Whitehouse produces historic performance in senior international debut
HALIFAX’S VERY own international gymnast Luke Whitehouse made history at his first senior international at the World Challenge Cup in Croatia last week.
The 18-year-old became the first British artistic gymnast to complete a triple back somersault in competition on floor and also the youngest known on record worldwide.
It is a skill only a handful of gymnasts in the world can execute.
Whitehouse qualified for the floor final with a score of 14.25, which put him in sixth place against world class gymnasts, including a number bound for the Tokyo Olympics.
The teenager, coached by Andy Butcher and Dave Murray at Leeds Gymnastics Club, went on to claim eighth spot in the floor final.
Following Whitehouse’s sensational performance in Croatia, the Leeds club posted on Facebook: “Luke Whitehouse becomes the first artistic gymnast from Great Britain to compete a triple back somersault on the floor!
“Congratulations to Luke on making history in his first ever senior competition. Well done to Luke and his coaches, Andy and Dave.”
Whitehouse has taken a year out of his studies to focus on his gymnastics before he commences a Sports and Exercise Therapy degree at Leeds Beckett University, where he will combine studies with his 30 hours a week training at Leeds Gymnastics Club.
Whitehouse competed at seven international events during 2019 including of note, the inaugural Junior World Championships in Hungary and the European Youth Olympic Festival in
Baku. With no competitions in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Whitehouse has now set his focus on the British Championships, planned for September, with longer term focus on the Commonwealth Games next year and the Paris Olympics in 2024.