Men’s gymnasts prepare to take centre stage as Great Britain aim to continue rich run of form

After winning four gold medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Jake Jarman is looking to continue his fine form at the European Championships Munich 2022. Jarman helped the English team to Commonwealth Games gold and is looking to do the exact same thing for Great Britain in Munich as he competes alongside teammates Joe Fraser, James Hall, Courtney Tulloch and Giarnni Regini-Moran.

"The Commonwealth Games were a real high for me," Jarman said. "As soon as it finished we had three to four days of downtime at home. I spent time with my family, relaxing and letting the body recover a bit. After that we went straight back into routines with the team. We keep morale high. I think we've used the momentum off the back of the Games to prepare for this competition."

"I am definitely hoping we can do well again as a team. The Commonwealth Games gave me a confidence boost. It gave me the confirmation I can do it again," Jarman added.

Great Britain, 2018 team silver medallists behind Russia, are amongst the top favourites in Munich, but Jarman was unsure when asked about the team's main rivals. "If I am completely honest, outside of gymnastics, when I'm at home, I don't really look at social media and stuff. I am pretty much in the dark about which team can do what."

Their main challengers - including the Turkish gymnasts, do know what they can do, however.

"We are always aiming for the gold and I think it's going to happen here," Adem Asil, who recently won all-around gold at the Mediterranean Games, said.

His teammate Ahmet Clnder acknowledged that: "We really want this gold and maybe this time we can finally get it."

Turkey grabbed silver behind Ukraine at the 2020 European championships, where several teams - including Great Britain - didn't compete because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Munich, the Turks field an extremely experienced team, with Asil, Onder as well as defending European parallel bars champion and Olympic bronze medallist Ferhat Ancan.

For Ancan, it's not only about the gold medals though. "Of course I'd like to win," he laughed. "But my life changed a lot after the Olympics, where I was the first Turkish gymnast to win an Olympic medal. You know what's more important than my bronze or any medal? The fact that kids at home watch us compete and start to do gymnastics because of us," Ancan said.

The Turkish gymnasts hope to once again inspire younger generations as they aim for gold in the team event at Munich 2022.

Besides Great Britain and Turkey, 2020 European champions Ukraine as well as Italy are contenders for a podium finish. Cyprus, team bronze medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and Spain are amongst the challengers, too.

Hosts Germany, with veterans Lukas Dauser and Andreas Toba, aim for the team final and have big shoes to fill if they want to do as well as their women’s teammates who clinched team bronze. The German women also claimed two gold medals in the apparatus finals with Elisabeth Seitz on uneven bars and Emma Malewski on balance beam.