'It shows the class he has': Luke Whitehouse backed to use Paris Olympic final setback as motivation

The 22-year-old was one of two members of the Leeds club that made up the five-man Great Britain team for the artistic gymnastics at the Bercy Arena in Paris earlier this month.

Whitehouse’s clubmate Harry Hepworth won a bronze medal in the vault final and the pair of them joined Max Whitlock, Joe Frazer and Jake Jarman in finishing fourth in the team final.

But Whitehouse thought he had done enough to win a medal in the Olympic floor final following his routine, only for the judges to mark him down into sixth because on one of his landings he was marginally below 90 degrees.

Despite the initial disappointment, Whitehouse returned to the Bercy Arena 24 hours later to cheer Hepworth to a medal and was all smiles at Whitkirk Cricket Club last week, when what felt like the vast majority of the 2,000–plus members of Leeds Gymnastics Club turned out to greet their returning Olympic heroes.

Whitehouse’s long-time coach Murray said: “He did such a fantastic routine. We are a bit gutted that the score wasn’t slightly higher.

“It was just that slight technical ruling where if it’s just slightly under 90 degrees on your landing it’s almost like a double punishment which put him out of the medals and maybe even first, which is gutting, given that it was a technicality and such a close routine to getting on the podium. But it’s just going to make him more determined for next time.

“It shows the class he has and the level he was at that he was just a tiny fraction away from standing on top of the podium. He’s taken it really well. He was obviously gutted after the final because he knew there was an opportunity there. But he’s proved he’s good enough, he’s a back-to-back European champion which has not been done before. And now he’s an Olympic finalist.

“He’s already over that initial disappointment, he’s already turned his mindset to: ‘I’m an Olympian, I’m a finalist. I’m one of the best on the planet at what I do’.

“It’s not easy to make it to an Olympics and then to get to a final and be in the hunt for medals, so Luke should be really proud and we’re super proud as a club.”

And Murray was equally effusive in his praise of 20-year-old Hepworth, another role model the club’s members can look to and one who now has an Olympic bronze medal around his neck.

“So pleased for him after years and years of hard work,” said Murray. “Once he was selected we were hopeful he could challenge for a medal or get to the finals, and that was target achieved in that sense, but making finals and coming away with a medal is huge.

“He’s already created history (three finals at one world championships), as Luke has as well, but to top it off with a medal.... Hopefully he’s got many more to come and he’ll use this as motivation for the next Games.”

Whitehouse and Hepworth have European and world championships to prepare for in 2025 and Murray is convinced the Paris experience will make them even stronger gymnasts as the road to Los Angeles 2028 unfolds.

“It’s probably opened them up and made them even more hungry,” he said. “They’ve got a belief that they can make finals and win medals which will spur them on.”