The British Gymnastics Championships are returning to Liverpool’s M&S Bank arena this week for the eighth time.Â
This year marks the 117th anniversary of the championship and is the first major competition in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic cycle.
Thursday and Friday kick off the competition with the junior categories, before senior gymnasts take centre-stage on the weekend.
Injuries and returnees
While plenty of familiar faces will be returning to Merseyside, an unlucky few have had to miss out on competing.
Olympic bronze medallist Jennifer Gadirova announced in February that she had suffered another injury setback, preventing her from competing at what would have been her first major competition since the 2023 British Championships.
Her twin sister, Jessica, however, will be making her long-awaited return after being out of action with a torn ACL for two years.
The triple European floor champion competed on beam at the English Championships earlier this month but is expected to return to the all-around competition this weekend.
Welsh Olympic gymnast Ruby Evans will also miss out on competing, after she revealed she picked up a minor injury from a fall at the Cottbus World Cup.
The men’s competition sees the return of members of GB’s Olympic team.
Jake Jarman, who secured a bronze in the Olympic floor final, will be showcasing his namesake skill, the Jarman, a straight double salto with three and a half twists.
It has the joint highest difficulty score in men’s gymnastics alongside the triple pike back somersault, first performed by Nikkita Nagornyy.
The 22 year-old will be aiming for victory in the all-around final, as well as the individual titles on floor and vault, the latter in which he won gold on at the 2023 World Championships.
He will face stiff competition from double European floor champion, Luke Whitehouse.
The Leeds-based gymnast, one of the few gymnasts globally to compete a triple back somersault on floor, will be looking to make amends after missing out on a floor medal at the Olympics.
A record-breaking year for British gymnastics
For the first time ever, the BBC is broadcasting the senior competition from Saturday afternoon.
A two-year partnership has been agreed between British Gymnastics and the BBC, meaning that the championships will be broadcast in 2026 too.
Former Olympic medallist Sam Oldham is hosting the coverage alongside Sydney Davies, with Kristian Thomas and Katie Foster on commentary.
2000 local schoolchildren will also be attending the competition, after British Gymnastics teamed up with Liverpool School Sport Partnership.Â
The championships expect record-breaking crowds this year following a brilliant Paris 2024 Olympics.
(Featured image by Martin Rulsch, via Wikimedia Commons)
