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Surely the most heartwarming sight at these Commonwealth Games came shortly before lunchtime on Sunday, when a young English gymnast hobbled to his seat in the Glasgow International Arena.
Thirty-six hours earlier, Gabriel Langton had landed on his neck after a horror fall off the high bars, leaving many of his fellow gymnasts in tears. Now, despite spending 24 hours in hospital and sporting a fair few bruises, he was back at the scene – and determined to make himself heard.
He shouted for his English teammates, Luke Whitehouse and Adam Tobin, who finished seventh and fifth. And when it became clear they were not going to win, he urged on his British teammate Reuben Ward, competing for Scotland, to a brilliant individual all-around gold medal.
Ward had been one of those in tears on Friday night. And afterwards he remembered what the team’s physiotherapists had told him when it happened: “Do It For Gabe”.
“I went to Junior Europeans in 2022 with Gabe,” said Ward afterwards. “And I was there yesterday when he came back from the hospital and went to the Leonardo Hotel, where Team England is staying. I was there. I saw him. I clapped him in, gave him a hug. I’m just so glad he’s all right.
“Honestly, the other day in the team final when he was on the floor, that was very scary,” he added. “When we went to junior Europeans, he was 15, and he was just a kid then, and now he’s a man. And then he was on the floor. The physio came over, said, “Do it for Gabe”. I think about three of us on Team Scotland cried, including me.”
However this was a day when gymnastics offered another reminder of the perils of this wonderful sport, with Singapore’s Jovi Loh being taken away on a stretcher with what looked like serious knee injury.
The 18-year-old was finishing off his routine on the bars, but he didn’t stick his double front-half dismount and went down clutching his knee and grimacing in pain.
Ward’s words were echoed by Tobin, who said that he had also heard Langton shouting for him. “I didn’t actually see him, but I heard him,” he added. “I know what his voice sounds like. It’s great, and I think seeing him walk back into the hotel last night, fit and healthy, was great.
“He was shouting ‘Let’s go!’ and ‘keep it clean’. And it’s so great. In the span of two days, he’s gone through this incredibly scary, traumatic thing, and he’s here and he’s supporting me, Team England and Team Scotland as well. So I’m just so happy he’s doing great.”
Tobin also praised England’s coaches for keeping everyone calm amid the chaos.
“I mean we were all completely shocked, and the first thing that jumped into our head was ‘Is he OK?’ The coaches did a really good job of hiding us up, keeping us in a bubble, and just trying to keep our head scooted on because we still have a job to do. And then it became more than a medal. We were doing it for Gabe.
“It was a bit of a rollercoaster on the first day of competition. We walked away with a team medal, which I’m extremely happy about. And then from that point, I’ve had to calm myself down and build myself back up going into this competition today, so it’s been a bit of a new experience.”
Whitehouse, who had been the pre-competition favourite for gold, put on a brave face after finishing seventh. Three falls proved costly, including one doing a triple backflip on the floor, which is his signature move.
“Overall I’m pretty disappointed,” he said. “I didn’t start the competition the way I wanted, falling on the first three apparatus and the triple back – that’s pretty uncharacteristic for me. Then I just a silly mistake on the pommel with a dismount.”
However, Whitehouse was also able to put his disappointment into perspective. “It’s such a relief to know that Gabe’s OK and there’s no serious injuries, just bruising,” he said. “And to welcome him back to the hotel yesterday and present his medal to him, I couldn’t be prouder.”
Asked about his medal-winning performance on Friday after Langton’s fall, Whitehouse added: “I don’t know how I did it. It was a pretty horrific fall. I think you’ve just got to put that aside and just try not to think about it really.”
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