Berki thwarts Louis Smith's gold medal dream

Hungary’s Krisztian Berki competes during the men’s pommel horse final of the artistic gymnastics event of the London Olympic Games at the 02 North Greenwich Arena in London. Berki won the gold medal.

LONDON - Hungary’s Krisztian Berki won the men’s Olympic pommel horse final on Sunday, preventing Louis Smith from claiming Great Britain’s first ever artistic gymnastics gold medal by the finest of margins.

Berki and Smith finished on the same score — 16.066 points — but reigning world champion Berki was awarded the gold medal as his execution score of 9.166 was 0.100 points higher than Smith’s.

“I’m very happy, but I have no idea what happened,” said Berki. “Maybe tomorrow I will realise that I won the Olympics.

“When I saw Louis Smith’s performance, I thought that he could win, because it was quite a strong exercise.”

Louis Smith competes on the pommel horse during the Olympic men’s team event. Team GB took silver and bronze medals in the individual pommel horse event.

A bronze medallist in Beijing four years ago, Smith took silver, with his British team-mate Max Whitlock winning the bronze medal.

With Prince William’s wife Catherine looking on, Smith met the announcement of his score with a look of complete disbelief.

Nonetheless, six days on from the hosts’ shock bronze medal in the team final, the presence of two home gymnasts on the podium represented another breakthrough moment for the sport in Britain.

Despite his disappointment at missing out on a gold medal, Smith paid tribute to Berki.

“We are great rivals, but we are good friends as well,” he said.

“If I was going to be beat by anyone apart from Max, then Krisztian is that guy. He will go down as one of the greatest pommel horse riders ever, and the fact that I came second to him is something I’m proud of.”

Italy’s Alberto Busnari was the early leader in the final before losing top spot to the 19-year-old Whitlock, who drew huge cheers from the crowd by scoring 15.600 to leap to the top of the standings.

His lead lasted only a matter of minutes, however, as the long-limbed Berki teamed an elegant routine with an immaculate dismount to move into first place.

Smith took to the pommel horse last, to huge roars from the crowd at the North Greenwich Arena, but despite a flawless routine, he was to miss out on gold in agonising fashion.