“He knows possibly only five other guys can match his difficulty. What he needs to do is polish. Make that routine clean, make it perfect, that’s what we strive to do. It boils down to repetition.”
Whitlock said: “I came out here to try a big routine. That was the whole point of it, to gain more experience. I want to use this routine in as many major competitions as I can. Hopefully, in the future, I’ll feel more confident.”
Whitlock wants pommel horse gold, but he also harbours the ambition of becoming a pre-eminent all-around gymnast.
His fourth-place finish in an all-around final of exceptional calibre was an excellent world debut. He is already planning to “get straight back into it” in the gym.
“After competitions I write stuff down – the new skills I want when I get back, the things I need to work on,” he said.
“The more I watch [other gymnasts], the more I pick up little things. It really does help. I’m looking forward to getting back in the gym and trying some new stuff.”
While Whitlock works out how to maintain his remarkable rise, Kristian Thomas can celebrate his reward for years of largely unnoticed hard graft in the heart of the British men’s team.
When Britain won team bronze at London 2012 – just behind Japan – Thomas played a key role, contributing a huge vault score to the cause.
Now, for the first time, he reproduced that form as an individual on the world stage, vaulting to bronze in Sunday’s final – just as he had started to wonder if a world medal would ever come.
“Max Whitlock is a perfect example,” said the 24-year-old from Wolverhampton. “It’s his first World Championships and he came away with a medal. This is my fifth Worlds, and I’d never made a world final before now.
“I’m glad I made the most of it and didn’t waste a great opportunity.
“I want to go back into the gym and work hard on improving my second vault. If I can do that, that puts me right up there with the best in the world. I like to think this has put me in a good position moving towards the Rio Olympics.”
