Louis Smith has singled out fellow Brits Max Whitlock and Daniel Keatings as his main rivals for the gold medal in the Commonwealth Games pommel horse final.
Smith, on his return to competitive gymnastics after two years away from the sport, qualified for the pommel final with a score of 15.700, which was 0.33 less than his England teammate Whitlock. Scotland's Keatings was a long way off with 14.533, but third-best and is expected to improve.
"I think it's going to be really close between me, Max and Dan," Smith, who won pommel horse gold in the 2006 Games, exclusively told Sports Mole. "Dan didn't do the nicest routine yesterday but if he neatens up then it can be a very close final."
Smith is back competing for the first time since he retired soon after the London 2012 Olympic Games, where he just missed out on gold in the pommel final and Whitlock took the bronze.
"I'm the one playing catch-up," he added. "I can openly admit that Max and Dan, when they go through their routines, are in a better state than I am.
"I've only been training since January. I'm the older one, I'm the 25-year-old - I'll be getting grey hairs soon - but I'm playing catch-up, we'll see how it goes. It'll be good fun."
The six apparatus finals take place on Thursday at Glasgow's SSE Hydro, with the individual all-around final, which Whitlock is favourite to win, tomorrow.
Earlier today, Smith and England all but secured the team gold medal for the first time since 2002.
Pascal Lemesre
