Max Whitlock facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Max Whitlock OBE
Whitlock in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Max Antony Whitlock
Nickname(s)	Maxi
Country represented	Great Britain  England
Born	(1993-01-13) 13 January 1993 (age 32) Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England
Spouse	Leah Hickton (m. 2017)
Height	167 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Discipline	Men's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	2010–2024 (GBR)
Club	South Essex Gymnastics Club
Head coach(es)	Scott Hann
Retired	3 August 2024
Medal record Men's artistic gymnastics Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 3 0 3 World Championships 3 5 0 European Championships 4 3 1 Commonwealth Games 4 4 2 Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Floor exercise Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Pommel horse Gold 2020 Tokyo Pommel horse Bronze 2012 London Team Bronze 2012 London Pommel horse Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro All-around World Championships Gold 2015 Glasgow Pommel horse Gold 2017 Montreal Pommel horse Gold 2019 Stuttgart Pommel horse Silver 2013 Antwerp Pommel horse Silver 2014 Nanning All-around Silver 2015 Glasgow Team Silver 2015 Glasgow Floor exercise Silver 2018 Doha Pommel horse European Championships Gold 2012 Montpellier Team Gold 2013 Moscow Floor exercise Gold 2014 Sofia Pommel horse Gold 2019 Szczecin Pommel horse Silver 2013 Moscow All-around Silver 2014 Sofia Team Silver 2018 Glasgow Team Bronze 2013 Moscow Pommel horse Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 2014 Glasgow Team Gold 2014 Glasgow All-around Gold 2014 Glasgow Floor exercise Gold 2018 Gold Coast Team Silver 2010 Delhi Team Silver 2010 Delhi Pommel horse Silver 2014 Glasgow Pommel horse Silver 2018 Gold Coast Pommel horse Bronze 2010 Delhi Horizontal bar Bronze 2014 Glasgow Parallel bars FIG World Cup Event 1st 2nd 3rd All-Around World Cup 1 0 0 World Cup 0 1 0 World Challenge Cup 0 1 1
Awards	Longines Prize for Elegance (2015)

Max Antony Whitlock is a super famous English gymnast, born on January 13, 1993. He is known for being the most successful British gymnast ever! Max has won many medals at the Olympics and World Championships. He is especially amazing on the pommel horse, where he has won two Olympic gold medals.

Max is a six-time Olympic medallist, winning three golds and three bronzes. He has also won five World Championship medals on the pommel horse. In 2016, he made history by becoming the first British gymnast to win an Olympic gold medal. He won two golds in one day at the 2016 Summer Olympics! Max is also a four-time European champion and a four-time Commonwealth Games champion for England.

Early Life and Training

Max Whitlock was born in Hemel Hempstead, England, on January 13, 1993. He started gymnastics when he was seven years old. A friend from his swimming club introduced him to the sport. Max joined the Sapphire School of Gymnastics in his hometown.

When Max was twelve, his coach moved back to Slovenia. Max followed him for three months to keep training. After returning, he joined the South Essex Gymnastics Club. There, his brother-in-law, Scott Hann, became his coach. Max's wife, Leah, has also worked as a coach at the club.

Gymnastics Career Highlights

Max Whitlock has had an amazing career in gymnastics. He has won many medals and set new records for British gymnastics.

Starting Strong: 2010-2011

In 2010, Max won gold medals on the pommel horse and floor exercise. This was at the Junior European Championships in Birmingham. He also won a silver medal in the all-around competition. Later that year, he helped the England team win a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Max also won a silver on the pommel horse and a bronze on the horizontal bar.

In 2011, Max was a backup for the British team at the World Championships in Tokyo.

Olympic Debut: 2012 London Games

Max was part of the British team that qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. This was the first time since 1992 that the British men's team qualified for the Olympics. At a test event, Max won a silver medal on the pommel horse.

In March 2012, he won a bronze medal on the pommel horse at a World Challenge Cup event. Max and the British team then won a gold medal at the European Championships. This was a historic win, as it was the first time the British men's team won team gold at a major championship.

At the London Olympics, Max and his team won a bronze medal in the team final. This was the first Olympic medal for the British men's team since 1912. Max also won a bronze medal in the pommel horse event.

Building Success: 2013-2014

In 2013, Max won a silver medal on the pommel horse at a competition in France. He then competed at the European Championships in Moscow. He won a silver medal in the all-around competition. Max also won Great Britain's first European floor title, sharing the gold. He added a bronze medal in the pommel horse final. At the World Championships, Max finished fourth in the all-around. He then tied for a silver medal on the pommel horse.

