Louis Smith is a gymnast who has competed for Great Britain. He competed at the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Smith is highly regarded as one of the most successful gymnasts in the nation's Olympic history without a single gold, winning a total of four medals (two silver and two bronze). At his first Olympics in 2008, he secured a bronze medal in the men's pommel horse, becoming the first British man to ascend the Olympic podium in an individual gymnastics event since Walter Tysall received a silver over a century ago. He also set a historic record as the first British gymnast to win an Olympic medal since the women's team secured a podium spot with a bronze at Amsterdam 1928. He joined Jair Lynch of the United States as the only black male gymnasts to have claimed an Olympic medal.
When his country hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics, Smith was heavily favored to win a gold medal in his signature routine. He tied for the top spot with Krisztián Berki in the final but a higher execution score handed the latter a gold, with Smith accepting the silver. He also helped the British men secure a podium spot with a bronze in the team all-around for the first time in a century.
In 2013, Smith retired from competitive gymnastics until he returned a year later to prepare for his third Olympic bid. He was officially selected to the British men's gymnastics team at Rio de Janeiro 2016. He repeated the same feat from London in the men's pommel horse this time behind his teammate Max Whitlock by a tenth-point margin of the total score, handing the medal haul for the British men with a 1–2 finish. With a historic feat, Smith succeeded Marius Urzică as the second gymnast to win individual medals in the same event at three consecutive Olympiads.
Olympic Results[]
Year | Event | Result |
---|---|---|
2008 | Men's individual all-around | 41st |
Men's floor | 70th | |
Men's parallel bars | 73rd | |
Men's horizontal bar | 56th | |
Men's rings | 69th | |
Men's pommel horse | ||
2012 | Men's team | |
Men's horizontal bar | 64th | |
Men's pommel horse | ||
2016 | Men's team | 4th |
Men's pommel horse |
2008[]
Discipline | Stage | Score |
---|---|---|
Individual all-around | Qualification | 85.325 |
Final | Did not advance | |
Floor | Qualification | 13.700 |
Final | Did not advance | |
Parallel bars | Qualification | 13.425 |
Final | Did not advance | |
Horizontal bar | Qualification | 14.175 |
Final | Did not advance | |
Rings | Qualification | 13.325 |
Final | Did not advance | |
Pommel horse | Qualification | 15.325 |
Final | 15.725 |
2012[]
Discipline | Stage | Score |
---|---|---|
Team | Qualification | 272.420 (28.833) |
Final | 269.603 (15.966) | |
Horizontal bar | Qualification | 13.033 |
Final | Did not advance | |
Pommel horse | Qualification | 15.800 |
Final | 16.066 |
2016[]
Discipline | Stage | Score |
---|---|---|
Team | Qualification | 268.670 (15.700) |
Final | 269.752 (14.766) | |
Pommel horse | Qualification | 15.700 |
Final | 15.833 |
Gymnastics 2016 • Men's artistic team event |
---|
Brinn Bevan |
Louis Smith |
Kristian Thomas |
Max Whitlock |
Nile Wilson |