Jake Jarman takes vault gold at World Gymnastics Championships
The 21-year-old is the first British gymnast ever to achieve the feat.
Britain’s Jake Jarman claimed Britain’s first medal of the World Gymnastics Championships with gold in the men’s vault in Antwerp.
The 21-year-old from Peterborough is the first British gymnast ever to claim the vault world title.
Jarman is the only gymnast in the world performing the Yonekura vault and he scored a huge 15.4 for that before being awarded 14.7 for his second vault, giving him an overall score of 15.05.
“It’s doesn’t feel real yet,” said Jarman. “I just can’t believe it. I was definitely nervous competing, especially for that first vault. As soon as I landed that first vault, instantly I shut all my emotions down.
“I’m just super proud to be able to perform the way I did today under that stress and that pressure. It gives me a huge confidence boost, especially leading up to next year.”
The event had been somewhat disappointing for Britain prior to Jarman’s success, with the women’s and men’s teams both missing out on medals while Max Whitlock came off the apparatus during his pommel horse final.
Simone Biles claimed her third and fourth gold medals of the week on the beam and the floor, adding to team and all-around success.
Biles’ beam routine scored her 14.8, which was enough to finish ahead of China’s Zhou Yaqin and Rebeca Andrade.
She then claimed her second gold of the day on the floor with a score of 14.633 points, ahead of Andrade (14.5) and Flavia Saraiva (13.966), to round off a hugely successful return following her two-year break.
