Max Whitlock is relishing the chance to be a part of a brand new golden period for British gymnastics within the wake of a record-breaking medal haul from the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool.
Jessica Gadirova’s gold within the ladies’s ground remaining on Sunday took the hosts’ remaining tally to 6, after Giarnni Regini-Moran additionally took gold within the males’s ground yesterday.
And Whitlock, who has turned his focus to the 2024 Olympics after taking a break from the game by means of 2022, sees no motive why the workforce shouldn’t go on to eclipse the seven medals they gained on the Rio Games in 2016.
“I don’t want to put more pressure on the team for Paris but I don’t think you can get away from the fact that we’ve just come away from the World Championships with six medals,” Whitlock advised the PA information company.
“It is a little bit different coping with the Olympics, but I think both these teams have proved that they can perform under pressure. I think we could go into Paris with the most medal chances that we’ve ever had.”
Whitlock hailed the emergence of the Gadirova twins, with 18-year-old Jessica leaving Liverpool with three medals, together with her historic ground gold which concluded the ladies’s competitors on Sunday.
Gadirova was a part of the ladies’s workforce who clinched a shock bronze medal in Tokyo, and in addition gained back-to-back European ground golds, however Whitlock believes her bulging medal cupboard is secondary to the influence she is already having in elevating the profile of her sport.
“There is so much room for them (the Gadirova twins) to grow as gymnasts and I think what is exciting is that they bring a new energy to the team that has a really positive impact,” added Whitlock.
“When young gymnasts see that sort of enjoyment and the way they dance their way between apparatus, I think that impact is crazy, especially with what the sport has been through in recent years.
“Sometimes when young kids are sitting in the audience, seeing girls and guys loving what they are doing has a bigger impact than winning medals, and when they can do both it really does get inspiring.”
Whitlock is again coaching on the pommel as he targets a 3rd straight Olympic gold medal in Paris, and is focusing on a comeback in home and European occasions subsequent yr.
“Last year has been a rollercoaster for me,” stated Whitlock, who has spoken candidly about his need to guard his psychological well being by taking a break after his historic second triumph in Tokyo.
“But it has been massively encouraging for me to watch this World Championships, and it has just motivated me to get back in and have those goals and targets towards making more history.”
Source: www.impartial.co.uk