Dylan Schmidt was unable to repeat his medal-winning efforts from Tokyo. Photo / Photosport
By Kris Shannon in Paris
Moments after Dylan Schmidt crashed to the floor, three years of work ruined and an Olympic dream wrecked, he rose with a smile and waved to the crowd.
Waved, in particular, to one member of the crowd.
“I had an absolute shocker, probably the worst you could do,” said Schmidt, having come off the trampoline during his one and only attempt in the men’s final at Bercy Arena.
“But no matter what, going into this event, going into any major event, I try and just be proud of myself and happy with whatever the result.
“I tried to give a cheeky smile just to pretty much let Mum know that I’m okay and that I’m proud of myself.”
Under that smile, which drew a warm reception from 10,000 fans inside the arena, Schmidt’s pain was clear.
It wasn’t physical, despite the nasty tumble. It wasn’t wounded pride, as he signalled to his mum. It was an opportunity lost, an opportunity to leap back onto an Olympic podium, three years after introducing himself to New Zealand fans with a breakout bronze in Tokyo.
Schmidt winced as he awaited an irrelevant score from the judges, replaying in his mind what had just happened. And what exactly had happened?
In a broader sense, the 27-year-old had been desperate for a near-perfect routine, knowing perfection was likely required to edge one of the formidable trio who had qualified for the final with better scores.
Specifically, though, the search for answers was almost as difficult as the sequence of skills he had been attempting to execute.
“I put it all out there. I was pushing,” Schmidt said. “I knew I needed to push hard to get onto that podium. Those boys are incredible athletes, had some big scores. I went out there pushed hard and it didn’t come off.
“It’s hard to explain what went wrong – it all happened so quickly. Sometimes, it doesn’t even feel like anything went wrong, and then you’re on the bloody floor. It’s obviously devastating.”
That emotion must have been exacerbated by the opening that had presented itself before Schmidt’s miscue.
Reigning Olympic champion Ivan Litvinovich was undoubtedly on another level, as superior as Simone Biles had been the night before inside the same venue.
The Belarusian won his first world championship aged 18 and defended that crown in 2021. He was barred from the next two events, owing to his country’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and competing as a neutral athlete in Paris he retained his title with a score of 63.090.
Zisai Wang, an 18-year-old from China, also separated himself in silver with 61.890. But bronze looked a battle between Schmidt and Langyu Yang of China, the two world champions in Litvinovich’s absence.
Yang jumped in the final immediately before Schmidt, recording a score of 60.950. The Kiwi’s best qualifying mark earlier in the evening had been 60.810 and he felt primed to improve.
Then, calamity struck, the sudden-death format unforgiving.
“We don’t get another chance, we don’t get much time – we’ve just got to deliver on the day,” Schmidt said. “I was feeling really good, body was feeling good, just disappointed I couldn’t deliver.
“I’ve got more in me; I know I can do better. It’s super frustrating. But, hey, that’s sport. It’s tough and the margins are so small. I had to give it everything to get onto the podium and obviously came up short.”
Still, Schmidt gleaned consolation from three things in the aftermath of his personal woe.
First, the chance to head to Golf National this weekend and support compatriot Ryan Fox in the culmination of the men’s tournament.
Second, the “incredible pride” he felt in the performance of his partner Maddie, who earlier in the day had reached the final and finished seventh in the women’s trampoline.
And finally, despite it ending with a thud, this second Olympic journey would be remembered no less fondly than the first.
“Even in Tokyo, when I came third, it’s such a small part of our journey as athletes,” Schmidt said. “The 20 seconds was great and getting the medal is awesome. But looking back at the time training and the build-up and how hard I pushed myself and how hard I trained and how hard I worked, that’s the memories that will stick with me.
“Not the floor.”
Kris Shannon has been a sport journalist since 2011 and covers a variety of codes for the Herald.
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