Great Britain's men's gymnastics team qualify for the team finals at the Olympics

As day one of the Paris Olympics 2024 got under way, it was already a medal worthy day for a number of athletes. But for the men's gymnastics teams, it was all about qualifying to get into the finals. Of course, this is also a chance for the men to show off their skills in a bid to get into the individual all-around event as well.

For team Great Britain, this was a chance to shine. And shine they did. Not only did they end up at the top of their sub-division, but they were in third place overall before the final sub-division competed. This meant that even with another sub-division competing, they could not be pushed out of the top eight, which is what they needed for a chance to compete in the finals.

The men's gymnastics team for Great Britain did so well in their qualifying performances that they actually placed above the U.S. men's team, which was three whole points below them. Team GB ended with 256.561, versus team US which earned 253.229 after falls and bobbles from the only member of the team who had previously competed at the Olympics.

The men's gymnastics team from Great Britain gets into the finals with a strong performance in the qualifying round

With the team GB men competing for just their second ever Olympic medal in the men's team gymnastics, after earning a bronze in 2012, this has to be a great moment for these men. While the men were asked if there was any type of rivalry against team USA, Max Whitlock, who is at his fourth Olympics, shared "A lot of people have asked me that question in terms of ‘How’s it feel to be above the U.S.?' To be honest, you take it with a pinch of salt. I think it’s really important to kind of just think about our job."

It is exciting to see team Great Britain taking on this challenge at the Olympics and shining. And we can't wait to see how they handle the team final. Here's hoping another medal is in their very near future.