James Hall warmed up for the Commonwealth Games perfectly by securing a bronze medal in the men’s all-around final at the Gymnastics World Cup in Birmingham.
Hall produced when it mattered most, finishing with a 14.233 on the floor to narrowly edge out Great Britain team-mate Dominick Cunningham by one point.
The 22-year-old was under pressure from Cunningham and China’s Wei Sun heading into the final round but his bravery was rewarded with a clean routine.
Japan’s Shogo Nonomura took gold, just edging out Russia’s Nikita Nagornyy – who had led for much of the competition.
In front of a partisan crowd, Hall and Cunningham made impressive starts at Arena Birmingham – with Hall scoring 13.600 on the pommel horse, with Cunningham following with a 13.033.
Hall just kept his nose ahead on the rings with a 14.033 putting him in second position but Cunningham’s 13.933 kept him within touching distance back in fifth.
And the tides turned on the vault, where Cunningham’s incredible 14.833 catapulted him into third at the half-way stage while Hall fell to fifth.
Nagornny by this stage was over one point clear at the top and seemingly heading for victory.
Hall maintained his consistency with a 13.866 on the parallel bars and 13.833 on the high bar – beating Cunningham, who was forced to re-adjust and settle for a 12.700.
That gave Hall a 0.299 lead over China’s Sun, with Cunningham a further 0.534 back, and he did not ease up as he claimed third place to give him huge confidence heading into the Commonwealth Games.
Sportsbeat 2018