After returning from a horrific training injury that broke both his legs last year, Canadian Kyle Shewfelt could be forgiven for thinking that his very presence in Beijing is an achievement in itself. Instead the defending floor exercise champion was promising to improve his performance after scoring a relatively modest 15.525 points on his chosen apparatus.
"I looked at the score and I thought it was a little bit low," said the 26-year-old, who spent three months in a wheelchair last year after his accident in the lead-up to the world championships in Stuttgart. "I think the judges need to recognise and reward someone who pays attention to the smallest of details, that's what makes gymnastics such a popular sport and so beautiful."
Shewfelt credited his teammates with his remarkable comeback and said he would not let his disappointing opening score prey on his mind. "You guys talk about my comeback, it was these guys who made it happen," he told reporters.
"I came here to achieve a personal victory and for my team and I did that, the rest I can't control and I try not to let that bother me." Shewfelt described his injury to Canadian public broadcaster CBC earlier this year. "I heard a cracking sound," he recalled. "I lay there for a moment then tried to straighten my legs. It took me ten minutes to do that.
"I finally made it out of the gym, but I was moving like Bambi. I didn't realize how badly I was injured until a few days later, after the MRI (medical scan). "They came in with a wheelchair and I thought 'That's a bad sign'." Shewfelt remained optimistic he could produce a top performance in the floor exercise finals next Sunday. "It will definitely be finals-worthy," he said. "The best is yet to come."