England secure team gold in men’s gymnastics with dominant performance

For the third Commonwealth Games in a row England are gold medallists in the men’s team competition, this time triumphing by 13.350 points. It is an outcome that was never in doubt and their success is becoming increasingly predictable but it was a result made even more meaningful by the number of deeply impressive performances from competitors both experienced and new.

No gymnast had a more spectacular day than Joe Fraser. A day before the team final Fraser, who hails from Birmingham, announced that he would not be able to compete in all six events. After undergoing emergency surgery on his ruptured appendix five weeks ago Fraser worked hard to be ready to compete in the all-around competition, where he would have been the favourite for a gold medal. Instead, despite his efforts, he fractured his right foot two weeks ago.

He dons a medical boot outside competition and each time he stepped off the podium, his limp was significant. Yet somehow Fraser was able to continue training on four different apparatuses, dropping out of only the floor exercise and vault, where constant pounding on the feet is unavoidable.

When the time came for Fraser to perform, despite his dire preparations, he thrived. In the second rotation he opened his day with one of the classiest pieces of gymnastics on show in Birmingham this year, working his way through a smooth, rhythmic and easy pommel horse routine that scored 14.650 for first place.

Fraser followed it up with a spotless routine on rings, scoring 14.450 for second place and sticking the landing on his fractured foot. He repeated the trick as he qualified second on parallel bars, his favourite discipline, and then he also stuck his dismount after an extremely clean high bar routine. At