Double Olympic champion Max Whitlock will mark his return to international action when he headlines a ten-strong British team at the artistic Gymnastic World Championships in Montreal next month.
The 24-year-old took a six-month break from competition in May in preparation for the World Championships, which saw him miss the iPro World Cup and the European Championships earlier this year. There will also be the added excitement of a title to defend for Whitlock, having taken gold on the pommel horse in Glasgow two years ago. “I am trying not to think about going in there to defend my title because I want to keep the pressure off as much as possible," said Whitlock. “I don’t tend to look at what my rivals are doing but I’m happy with the upgrades I’ve made to my routine and the level I will now be going in at.
“My new start score on the pommel is hopefully still the highest in the world, so if I go through the routine clean then the scoring should take care of itself.”
The competition will begin on October 2, compromising three days of qualification events followed by four days of finals, where gymnasts will compete in all-around and individual apparatus events. The event – the 47th edition of its kind – will see more than 500 gymnasts from 80 countries gather at the Olympic Stadium, Montreal for the ultimate artistic gymnastics test, the first time in 14 years it is being held in North America.
Whitlock, who became Britain's first Olympic gymnastics champion in Rio last year, will be joined by Olympic high bar bronze medallist Nile Wilson and European all-around bronze medallist James Hall at the seven-day event.
British all-around champion Joe Fraser will also feature while European silver rings medallist Courtney Tulloch and London 2012 bronze medallist Dan Purvis complete the men’s line-up.
The women’s team will see Olympic floor bronze medal winner Amy Tinkler and four-time Commonwealth Games champion Claudia Fragapane spearhead the medal charge for Great Britain.
British all-around silver medallist Alice Kinsella and Georgia-Mae Fenton, the 2017 British Championships all-around fourth-placed gymnast, also travel to the Canadian city. Great Britain’s team
Max Whitlock
Nile Wilson
Courtney Tulloch
James Hall
Joe Fraser
Dan Purvis
Amy Tinkler
Claudia Fragapane
Alice Kinsella
Georgia-Mae Fenton Sportsbeat 2017