Sam Oldham admits he is looking to use this week’s European Artistic Gymnastic Championships in Sofia as a springboard towards a successful 2014.
Oldham arrived in Bulgaria – alongside senior teammates Kristian Thomas, Max Whitlock, Daniel Keatings and Daniel Purvis – as one to watch, having helped Team GB claim team bronze at London 2012.
Since then Oldham has gone on to claim European horizontal bar silver last year and the 21-year-old is eyeing up more silverware this time around.
And while he wasn’t part of the team that won European team gold back in 2012, Oldham is hellbent on helping his teammates retain their title in Sofia.
“My form is really good, it’s been a nice slow build up as I have lots of new routines but I seemed to have timed things nicely and my consistency is on a high at the moment, so I’m in a positive mind-set and really looking forward to competing,” he said.
“It’s always a challenge to get the balance between difficulty and consistency. At the start of the year you always have to look at what you can do to up your game and then make those changes as solid as possible and I feel I’ve done that. I’m feeling fit and healthy and in good shape.
“The team is so well prepared and we know we have strong workers on all pieces of apparatus and can all contribute to the team, first and foremost the team is the target and to defend our European title.
“The big focus for us all is to obviously to first make the GBR teams for these major events this year but definitely now I want to take medals so that what it’s about.
“Come the end of the year for the World Championships I was to be winning medals, I’m really looking forward to a big, big year.”
© Sportsbeat 2014