Whitehouse adds British floor title to honours list
Halifax’s Luke Whitehouse has been crowned senior British floor champion after winning gold at the British Artistic Gymnastic Championships, in Liverpool.
Luke beat Commonwealth floor champion Jake Jarman into silver with a fantastic routine, which featured his signature first tumble, including a triple-back somersault, to huge applause from the 4,000 audience.
The Skircoat Green star qualified for the final in first place and was last to compete as he aimed to better Jarman’s big score of 14.400. Despite facing intense pressure, Luke held his nerve to produce an outstanding routine that was rewarded with a massive 14.550.
It was a productive weekend for the Halifax gymnast as he also claimed bronze in the vault, finishing behind gold medalist Jarman and Luke’s Leeds Gymnastics Club team mate Harry Hepworth, who took silver.
The brilliant British title follows hot on the heels of Luke becoming double English champion on floor and parallel bars in February and his bronze medal in the FIG Series A World Cup earlier this month.
And the sporting success for the Whitehouse family doesn’t end there, as Luke and father Ian will both go for glory in European Championships in 2023.
Ian, 53, has been selected
as a Great Britain age group team member in Olympic distance triathlon, in June.
He has a background in running, having achieved championship starts at the marathon distance, but has moved into triathlon for a new challenge.
Ian initially focused on the long distance Ironman events, but has now dropped
to the Standard or Olympic distance: a 1,500m swim, 40k bike and a 10k run.
The European Championships, to be held in Turkey next month, will be Luke‘s debut at a senior major gymnastics championships, where he will be joined in the Great Britain team by three-time Olympics champion Max Whitlock and world bronze
medalist in the rings Courtney Tulloch, as well as Jake Jarman, Josh Nathan and Harry Hepworth.
Tracy Whittaker-Smith MBE, British Gymnastics Performance Director Olympic Disciplines said: “With a strong list of established GB gymnasts progressing to full fitness and form after a busy 2022 and
many up-and-coming younger names to look out for it’s clear that there is a great pool of talent for us all to be excited about with less than 500 days to go to the Olympic Games.”
Luke is coached by Andy Butcher, Dave Murray and Tom Rawlinson while studying at Leeds Beckett University.