MAX WHITLOCK MBE: HEAD OVER HEELS FOR LONGINES
It is fair to say that the UK has not always been famed for its success in gymnastics. A sport dominated through the 1970s and 1980s by China, Russia and the Eastern Bloc, the 1990s was a time when the US came to the forefront, but London 2012 and Rio 2016 saw the tide turn and witnessed a new generation of British gymnasts taking their place on the winners’ podium. As for what suddenly made our athletes so good, opinion is divided, but a new belief post-2012 that anything was possible definitely played its part.
“I think success breeds success,” says Max Whitlock, referencing the incredible GB medal haul at the London Olympics. “When I was young there were no gymnasts to look up to, but when people see what is possible and believe in themselves, it gives them hope. I wasn’t a kid who looked at world-class sport – I never really thought about it because it wasn’t something that happened. I didn’t look at that level of success until I was 16 or 17. But now people see that it is achievable. At my gym, we have five-year-olds with ambitions to be world champions. Sometimes today, you see kids who
