MAX WHITLOCK
MAKES BRITAIN PROUD AT THE 2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
The gymnast becomes the first British man to win gold on the pommel at the World Gymnastics Championships, beating Olympic team-mate Louis Smith in the process I had recently recovered from glandular fever and had something to prove to myself, as I hadn’t competed well all year. I felt pressure, because it was a home competition in Glasgow, and we had a lot of support. I made the pommel final and reached the top eight, but the crazy thing is that, walking through the tunnel, my coach and I decided to change my routine to increase the difficulty level and improve my start score. I increased it by a tenth: it’s a small margin, but it elevates the risk factor. We felt it was the right move to make at that point, but the pressure went up.
That moment stands out for me, because I went and performed that routine to the level I wanted to. The difficulty had been raised by a tenth, and I actually won by a tenth. That decision resulted in a gold medal for Team GB.