China claimed the first gold medal of the world gymnastics championships in Doha on Monday, edging out Russia in the men’s team final by the narrowest of margins.
On a day of high drama, the Chinese finished on 256.634 points, with the Russians on 256.585.
The Japanese took bronze with 253.744 points.
The nail-biting contest went down to the wire with Russia’s Nikita Nagornyy, the final competitor of the evening, needing to score 13.782 on the high bar.
In almost total silence, the Russian completed what looked like a gold medal-winning performance for his team.
But after an anxious wait for his score, he fell agonisingly short with a mark of 13.733, seemingly marked down for an error on a handstand.
The win was greeted by huge cheers from Chinese fans in Doha’s Aspire Dome.
It had looked like Russia would snatch gold after the gymnast immediately before Nagornyy - China’s Xiao Ruoteng - scored a relatively low 12.600 after falling off the high bar.
But ultimately the Russians could not take advantage.
Adding to the tension, the teams competed side by side as they were paired with each other on the same apparatus throughout the competition.
Japan took bronze despite a strong challenge from the Americans, meaning a 20th world championship medal for superstar Kohei Uchimara, who was watched on by his family.
The US team finished fourth on 252.994.
Britain’s hopes of a medal took a tumble - literally - when Brinn Bevan took a nasty fall from the high bar.
Although he was able to complete his routine, Britain fell from the bronze medal position as a result and eventually finished fifth.
