Medal of the day: The golden shock of Spanish acrobatic gymnasts Juan Daniel Molina and Jose Moreno
There was hardly a still moment inside Dong’an Lake Gymnasium, as the venue pulsated with the cheers, celebrations and joy of athletes and fans alike.
With medals on offer across four events in both acrobatic and trampoline gymnastics, the stakes were high, and it showed on the faces of those involved.
The first highlight of the evening came in the form of a historic moment, when Belgium’s Brent Deklerck became the first athlete from his nation to claim men’s double-mini trampoline title.
However, the atmosphere reached a near fever-pitch when the trio of Ding Wenyan, Gu Quanjia and Ma Yixing claimed a popular home gold medal in the women’s acrobatic gymnastics group event.
But nothing could beat the raw emotion on display in the men’s pairs competition, where Spain’s Juan Daniel Molina and Jose Moreno delivered the performance of lifetime to claim an unexpected gold medal in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
“We felt confident,” Moreno told the FIG. “But with the boys who we are competing with, we never know what is going to happen.”
The pair went first in the final, and could only watch on as the next three pairings tried to best their score. It was an excruciating wait, but one well worth the stress in the end. At least, that’s what Molina and Moreno’s screams of obsolete joy would suggest.
“We are proud of our work,” added Moreno. “At the moment we are on a cloud, because we still can’t believe we’ve won.”