SCOTT Hann insists Max Whitlock’s pommel horse victory at the British Championships did not deserve to be criticised by his main domestic rival.

Louis Smith hit out at the judges on social media after finishing behind the Basildon based Whitlock in their eagerly anticipated showdown in Liverpool on Sunday.

But Hann, who coaches Whitlock at the South Essex Gymnastics Club, felt the judges’ decision should not have been questioned.

“I saw both of the routines and they were both outstanding performances from two world class gymnasts," said Hann. 

“There were eight judges there making the call and it’s up to them to who wins.

“It’s certainly not up to me, Louis or Max to make the decision or for them to be challenged either.

“If the decision had gone against Max then we would have respected and honoured what they decided to do.”

Whitlock, who started with a higher degree of difficulty than Smith, finished in first with a fine score of 16.35 to claim gold ahead of Smith who scored 16.1.

But Hann acknowledged it must have been a difficult decision to make.

“Being a judge is a very stressful job, especially when you have the two best in the world going up against each other like that,” said Hann.

“Max did make one small mistake in his routine but he had a higher start score than Louis so that made the difference.”

And Hann also revealed Smith had chosen not to appeal against the verdict made on the day.

“There is a process appeal available for gymnasts who feel hard done by,” said Hann.

“All I know is that there were no appeals put in on Sunday.”

Smith instead chose to vent his fury on social media.

And, after retweeting several messages saying he should have won, Smith wrote: “Just watched my pommel final back. If I'm to get selected for Rio I need to keep my mouth shut. But seriously, in my own country.”

Whitlock’s pommel horse victory capped a fine weekend for the 23-year-old who also won the all-around final with a stunning 92.7 The winning score surpassed the mark achieved by Japanese great Kohei Uchimura in both his 2012 Olympic triumph and his sixth world title win in Glasgow last year.

And Whitlock was thrilled to set an impressive new personal best.

"I'm really happy,” said the South Essex Gymnastics Club star.

“My preparation went well, the build-up was perfect and that's my personal best so I'm very happy to do it at the British Championships.”

"I felt good throughout the competition, I tried not to get ahead of myself by just focusing on the next piece, and I'm happy to have done it on all six pieces on the right day.

“I've never even hit that score in training so to do it at such an important championships and win the gold is brilliant."