Euan has Tokyo in his sights

Gymnastics

As the country continues to bask in the success of our Olympians in Rio, one teenager from Ashford is dreaming it will be his turn to grab the headlines in Tokyo in four years’ time.

The performances of the likes of double gold medallist Max Whitlock and Co were viewed with more than a passing interest by Euan Cox and his family, with the 15-year-old artistic gymnast already a member of the Pegasus Club in Maidstone and part of the National Training squad, winning a clutch of medals and honours in domestic and international tournaments.

Mum Dawn said: “We enjoyed watching the competitions, it was impressive, enthralling and tense at times, delighting in the achievements of both the men and women whose progress we have followed with interest over the years.

“There is nothing like watching in suspense as an immensely difficult routine is performed virtually to perfection and then topped off with a ‘stuck’ dismount to make the whole family cheer loudly.”

Apart from Team GB, Euan was also supporting other gymnasts like Kenzo Shirai from Japan, Sam Mikulak from the United States and Dennis Goossens from Belgium, who have visited Pegasus in the past.

Cox, a pupil at Norton Knatchbull School, trains for 24 hours a week across six days at Pegasus under coaches Ionut Trandaburu and Ovi Rugina.

He also regularly attends Lilleshall National Sports Centre in five-day sessions, eight times a year.

A normal training session of four hours will consist of warm- up, light conditioning, multiple apparatus skills and routines followed by heavy conditioning and stretching. Euan said: “It’s physically demanding. It is amazing to train alongside members of the Talent Opportunity Programme squad who all hope to get to the Olympics just like me.

“The incredible success of the GB gymnasts in Rio has made me proud and excited to be a part of the same pathway.

“They have trained with their personal coaches at their local clubs just like I have and it was brilliant to see their hard work pay off so spectacularly.

“They inspire me to believe that similar or even greater success is possible and I accept the challenge.” Dawn added: “The sport impacts on our family in many ways. Gymnastics comes first in our house and everything else has to fit in around it.

“Holidays and days off are few and far between, so we try to make the most of them when we can.

“Meals have to be nutritious and ‘magically’ appear at times to fit in around training and I am a dab hand at recovery smoothies.

“I also try hard to ensure that Euan does not miss the social side of life with school friends but gymnastics also means there has to be the right balance on education, homework and rest.

“Costs impinge on the family budget as well with things like training, kit, competitions, sports massage and travel and accommodation.”

Euan also receives SportAid funding from Prudential and is also a member of the Ashford Leisure Trust Talented Athlete Programme.

Dawn said “Gymnastics is a challenging and rewarding sport on so many levels.

“Euan has shown that he can perform well under pressure and recover positively from disappointment from a young age.

“He is disciplined, strong and brave and it’s in his thoughts from the moment he wakes.”

Euan has been selected to compete in the 2016 School Games – a national multi-sport event for the UK’s elite young athletes – at Loughborough University.

He is one of eight young athletes from Kent who will be competing over four days from September 1-4.

‘They inspire me to believe that similar or even greater success is possible’