Daniel Purvis took inspiration from team-mate Daniel Keatings’ landmark Gold medal winning performance yesterday to claim a Gold of his own in today’s Parallel Bars final.
Purvis struck Gold in the second Individual Apparatus Final of the day, the Parallel Bars an apparatus both he and team mate Frank Baines were confident of medalling on. After outstanding performances by GB team mates Max Whitlock and Nile Wilson, Frank Baines delivered an excellent routine with double pike dismount to score 14.866, putting him into the medal positions with three gymnasts to go. Purvis was the last competitor to compete on this apparatus and knew that only a score higher than Baines would see him take his place on the podium. Daniel upped his difficulty to a 6.5 start value and it paid off, he delivered his routine with aplomb scoring a massive 15.533 to win the Gold medal.
“I am just over the moon to be honest,” said Purvis after his win. “Coming in today I didn’t expect to get Gold, just to get another medal in front of a home crowd would be fantastic, I am absolutely over the moon. Daniel Keatings done fantastic, I tried to repeat that today. He told me yesterday he just went for everything and that’s what I tried to do today. It was a strong final, I am just really happy.
“It has just been great all round for the sport and gymnastics and for people watching, everyone is just pushing each other, there’s so many people that could have won a medal in this competition and I think that is just great for the sport. To do it in front of a home crowd, so proud to do it for my family, the crowd has been absolutely fantastic and to finish off with a Gold medal has just been as fantastic as the Olympics.”
This was Scotland’s 5th and final Gymnastics medal, with 19 year old Baines coming closest to adding to this tally with two 4th places and a 5th.
In the day’s opening event, the Vault, Adam Cox was the first to compete for Scotland. He executed his first vault well and his second vault, with a lower difficulty value, was executed with even greater success. He nailed the landing, giving him a score of 13.274 and ensuring he ended the competition, and his career, with a smile on his face.
“I finished the first vault and I was pleased I landed, said Cox. “Then I thought to myself, ‘take your time, soak it all in and do a nice vault you know that you can land and make the most of it.’ The final for me was also a massive bonus. I loved being up there. It was always going to be my job, as one of the more experienced athletes, to go out, be first on the apparatus and set the routine, put in a solid performance and relax the competitors that followed, so that they could go out there and get great results. With the number of medals we have won and finals we have reached I feel like I have done my job.
“What an experience Glasgow 2014 has been. I came out retirement for exactly that reason, for a great experience, to be part of this team, which has been a real honour and to win medals, which was unbelievable.
Frank Baines was next to go, opting for a Tsukahara with two and a half twists, but had an unfortunate fall on landing. Not distracted by his fall, Baines went for higher difficulty on his second vault and delivered it exceptionally well, a slight step out on landing leaving him with a total score of 14.016. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough for a podium finish, finishing in 5th place.
The High Bar Apparatus final was to bring to a close the Artistic Gymnastics with Daniel Keatings and Frank Baines aiming to end with a podium finish. Keatings was looking to replicate the performance he delivered in qualification but unfortunately there was no additional success as a fall meant he scored 13.366. Baines brought down the curtain on Team Scotland’s Gymnastics involvement at Glasgow 2014, delivering a solid routine with a textbook stuck landing to score 14.566 putting him into a Silver medal position with three gymnasts to go. The next competitor Kristian Thomas of England delivered an exceptional routine to push Frank into Bronze position with two gymnasts to go, where he stayed until the final competitor of the event, Canada’s Kevin Lytwyn, delivered a score of 14.866 to knock him into Fourth position.
The High Bar concluded the Artistic Gymnastics at Glasgow 2014 and Team Scotland Gymnasts’ most successful Commonwealth Games to date. Scotland finished with a total of five medals; Team Silver; Two Individual Gold Medals on Pommel Horse and Parallel Bars; an Individual All Around Silver medal and an Individual Bronze on Rings.

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