Great Britain men's gymnasts finish fourth at World Championships, miss early Olympic spot

Great Britain's men's artistic gymnastics team finished fourth in the team final at the World Championships in Rotterdam, narrowly missing out on early qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Only the top three teams in the final were guaranteed a place at the Games.

Japan, the defending champions, won gold with a score of 251.928. Russia took second place and China was third.

How the final unfolded

The British squad consisted of Courtney Tulloch, Joe Fraser, Jake Jarman, Harry Hepworth and Reuben Ward. They had reached the final in second place and ended it with a total of 247.395 points.

The British were leading after four of the six rotations, the changes between apparatus. In the closing stages, however, Japan, Russia and China all improved their performances, and Britain fell just short of holding on to a medal position.

Next chance

Great Britain still has an opportunity to earn an Olympic place. The next attempt will come at the 2027 World Championships in Chengdu, China, where any team finishing in the top nine will secure a spot in Los Angeles.