Jonas Rushworth does not have to look far for inspiration and advice ahead of his senior international debut for Great Britain.
The teenage gymnast received his first call-up to the men’s artistic squad for the upcoming European Championships in Leipzig and will be amongst familiar faces in Germany.
Rushworth makes up a trio of gymnasts from Leeds Gymnastics Club, alongside Paris 2024 Olympians Harry Hepworth and Luke Whitehouse, continuing an impressive legacy for a club whose alumni also includes Rio bronze medallist Nile Wilson.
The 19-year-old is raring to represent his country alongside his fellow Leodensians having watched last summer’s Games on TV.
“It is a fantastic club with a lot of history, especially on the men’s artistic side,” he said. “To train with the likes of Harry and Luke is incredible.
“We’re great mates and it is inspiring. It is great to know I can have the same opportunity. To speak to them, with the experience they have, is a great help and it pushes me to be my best.
“They push me, I push them, and that’s what makes us grow more and grow together.
“We all watched [the Olympics] on TV together and celebrated the ups and downs. It was super inspiring and a great feeling watching it. It gave everyone in the gym a huge push.”
Rushworth has Olympic dreams of his own but knows that his debut in Leipzig is the first step on a long road to Los Angeles and beyond.
The teenager heads to Germany off the back of strong performances at the British Championships in March, where he finished second in the all-around and parallel bars competitions, and he is determined to soak up as much experience as possible.
“It is going to be very busy, with a lot of new experiences and a lot to take in,” he said.
“A lot of people use the word, but it is surreal. I focussed on it, I knew it was possible, and I managed to achieve it. It is pretty cool to be in this team and have the opportunity.
“I am excited to be there but when I am out there, I am definitely just going to try and take it all in.
“I am hoping to have more opportunities like this in the future, so hopefully I can take as much as I can from the gymnasts I am training with. I just want to be present.”
Rushworth’s own journey started as a seven-year-old before he quickly rose through the junior ranks.
The teenager has previous experience in British colours, having won team gold and all-around silver at the 2023 European Youth Olympic Festival in Maribor.
He was also chosen as flagbearer for the closing ceremony, and cites his Slovenian experience as a key staging post in his fledgling career.
“It is the usual story of a hyper-active kid,” he reflected. “I went to nursery and kicked myself in the head. At around seven I started doing gymnastics and was pretty good at it.
“My junior career was very good for me; it gave me a good positive push towards senior level.
“It was nice to see some success come out of my gymnastics and to know what I had been doing was the right thing. It was a great opportunity to see I could perform on a European stage.
“To be able to hold the flag up for our country is very inspiring and makes me want to represent the country again in the future and hold that flag again."
Sportsbeat 2025