Joe Fraser falls short of medal - but secures victory of the spirit at Paris 2024

For the second time in three nights at the Bercy Arena, a place on the podium remained frustratingly elusive.

But this occasion, the men’s all-around final, was never really about that anyway.

Monday’s team final, when Fraser and GB finished fourth, was the one which got away.

The former Sandwell College student went into Wednesday’s event with little expectation, nothing to lose and duly threw the kitchen sink into his performance.

“I left everything out there,” the 25-year-old later reflected.

Heading into the last of six rotations, he retained hope of a medal thanks in large part to a brilliant routine on the parallel bars.

In reality, it needed a couple of the men ahead of him to slip up and open the door. None did. Japan’s Shinnosuke Oka claimed gold, pipping China’s Zhang Boheng, who paid a heavy price for a nasty fall on the floor early on.

Boheng’s team-mate Xiao Ruoteng took bronze, with Fraser back in fifth.

So no medal, yet an undoubted victory of the spirit.

The past two years since becoming the first ever British man to become European all-around champion have been rough for Fraser, who finished ninth at the last Olympics in Tokyo three years ago.

At one point, as he struggled through a washout 2023 season in which he was unable to compete at all due to injury, he feared he might have to quit.

Even now, the shoulder on which he had surgery 18 months ago, from which it took so long to recover, is having to be managed. Fraser later revealed the team physio was following him around the Arena.

Throw in the fact it was only three months ago he finished 52nd in the all-around competition at the European Championships and this felt very much the comeback.

“To now finish fifth in an Olympic Games, I couldn't be prouder,” he said.

“For me, it was all about having fun today. Obviously, I was really disappointed after the team final.

“I was praying that we could do enough, but it wasn't to be. So today I just thought: 'I've got nothing to lose today, let me just go for everything.'

“I tried extra on the landings on floor. I tried more on pommel.

“Rings, I gave it everything - the shoulder's been playing up for the last 18 months and we're still managing to pull out a 14 score.

“Vault, I just gave it everything, tried to stick the landing. Parallel bar, I just did what Joe Fraser usually does.

“And then high bar, just tried to soak up the crowd a little bit and give a bit of a show. So I'm pretty proud.”

There could be no disputing that summary of Fraser’s competition. From that opening routine on the floor he was always in the mix and when defending champion Daiki Hashimoto then fell off the pommel horse, for the second time in three days, to pretty much end his hopes before the night had really begun, you wondered whether the stars might be aligning for Fraser or GB team-mate Jake Jarman, who eventually finished seventh.

Fraser finished the parallel bars with a pump of the fists and after then sticking his landing on the horizontal bar, roared “come on!” into the distance.

But Oka, who established himself early as the man to beat, did not flinch. Zhang, meanwhile, performed an impressive comeback to take second and for a few moments, before his horizontal bar score was announced, he seemed to think he might snatch gold.

But he fell short and the photographers who had gathered around him quickly switched to Oka. Fraser, standing to the side, wore almost as big a grin as the winner.

His Paris experience might not be over yet. Fraser is first reserve for Monday’s parallel bars final and is ready for action, if required.

“I think it's time to give the shoulder a rest, in the situation that I do not have to do P-bars on Monday,” he said, before adding with a grin. “But if I do have to do P-bars on Monday, then I'll give it a rest after Monday!”

Fraser has been through too much to consider his long-term ambitions. Asked if the all-around final might now be a target for LA 2028, he replied: “I think for me it's probably body-dependent.

“The all-around is probably my second favourite competition behind the team final.

“If my body allows me to continue doing all-around and I can still continue to push because in Great Britain we've got some great all-arounders and if I start falling down the ranks, then obviously I won't be put forward for that.

“For me, it's body dependent. So I'll see how the next year or so goes and go from there.”

For now, he’s just delighted to be back.