Triple Commonwealth Games gold medallist Max Whitlock will aim to add to his impressive medal collection after being named among the Great Britain team for this month’s European Gymnastics Championships in Montpellier.
Whitlock, a world all-around silver medallist and reigning European pommel horse champion, was unable to defend his British all-around title earlier this month, with Dan Purvis taking the title.
Whitlock, who still took pommel horse silver, later revealed on Twitter he had been suffering from low-grade glandular fever, but any worries over his health have been dispelled with the 22-year-old double Olympic bronze medallist named among the six-strong men’s team for the Europeans in France from April 15-19.
Louis Smith, winner of team gold and pommel horse bronze in Glasgow, returns to the Great Britain team for the first time since his historic achievements at the London 2012 Olympic Games where he won silver and bronze.
Kristian Thomas and Sam Oldham – also members of the gold medal winning team at Glasgow – are also included, as double European Junior champion Courtney Tulloch and Scotland’s Daniel Purvis.
Meanwhile, European and Commonwealth bars champion Becky Downie is the most experienced of the women’s four-strong squad.
The Beijing Olympian is joined by four-time Commonwealth Games champion Claudia Fragapane and 2015 British all-around champion Amy Tinkler who makes her senior international debut, as does Downie’s younger sister Ellie.
The European Championships are followed by the first European Games held in Baku in June and then the build-up starts for the 2015 World Championship in Glasgow in the Autumn which act as qualification for Rio 2016.
© Sportsbeat 2015