Alice Kinsella and GB fall agonisingly short of gymnastics bronze
They thought they had it.
For a few seconds, Alice Kinsella and her team-mates celebrated what they believed to be another improbable bronze for Great Britain in an Olympic women’s team gymnastics final.
Then the mathematical reality dawned, smiles turned to frowns, hands went from punching the air to being held on heads.
Tears were shed. Whether in joy or sorrow, it was hard to tell.
At the same time, in the middle of the Bercy Arena, Simone Biles brought home the win for the USA to roars from the crowd, most of whom had come to see one of the greatest athletes of all time claim a fifth Olympic gold.
Serena Williams, Michael Phelps and Bill Gates were among the 13,000 present. All press box seats were taken more than an hour before the start.
Pretty much everyone and everything else in this corner of Paris was playing second fiddle to Biles, back in the competition from which she withdrew in Tokyo three years ago when struggling with her mental health.
