JOE Fraser is making sure to stop and smell the roses on his Olympic debut and a fourth-place finish in the men’s team final was a pretty sweet scent. 

The Birmingham gymnast joined fellow Olympic newbies James Hall and Gianni Regini-Moran, as well as ‘father figure’ Max Whitlock, in helping Team GB to fourth place in the team event – matching the result from Rio 2016. 

Whitlock’s spectacular pommel horse routine on the final rotation saw the Brits leapfrog USA and while the top three of the Russian Olympic Committee, Japan and China were some way clear, Hall’s consistency on all six apparatus was pivotal to the final total. 

He cleared 14 points on every piece except the floor, boding well for his tilt at the individual all-around final on Wednesday, and the 22-year-old admits he gets more nervous when competing in the team environment. 

“Team finals are always very nerve-wracking,” said Hall. “You want your best for your friends and your teammates who you class as brothers because you’ve trained together for so long. 

“I do feel that pressure because I want to do well for them. Performing under that pressure makes you feel amazing. It’s great fun and being out there with friends you class as family is always great. 

“I’m over the moon with my performances so far at the Olympics. I’m trying to take them all in my stride, enjoy the moments. 

“Every second I’m out there, I’m trying to make the most of because I’ve done 17 years of gymnastics to get here. 

“For this two-week period, I’m soaking up every second I can. In the all-around final I plan to enjoy myself, go for broke and see what happens.” 

Over in the pool, Freya Anderson made a strong start to her individual programme, having already appeared in a maiden Olympic final in her debut Games.  

The 20-year-old rising star was part of the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay that finished fifth and comfortably booked her place in the semi-finals of the 200m freestyle.  

Her time of 1:56.96 was good enough for 11th place and now the plan is to build from here after getting a taste of the action in the relays.  

She said: “It was alright. It’s good for heat so hopefully I can improve in the semi-final.    

 “It was a good way to start as a relay and getting my first individual out of the way is pretty good. Hopefully I can get faster in each round.  

“These Games have been long time coming but everything feels amazing but also very safe. It’s going well.”   

Her teammate Cassie Wild was not as successful in the 100m backstroke, going out at the semi-final stage.   

The 20-year-old was always a long shot to get through in one of the most competitive races at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.  

The Olympic record has already fallen four times between the heats and the semi-finals, and Wild’s time of 1:00.20 was only good enough for 14th spot, much to her disappointment.  

“I’m a bit gutted. I wanted to go a bit quicker, I knew it was going to be tough to make the final but I wanted to progress from the heat,” she said.   

“I’ve just got to move on and focus on the 200m.”   

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