Max Whitlock and Gadirova twins arrive at English Gymnastics Championships ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics

Max Whitlock and other British gymnasts are back to get their 2023 season underway after being away for a while since taking British Gymnastics to new heights in 2022.

Among the athletes that joined Whitlock at the English Gymnastics Championships were Gadirova twins Jessica and Jennifer, Ondine Achampong, Jake Jarman, Alice Kinsella, Courtney Tulloch, Georgia-Mae Fenton, and Becky Downie. The competition decided England’s all-around and individual apparatus champions.

The British Olympians that have the year ahead of them will be blowing off steam and participating with no real pressure on them as Great Britain has already qualified a women’s and men’s team consisting of five people each for the Olympic games in Paris. This can be attributed to their fantastic performance at the 2022 World Championships in Liverpool, where the men's team finished third and the women's team finished second.

Jessica Gadirova celebrates with twin sister Jennifer Gadirova after winning a gold medal in the Women's Floor Final at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in 2022

The fact that the teams heading to Paris have already been decided gives British gymnasts a whole year to just focus on upgrading and practicing routines. This puts no real pressure on them in all competitions this year, including the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp.

Joining Britain in qualification are the USA and Canada women's teams who finished first and third at the 2022 Worlds. On the other hand, the People’s Republic of China and Japan have confirmed spots as they secured first and second, respectively.

English gymnast Jake Jarman spoke to Olympics.com where he reiterated that the pressure has certainly been lifted off their shoulders:

"It’s definitely taken a lot of pressure off all of us because if we hadn’t qualified, we would have had to qualify through the worlds this year ... I think this year’s going to be a lot more relaxed than it could have been but I’m looking forward to getting back to competing again."

Jake Jarman competes on the Horizontal Bar during Men's All-Around Final at the 2022 Gymnastics World Championships

Jarman, in his debut season, won four commonwealth gold medals at the games in Birmingham last year. Qualifying for Paris at the World Championships in Liverpool allowed the gymnasts a much-needed break. Speaking of this, Jarman said:

"I had quite a break after the worlds and took some time off ... I’m finally getting back into routines again and going to try and get some upgrades, hopefully in time for back end of this year."

Olympic gymnast Alice Kinsella agreed with Jarman's statement:

"It’s quite exciting this year, as we’ve qualified a team for Paris ... It’s a year where we can just try out new routines and new skills."

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Whitlock wins after returning to competition

30-year old Max Whitlock only recently decided to go after his fourth Olympic campaign. With three Olympic gold medals and three World Championship titles, he is the greatest gymnast to come out of Britain.

Artistic gymnast Max Whitlock attends The National Lottery's Team GB homecoming event in 2021

Returning to competition this year, Whitlock started right where he left off. He won the pommel horse and placed second on parallel bars. However, Whitlock missed out on a podium finish on the high bar.