A year ago, Max Whitlock’s body was deteriorating.
Less than 12 months after becoming a European Champion for the third time, and winning three gold medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the British gymnast was struggling to finish even the shortest of his routines.
“It was really worrying, because I didn’t know what was going on,” says Whitlock now. “In the space of a few weeks, I’d gone from feeling my fittest ever to not being able to get through any routine. It was hard to come to terms with, because I’d done all the build-up. And then, right before the year’s biggest competitions, my body was letting me down.”
Whitlock was eventually diagnosed with low-level glandular fever – a viral infection that has been known to keep sportspeople out of competition for months, if not years. The only remedy? Complete rest.
“I had to go for three weeks straight without setting foot in the gym,” says the 23-year-old. “It was really tough, because the longer you’re out of the gym the longer it takes to get back to where you were.”
When he did return to training, it was initially only for an hour at a time. But, gradually, the old Whitlock re-emerged. His strength and stamina came back; he was able to work on new skills and, by the time October’s World Championships in Glasgow came around, he felt ready.
“I knew the potential for gold was there because I knew what I could score,” he explains. “But, like any sport, it’s about doing it on the day.”
Greater expectations
On the day, Whitlock made history. After playing his part in Great Britain winning their first ever men’s world team medal – they won silver just a day after the women had broken their own duck, with a bronze – Whitlock won gold on the pommel horse.
It was the first world title won by a male British gymnast in the sport’s history. And it ensures he goes to the Olympics in Rio with a reputation for being one of the world’s best.
“It’s a great feeling, you saying that I’m one of the best in the world,” he tells us. “I don’t really think about that too much because there’s not much time for results to sink in. After major championships, I’m back in the gym within a few days training for the next one. I’m always looking at the next thing; what I can learn next. That’s what I love about gymnastics – there’s always so much to learn, even at this stage.
“Every time I return from a competition having done well, it pushes me even more. It makes you realise what your potential could be, so then you aim higher and get even better results. And you keep aiming for more.”
Inevitably, better results mean greater expectations. Four years ago, Whitlock says Britain’s gymnasts went into London 2012 hopeful of emerging with something. But even they were surprised to win a total of three bronze medals and one silver – Britain’s best ever medal haul in the sport.
“Ever since then it has sort of been expected for us to come back with results,” he explains. “It’s tough. The pressure has definitely changed since London, but it’s something we have a lot of experience of now, having done it for three years.”
For Whitlock, who went into the previous Olympics largely unknown outside the sport, the build-up to Rio has been a different beast. No longer the 19-year-old whose bronze medal on the pommel in London was somewhat overshadowed by Louis Smith’s silver, he is now the man charged with leading Britain’s male gymnasts to glory.
“I’m still learning how to deal with it all,” he says. “Most of my day is spent in the gym, so that bit’s fine. Then, when I’m at home, it’s all about rest and recovery. But it can be hard to switch off.”
Even when Whitlock is asleep, he’s still training: “A lot of the time you dream about a move you want to be able to do. It’s funny, because you come into the gym the next day with a lot more belief that you can do it. It’s all so easy in your head, but you quickly realise how tough it is again. I think it just shows how much you want to be the best you can.”
With a total of 21 major medals already to his name, Whitlock’s best has the potential to help push British gymnastics up yet another level in Rio this summer. Do it on the sport’s biggest stage, and Whitlock is likely to experience a different kind of fever altogether.
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