Olympic gymnast from Peterborough has no regrets about the sacrifices he's made

Jake Jarman. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

Gunthorpe gymnast Jake Jarman admits to making big sacrifices while he chased his sporting dreams.

But the 22 year-old regrets none of them and multiple major championship medals plus a first Olympic appearance in Paris later this year has vindicated the tough decisions he was forced to make.

The Olympic gymnastics competition runs from July 27 to August 5 with Jarman’s specialist event, the vault, climaxing on August 4.

"Growing up and taking time out of school to spend time in the gym and really focus on my craft, it took away from my social life growing up a little bit," Jarman told the BBC.

Jake Jarman in action. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images).

"That was a personal choice of mine and I knew the consequences.

"There have been family events that I've missed out on because I might have a training camp or a competition, but I'd do it all over again - I don't regret one moment or decision that I've made."

Jarman joined Huntingdon Gym Club – the club his local idol and Olympic hero Louis Smith represented – more than a decade ago, after dabbling in other sports. His father Tony was an accomplished 800m runner and Jake was an excellent young ice hockey player.

But a chance meeting in a Peterborough park changed everything for the energetic youngster when he was spotted playing on some monkey bars.

"My memory is pretty hazy because I was so young,” Jarman recalled. “But from what my mum told me, when I was at my local park, on the monkey bars, doing my thing, one of the local coaches approached my mum and said: 'You should take your son to gymnastics.'

"It kind of just progressed from there. I've always had a natural love for physical activity and I've always had a place in my heart for gymnastics from then on."

Jarman’s career has really taken off in the last couple of years as he’s won 14 major medals, including eight golds. He has one world title, three European crowns and four Commonwealth triumphs to his name.

The Commonwealth golds all arrived in the same Games in Birmingham 2022, a record for a British athlete.

An Olympic medal would top it all though and don’t bet against a remarkable young gymnast pulling it off.