Fresh from a podium spot at the Japan Cup, where Team GB took bronze, British gymnast Sam Oldham spoke to Kirsten Corrigan about the hectic run-up to the 2012 London Olympic Games.
The London Games are an event the 18-year-old has been anticipating for years, and one which he hopes will be his defining moment, but in the here and now, Sam is enjoying a little break after last weekend’s successful trip to Japan…
The Japan Cup is done and dusted, well done on the result. What will you be doing between now and Christmas?
I’ve got a bit of downtime in July, then I start building up to the World Championships in Tokyo in October. Before that, I’ll have quite a few other competitions like the British championships in September, which are a trial for the [Olympic] team.
When will you know if the team has qualified for the Olympics?
Hopefully we’ll qualify in the top eight at the World Championships, which automatically qualifies us for London 2012. If we don’t get through, we’ll have to do another competition in January, which means we’ll have to train right through Christmas. At the last World Championships, we qualified fourth, so hopefully we’ll be OK. If we can do that, the pressure will be off.
‘London 2012 has been in the back of my mind for the past six years’
Are you guaranteed a place in the GB Team?
For the World Championships, there will be six in the team, but for the Olympics it’s just five. No one is guaranteed a place. At each competition you’ve got to get back in the team. It’s great that we’ve got so many British gymnasts that are doing so well. There are 10 gymnasts going for those five spots next year, so although it’s hard to get in the team, the team is better for it. If you train alongside better people, it improves your level too.
You’re an all-rounder in the sport, but do you have a preferred event?
I do all six men’s events – floor, pommel, rings, vault, parallel bars and the high bar. In recent years, I’ve had most of my success on the high bar and I really enjoy that, it’s coming along well for me and that’s my best piece of apparatus. My main goal is all-round, but there are also apparatus finals. The high bar is the most exciting piece and that’s the ‘blue riband’ event of gymnastics that people come to see. On apparatus finals day, that’s the one people want to watch – we’re throwing ourselves two to three metres up in the air. And it’s a steel bar! It is scary to do as a competitor, but it’s such a great feeling when you do a good routine, and the adrenalin rush is crazy. It takes a long, long time and a hell of a lot of practice to get it right.
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Do you find any one event particularly tough?
I really enjoy doing floor, but I’ve got pretty shocking knees, so I’m a bit restricted with what I can do. It’s more that I enjoy it but I can’t do a lot of it. I’m just trying to improve that. Luckily I’m very good in the air; my spatial awareness is good. A lot of the time I don’t get lost mid-air and I can somersault and twist really easily. It’s just my legs that hold me back a bit, so I concentrate more on the close floor stuff – like what you’d do on the pommel – to save my legs.
What makes a great gymnast?
You’ve got be positive and confident, but gymnastics is such a hard sport and anything can happen. You’ve got to have your guard up and you can’t really afford to waste any time. If you’re out for even a week, it’ll take twice as long to get back.
How important is taking part in London 2012 to you?
That’s the big one and it’s been in the back of my mind for the past six years. It’ll be crazy and I can’t even imagine what my nerves will be like. I’ll have been training 45 hours a week for however many years to get to that point…
Want more?
- Sam Oldham's Dream Dinner Party
- Sam's official website www.samoldham.co.uk
- Sam Oldham profile at www.team-2012.com
- Wikipedia page for Sam Oldham
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