BRINN Bevan admitted to shedding a few tears after seeing his team-mate Max Whitlock win two Olympic gold medals in Rio.

Bevan – who competed alongside Whitlock in the team final in Brazil – was in the stands to see the 23-year-old win both the floor and pommel finals.

And Bevan, who lives in Thundersley, feels Whitlock’s immense work-rate was behind his historic performances.

“I believe the term on the street is ‘Magic Max’ but in fact it’s quite the opposite,” said Bevan, who trains alongside Whitlock at the South Essex Gymnastics Club in Basildon.

“Max is the hardest working person I know.

“There is no magic behind his success, it’s all down to how much work he puts in.

“But he was just incredible and I may have shed a few tears watching.

“He has been a great role model for me over the years and I’m so proud of him.”

Whitlock’s first gold came on the floor, where he scored 15.633 to secure a shock victory, before he also triumphed on the pommel horse.

Whitlock’s 15.966 saw him edge out team-mate Louis Smith.

Echo:

Brinn Bevan - delighted for Max Whitlock

And Bevan was thrilled to see Whitlock work his way into the history books as Britain’s first gymnast to win Olympic gold “Max hasn’t made history once, he has made it three times in less than a week,” said Bevan.

“He made it twice twice in the space of 90 minutes on Sunday by winning gold on floor and gold on pommel.

“But he also did it by winning bronze in the all around as well.

“Max is an absolute inspiration to all,” the former Deanes School pupil added.

Whitlock’s other club-mates, Reiss Beckford, Jay Thompson and Hayden Skinner all watched the finals together in Basildon.

And Beckford, who has trained alongside Whitlock for more than 10 years, was delighted by his double gold.

“We have grown up together, so to see Max achieve a life-long dream makes me extremely proud,” said Beckford.

“We all watched it together at Hayden’s house and the atmosphere was absolutely amazing.

“Watching it all together made it very special and it was extremely emotional for us.”

And Beckford has also been inspired by Whitlock’s triumph.

“Max is a huge inspiration to everyone around him,” said Beckford.

“He has shown that it is possible to achieve whatever you want to achieve.”