In 2014, Max and his Great Britain teammates won a silver medal at the European Championships. Max won a gold medal on the pommel horse, beating the Olympic champion. He also finished fifth in the floor exercise final. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Max and his England teammates won the team gold. Max also won gold in the all-around and floor exercise. He took silver on the pommel horse and bronze on the parallel bars.

At the World Championships in Nanning, China, Max helped the British team finish fourth. This was Great Britain's best team finish at the World Championships at that time. Max then won a silver medal in the all-around competition.

World Champion and Olympic Gold: 2015-2016

In 2015, Max was sick with glandular fever, so he only competed on pommel horse at the British Championships, winning silver. He took a break to recover.

Later in 2015, Max competed at the World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. The British men's team won a silver medal, which was a first for them at a World Championships. Max finished fifth in the all-around final. He won a silver medal on the floor exercise. Then, he made history by becoming the first British man to win a World Championship gold medal, winning on the pommel horse.

In 2016, Max won the all-around at the Glasgow World Cup. He had the highest scores on floor and pommel horse. In July 2016, Max was chosen for the 2016 Summer Olympics team. The British team finished fourth. Max won a bronze medal in the all-around final, the first for Great Britain in 108 years. He then won gold in the floor exercise, becoming the first British gymnast to win an individual Olympic gold. Within two hours, he won a second gold medal on the pommel horse!

Continuing Success: 2017-2019

In 2017, Max took a break from competitions to rest. He returned at the World Championships. He successfully defended his World title on the pommel horse, becoming the first British gymnast to do so.

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Max and his team won gold. However, he did not win individual gold medals this time. He finished sixth on floor and won silver on pommel horse. At the European Championships, Max won a silver medal with the British team. He finished seventh on the pommel horse. At the World Championships, Max won a silver medal on the pommel horse.

In 2019, Max won gold on the pommel horse again at the European Championships in Szczecin, Poland. At the World Championships in Stuttgart, Max won his third World gold medal on the pommel horse.

Tokyo Olympics and Beyond: 2021-2024

In 2021, Max competed at the European Championships after 18 months away due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Max and his team finished fourth. Max decided to focus only on the pommel horse, and he won another gold medal in that event.

Max took a break from training after the Tokyo Olympics. He returned to competition in 2023 at the World Championships. The team finished fourth. In the pommel horse final, Max finished fifth.

In 2024, Max announced that the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris would be his last Olympics. He was selected for the Great Britain team. The team finished fourth. Max qualified for the pommel horse final, aiming to win a medal at four Olympics in a row. He finished fourth in a very close competition.

Awards and Recognition

Max Whitlock has received many awards for his amazing gymnastics career. He was voted seventh in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards in 2014 and 2016. He was eighth in 2015. In 2015, he received the Longines Prize for Elegance at the World Championships.

Max was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award in 2017. This was for his great contributions to gymnastics. In 2022, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his continued service to the sport.

In 2021, Max became an ambassador for the 2022 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool, England.

Personal Life

Max Whitlock married Leah Hickton in July 2017. In 2018, they started their own business, the Max Whitlock Gymnastics Club. It has locations in Colchester and Southend. Their daughter, Willow, was born in February 2019.

In January 2020, Max's book, The Whitlock Workout: Get Fit and Healthy in Minutes, was published.

Competitive History

Competitive history of Max Whitlock

Year	Event	Team	AA	FX	PH	SR	VT	PB	HB
Junior
2010
	Junior European Championships	N/A				6
Senior
2010
	Commonwealth Games		4
2012	Olympic Test Event		23
	Cottbus World Challenge Cup
	European Championships		N/A		6
	Olympic Games
2013	Internationaux de France
	European Championships	N/A
	Anadia World Challenge Cup
	World Championships	N/A	4
2014
	European Championships		N/A	5
	Commonwealth Games					5
	World Championships	4
2015	British Championships
	World Championships		5
2016	Glasgow World Cup
	Olympic Games	4
2017
	World Championships	N/A
2018
	Commonwealth Games			6
	European Championships		N/A		7
	World Championships	5
2019
	European Championships	N/A
	World Championships	5
2021
	Olympic Games	4
2023
	World Championships	4			5
2024
	Olympic Games	4			4

Images for kids

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  Whitlock in 2012