Gymnast Nile Wilson enjoyed the best week of his life after leading Britain’s record medal haul at the Junior European Championships in Sofia.
As well as picking up the team gold and all-round gold earlier in the championships, Wilson dominated the final day to claim gold in the pommel, parallel bars and high bar.
Giarnni Regini-Moran collected floor gold and vault silver on a medal-filled day in Bulgaria, while Brinn Bevan took silver on the rings and parallel bars and Jay Thompson came second on the floor.
The haul confirmed the Sofia championships as Britain’s best ever and 18-year-old Wilson admitted it was the perfect send-off in his final junior competition.
“It’s just the best week of my life,” he said. “When we met this morning all the boys were determined to hear the national anthem playing today.
“The whole week has been incredible. I felt good starting on pommel and then had to grit my teeth for parallel bars and high bar which was a big test but I was focused and was motivated and it paid off.
“It’s a great relief to have finished and have these medals around my neck. The support from my family and the entire British crowd today was incredible and I want to thank everyone who has helped me.
“It’s my last competition as a junior and now I have to move up to the senior level and I’ll do that with confidence.”
National coach Barry Collie added: “A lot of hard work and emotion goes in to our performances and we do it all with pride at representing our country.
“We train with confidence and courage and take that into every competition. The trust and belief between the coaches and gymnasts is always there.
“We have a belief and culture in the system that our gymnasts will deliver and there’s never a doubt in our minds that these lads will perform. We are very proud of all of them.”
© Sportsbeat 2014