Rio 2016: Britain's Max Whitlock wants move named after him

Gymnast eager to leave lasting impression

Max Whitlock competes on the pommel horse (PA)

Never mind the sporting cliché about rewriting the record books. Gymnast Max Whitlock wants to rewrite the textbooks.

Being mentioned in a hefty chunk of black-and-white text might not sound as powerful a motivation as imagining an Olympic gold hanging from your neck, a very real prospect for Britain’s world champion in artistic gymnastics, one of the nation’s biggest medal hopes. But Whitlock is aiming for something more: inventing a move and having it named after him forever.

“There is a massive book called Code of Points that’s got every single gymnastic skill in there, and all the skills are named under the first person who did it,” he explains. “It’s my dream to have The Whitlock in Code of Points.”

There’s the Memmel Turn, for example; the Yurchenko Loop, the Amanar Loop. Technically all these legendary moves had to be displayed at the Olympics or the World Championships for a performer to claim the naming rights. That adds an extra incentive to impress on the global stage. So, could we see the debut of a Whitlock skill in Brazil?

“Probably not,” he says, with a laugh that signals he’d love nothing more. “It’s very hard to come up with new stuff.” But the 23-year-old, who has developed greatly since his two bronze medals in London, says: “It’s definitely something that I will look towards. I have got a few ideas but they’re a bit of a secret at the minute.”

Max Whitlock trying out his latest moves (AFP/Getty)

For now he is concentrating on “keeping my routines exactly the same”, perfecting the tried and tested performed at startling speed, rather than taking a risk on something he has never tried at the top level before. He needs to maximise his chances of beating his team-mate Louis Smith on the pommel horse in one of the biggest British Olympic rivalries for years and has worked on his rings and parallel bar to even beat his idol, Japan’s Kohei Uchimura, in the all-around event.

It’s a case of first things first for Whitlock, and who can blame him? Early last year he caught glandular fever, that left him unable to get out of bed at times, let alone compete. “It was before the English Championship competitions started,” he recalls. “My fitness just deteriorated in a week, and it was just so stressful because I didn’t know why.” Discovering it was glandular fever after a blood test came as a relief for Whitlock in some ways, simply because he finally understood what was happening to his body. Whitlock was kept out of his Essex gym for just three weeks, but even that length of time away is “unheard of as a gymnast”. He was able to go on holiday with his girlfriend to distract him from the frustration of being unable to practice.

But feeling so physically weak was an alien experience for a world-class athlete, leaving him all the more motivated to train when he recovered. “It may have been a blessing in disguise,” he says. There have been setbacks as well: Whitlock had to pull out of the European Championship in May because of a virus.

Besides individual glory, Whitlock will be in the team event. He is friends with Smith, who became a household name at London 2012 by winning an individual silver medal in the men’s pommel horse having become the first British man to win a gymnastics medal in 80 years with his bronze at Beijing in 2008. But in Whitlock, who won the London pommel bronze, Smith has the closest of rivals. Was their relationship strained when Whitlock beat him in the British Championships in April? Smith looked distinctly unhappy on the podium next to a smiling Whitlock, and later wrote on Twitter he was “actually really bitter” about the scoring: “The cut is open and deep and the judges are rubbing salt in it.” Smith added he was “still happy for Max” and later apologised. “We’re great mates,” says Whitlock. “We’ve been training together, same as the other boys – friendly rivalry is brilliant, it pushes each other on.”

Max Whitlock says he is 'good mates' with Louis Smith (Getty Images)

Besides Smith, it’s Uchimura he needs to surpass. The Japanese gymnast is the reigning gold medallist in the all-around category, with four silvers to his name as well. “He’s by an absolute mile the best gymnast that’s ever lived,” says Whitlock. “His difficulty level is so high and everything he does is absolutely perfect… he’s been unbeatable.” Note the past tense. Even though he’s in awe, Whitlock says: “The gap has been closing.”

Preparing to face Japanese gymnasts is harder still because of the mystery surrounding their routines. “They’re so secretive and even on YouTube it’s hard to find videos. It creates an aura around them... it’s inspiring to watch because they’re so different.”

Not that Whitlock watches his opponents while competing as he believes it would distract him. “The best thing is for me to focus on my routine and my job,” he says. He didn’t see Smith perform his deeply impressive 16.1 on the pommel at the British Championships, for example. Instead, Whitlock simply had a quick chat with his coach in the tunnel, asking if he needed to increase the difficulty of his routine in response to Smith. Being told “possibly”, he upped his game and was awarded 16.325.

If the pressure is on him to do the same again in Rio, do not bet against it. Whitlock, who has stated his goal of becoming a “legend in the sport” is one of the most driven athletes you could meet.

“After every major championships, I seem to be even more motivated to push on because you’re there training and competing with the best in the world,” he says. “There’s always stuff to learn, to improve and I’m pushed to try and get another title. That’s what it’s about.”

Nissan is the official automotive partner of Team GB and proud to support Max Whitlock on his Road to Rio. Find out how Nissan is helping bring the nation to the heart of the team at betheheartbeat.com