Leeds Gymnastics Club stars Luke Whitehouse and Harry Hepworth join Max Whitlock in GB Olympic squad
European champion Luke Whitehouse and world finalist Harry Hepworth, who learned gymnastics at the same Yorkshire club, are heading to Paris.
Whitehouse, 21, of Halifax and Hepworth, 20, from Leeds follow in the footsteps of Leeds Gymnastics Club trailblazer and Rio bronze medallist Nile Wilson in being selected by Team GB for an Olympic Games.
The duo have edged out more experienced global performers in James Hall and Courtney Tulloch for a place on the five man squad alongside gymnastics superstar Max Whitlock, Joe Fraser and Jake Jarman.
Whitehouse has won the European floor title in each of the last two seasons, his victory in April pressing his claims for Olympic selection, while Hepworth is a world championship finalist on the floor, rings and vault.
Both paid tribute to their supportive families for helping them achieve their dream.
Hepworth said: “All of my hard work for the past 12 or more years, it’s just turned into this dream I’ve had ever since I was a young boy. It’s phenomenal.”
Upon receiving the selection call, he said: “I was in my room at home. It was maybe 10 in the morning, there was only my mum in the house.
"I was buzzing at first and immediately went downstairs and told my mum.
"She had a few tears, she was screaming and over the moon. I called my dad at work and he was buzzing, he was shouting down the phone.
"I told my brother when he got back from school and he was just amazed. My grandma was over the moon as well, she takes me to gym every day because I don’t drive yet.
"She’s always ferrying me about so I think she was really pleased to hear that I’d got in the team.
“I had a thing as a young kid that I saw myself at the Olympics, but that kind of faded a bit and only came back maybe a couple of years ago.
"When I started winning medals, I realised I could probably achieve it."
Whitehouse told The Yorkshire Post last month he hoped his gold-medal-winning performance at the European Championships in Rimini would have shown the selectors his ability to perform on the big stage. “I realised it could be a possibility again this year but it was a bit of a nervous wait for the call because it could have gone either way because the whole British gymnastics men’s section is really strong,” he said. “Anyone that got selected for the team, they would have deserved it whichever way it went.
"That’s one of the things, in achieving one of your dreams you might be crushing someone else’s, which is difficult but it’s just part of the sport.
"James Hall sent me a really nice message saying congratulations and that I deserved the spot, that was really kind of him.”
"It’s just been such a long journey and something we’ve all dreamt of since the beginning really. Just all of the sacrifice over the years, finally getting selected was a really happy moment for the whole family.”
Both men will join Whitlock, Fraser and Jarman in the men’s team qualifying and final in the first few days of the Olympics before qualifying places for the individual apparatus.
Two-time Olympic medallist Bryony Page, who was based in Sheffield, bids to add a gold medal to her collection alongside Izzy Songhurst and Zak Perzamanos.
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