The 2014 British Gymnastics Championship takes place at Echo Arena in Liverpool from 28-30th March. The Championships will pit Olympic, World and European medallists against each other along with Britain’s best rising gymnastics stars all battling for the prestigious British titles.
Southport’s London 2012 Olympic bronze medal winner Daniel Purvis was the 2010 and 2011 British all-around champion so knows what it takes to be Britain’s best, here’s Dan’s guide to reaching the top…
What does it take to be British champion?
It takes hard work, dedication and a lot of training. Six days a week, 20 or 30 hours of work, fine tuning every routine to make sure you are ready to compete on the big stage and to go one better than everyone else.
How tough it is to win this year?
It’s really difficult this year; we have an amazing group of senior men all fighting for that one prize. We all know each other really well, see each other in training and push each other to improve. At the British tis going to be all about who can excel on the day, it will be a great fight.
What would it mean to be British champion?
It would mean a huge amount to win back my title. Not only to get the trophy and the medal around my neck but also because within such a competitive squad everyone is always looking to gain the advantage ahead of a massive season. There are lots of us aiming for similar goals and whoever wins the British will be hugely proud.
How important is it to do well at the British Championships?
Its massively important, a benchmark for the year ahead. To do well in the British puts you in a good position looking ahead to the European Championships, Commonwealth Games and then the World Championships - the big competitions just keep on coming!
What will it take to win this year’s title?
You need to be perfect; every routine needs to be performed cleanly. The pressure will be on going to the final apparatus and whoever can handle the pressure and produce the most difficult but well executed routines will take the glory.