As we continue our ones to watch series 'Generation 22', our attention turns to gymnastics, and young Midlander Joshua Nathan. Our 15th Generation 22 athlete has only recently broken into the senior team however he has high aspirations for himself and for Birmingham 2022.

Josh found gymnastics by accident, his two sisters attended a club in Nottingham, and one week their brother came along, and the rest is history.

“I started when I was five years old in Nottingham in a leisure centre that my two sisters used to go to.

“Yeah, I just went, I loved it and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Josh continued to develop, and at the age of 11 it was clear the Nathan family had a star in the making. However, in 2010, Josh’s coach at the time had to go back to America, leaving Josh without an Olympic club nearby.

His family made the incredible decision to move to Birmingham so that Josh could attend the gymnastics club at the Alexander Stadium. They sacrificed a lot, to help Josh fulfil his dream, and now the young man is relishing the opportunity of representing them and Team England at the Commonwealth Games in his new city.

“To compete for Team England would be incredible.

“It’s something I am so passionate about, competing for my country and my nation.

“To be able to represent everyone that I love and have my family; my friends; my schoolmates; everyone come and watch, it will be something so special to me.”

Joshua Nath'ans Team England Generation 22 interview video

Josh is now 22. And has committed everything to be the most successful gymnast he can possibly be. Neither injury or the COVID pandemic could hold him back. We asked him how he managed to stay fit during lockdown, to which he responded with a wry smile on his face;

“I managed to get some palettes, some loose weights and even a pommel horse in my living room!

“I was doing between two and a half to three hours a day of training and that really helped me keep fit and motivated.”

Josh is currently studying Architecture at Birmingham City University, combining his studies with training six days a week. And his recent results on the senior men’s circuit are beginning to prove the talent that his family knew he had from a very young age.

In 2021, he took the British Championship title with a sensational all-around in Cardiff. He also placed 6th in the Pommel Horse at the World Championships in Japan, a performance which he notes as his favourite career moment to date.

You get the feeling, that there is so much to come from our latest Generation 22 athlete. And he is certainly someone we will be following closely in the build-up to, and during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.