The true people's champion, voted a winner by the great British public. He journeyed to become an entertaining dancer both technically and emotionally and as a home Olympics medal winner he won the hearts of the people.

Yes he is certainly the people's champion. Wonder what he'll do next.

Wouldn't be surprised if Cirque du Soleil were getting interested...

Won't he just go back to training for the next Olympics?

Doubt it - by the time Rio comes around he'll be pretty old for a top level gymnast & as an individual event specialist would be unlikely to make the team against the young all rounders we have coming through.

He won't be that old to return to Olympics its the girls that are finished early.


He won that competition on his show dance that was amazing and right at the end holding Flavia above his head and moving her to a cross position was amazing

I am delighted with Flavia and Louis' win - but more for Flavia than Louis. Louis was pretty good - but I am more impressed with Flavia. And team Flouvia did it when Flavia has not done it before.

I must say on paper Louis Smith's record as an Olympian is pretty mediocre. Same also with Tom Daley. And i won't question why Beckham featured in SPOTY 2012.

I don't understand how these two have won the plaudits despite not being world's best - i.e. Gold Medal winners.*

How many of the GB 29 Golds medal winners can FMs name without googling?

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* I hate the foreign term "medallist"

Mediocre! Good grief it's not so long ago that the whole team put together only did as well as Louis. How sad that such achievements are now merely 'mediocre'


Quite a lot thanks!

I would suggest that a bronze medal in 2008 and a silver this year ( missing the gold medal by the slimmest of margins) is not mediocre.

It says in the paper today that Louis was suffering from severe back problems but didn't want anyone to know as he didn't want people to think he was moaning. Apparently he was having physio before each dance last night. . I know he mentioned his back on ITT but he didn't make a night thing about it.

I am thrilled he won and having read that he certainly deserved it.

Yeah, medallist in every Games he's been too, in a sport that received no public funding from 2000-2007, & that GB hadn't ever had an individual male medallist in or won a team medal in since 1927. Absolutely wank, isn't he?

OK definitely not mediocre.

But can we agree on "Not Top 29 GB Olympian"?

How many people can name the bloke(s) that beat Louis to The Gold Medals in London and Beijing?

wow ... I don't comment often but your comment really disappointed me.

I watched him win silver and take the technical loss on the chin as a true sportsman. He had performed beautifully and still lost after 19 years of training.

Olympic ideals also promote respecting your opponents and dealing with losing. He behaved in such a gracious way and was so impressive.

Real role model - mediocre is the last word I'd use.

I will agree on 'Not Top 29 GB Olympian' and Krisztián Berki from Hungary pipped Louis on degree of difficulty (I think) as they both had the same scores, I will admit that I cannot recall the 2008 Olympic champion but I fail to see what relevance it has.

Xiao Qin & Kristian Berki. BTW Henry, if those scores had been replicated at any other competition like the World Championships or Grand Prix series, Louis would have a silver in Beijing & gold in London; it's only at the Olympics where it goes to tiebreaker as the IOC won't allow medals to be jointly awarded & have rather arbitrarily decided on the E score tiebreaker. Furthermore, you're sounding rather ignorant and incredibly bitter right now. Perhaps you should stop belittling other people's achievements, especially when you don't actually seem to understand anything about the sport he competes in.


Berki won on the execution score - his execution was 0.1 higher than Louis, Louis had 0.1 greater difficulty.

Louis Smith is a very good British athlete. But not one of Britain's best athletes.

I suspect that less that 0.01% (if that) of FMs could name Krisztián Berki without googling.


Hey where's this bitterness coming from?. Louis and Flavia were my favourites for SCD FWIW.

He is very good but just not one of Britain's few handfuls of world's best athletes. No big deal not being the absolute world's best. But let's not belittle all those Great British athletes who are indeed world's best by including those who are not. Credit to where it is due and not all those who lost out by a whisker.

The same as the culture of over-awarding A grade at GCSE English when a lot of them have dodgy grammar.

No seriously, you have no idea what you're talking about. He got the same score as the "best" guy. The exact same score, & at any other event, they'd both be gold medallists. You listen to any commentators on that event & they'd say there is nothing between them. They've both taken the discipline to a completely new level & are miles above the rest of the field. Furthermore, FIG have been lobbying the IOC to be allowed to award joint medals at the Olympics like they can at every other event. So yeah, at the Olympics he was the world's best jointly with Berki, and certainly not mediocre as you so charmingly stated at the start of your ill informed moaning.

Henry lets see you on a pommel horse and then call Louis' achievement as mediocre. It is disappointing that anyone can be so condescending towards another persons achievement.

After winning the dancing contest one doubts he will be pole vaulting for Britain at the next Winter Olympics in Brazil in 2016 . But one would like to congratulate him anyway on what he has achieved so far at such a young age .

HAHAHA Tom Daley was world champion when he was 15/16.
and Louis is the first male British Gymnast who got Olympic medal after god-knows how many years.

Poor Lisa didn't hold that title very long!

Indeed. Louis can spin around like a breakdancer and Lisa can only do one spin on the floor with a little help from her friend Robin.

The pommel horse is one of the most difficult elements to perfect as an Olympic sport; anyone who gets good enough to even make a national team (of any nationality) is quite amazing, to get an olympic medal of any colour is fantastic.

As for Rio, Louis has already said he has no intention of going.

Back to Strictly, I'm really pleased for him that he won. Thought some week the judges we unnecessarily hard on him - i.e. his paso, and, as we all know, of the 4 finalists, he was the only one without any dance or performance experience.

But what sold it for me was his Showdance. It was risky to do something relatively slow compared to the others, and only worked because he danced it so well; a class act. Congrats to him, and to Flavia who clearly had faith in him.

Also he did it all with a bad back which makes it even more admirable.