towards the end of the routine, but she did have the highest difficulty, so the question is was she more than 0.1 worse in execution than the medallists. Personally I fon't think she was.
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To Beth herself,
Well done. Bad luck. You tried your damnedest, gave it a really good lash, did something amazing and should be very proud.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
It may take some time, but congratulations to Miss Tweddle on her silver medal!
I feel terrible for He Kexin and Yang Yiling (and Jiang Yuyuan) but they're going to get their medals taken away.
I wonder what all this fraud, from the Chinese gymnasts, coaches, and CCP (plus the passport office!) is going to mean in the future... will China's gymnastics federation be barred from future Olympics? What about the next generation of Chinese gymnasts... will they even be allowed to compete?
It's clear that despite the internet-scrubbing and fake passports these three girls are ineligible due to their age.
Those are the rules, and they've been caught cheating.
Look at the details here (http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/08/busted-china-caught-cheating-female.html) and here (http://sports.commongate.com/post/Documents_Reveal_Underage_Chinese_Gymnast) and here (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-flumenbaum/scandal-of-the-ages-docum_b_118842.html) and here (http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/china/hacker-finds-proof-chinese-gold-winners-are-underage-3089.html) if you're not already convinced that the Chinese government isn't beyond reproach.
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Well done Beth - you are a true Olympian, especially at 23! Most don't compete after 17...
Beth has finally brought the least weekly publicised sport to the masses. Hopefully now, British and Irish gymnastics will get a bit more airtime, print space and money!!! We have talent but it isn't worth anything without the staff to coach them or the equipment to train on.
London 2012 will be our true test and hopefully we can deliver. Beth and Louis will help make sure of that.
Medal or no medal, Beth is an inspiration to us all.
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