Five gold medals and a British title for city gymnast

City gymnast Jake Jarman was crowned a British champion at the weekend.
Jake Jarman at the British Championships.Jake Jarman at the British Championships.
Jake Jarman at the British Championships.

The 17 year-old Huntingdon Olympic Gymnastics Club member won the men’s Under 18 all-round title at the Artistic British Championships in Liverpool.

And completing a dominant display in a hotly-contested junior competition at the M&S Bank Arena, he also took home gold on vault, pommel horse and floor.

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The Deepings School student also showed off his skills when he took gold on vault in the men’s masters competition, when juniors are given the chance to compete against the top seniors, bringing his total to an impressive five gold medals.

The newly crowned British champion said: “It’s been such a great weekend - the highlight for me was the all-round competition. I had a good battle with my team-mates, and I got the top spot.

“Last year, the all-round didn’t go to plan for me, I came second which is still a good result, but I wanted to better myself and my hard work paid off this year. It feels amazing!”

Jarman turns senior this year and is set to have a bright future in gymnastics.

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“I have quite a few events coming up. I’m going to Doha this week to compete on floor and vault. I’m also working towards the Commonwealth Games in 2022 which is definitely one of my next big goals.”

The major event saw 490 participants from 91 clubs take part in the four-day gymnastics spectacular, with youngsters travelling from all across the UK to compete.

The age of the gymnasts taking part ranged from 11 to 33 years old. Competitors also included five-time Olympic medallist Max Whitlock MBE, who successfully defended his British pommel horse title. Also competing was former European champion and newly crowned British all-around champion Ellie Downie, along with four-time Commonwealth champion Claudia Fragapane, who returned from injury to take silver on floor.

Jane Allen, Chief Executive of British Gymnastics said: “It’s been a remarkable four days at this year’s Artistic British Championships in Liverpool. I’ve really enjoyed seeing so many of the established names sharing the Arena with up-and-coming stars.

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“The talent on display has been phenomenal and I’m very excited to see what the future looks like for gymnastics in Britain. Liverpool has once again staged an outstanding event and I’m thrilled that the city will play host to the World Championships when its staged in Britain in 2022.”

Gymnasts performed in front of a packed M&S Bank Arena, with the competition also broadcast live on the BBC.

The next major British Gymnastics event is the Gymnastics World Cup, which takes place in Birmingham on Saturday 23 March 2019 and will see the best nations in the world competing for glory. Visit www.gymnasticsworldcup.co.uk for more information.

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