Louis Smith secures Team GB spot for World Championships, but Huntingdon clubmate Daniel Keatings misses out
Louis Smith won individual and team silver medals at the World Championships. - Credit: Archant
There was delight for one Huntingdon Gymnastics Club star and disappointment for another after the Great Britain team for the World Championships was announced today.
Three-time Olympic medallist Louis Smith has made the cut for the six-man team to compete in Glasgow later this month following a sensational return to the sport in the past 18 months.
The reigning British and European pommel horse champion joins Max Whitlock, Dan Purvis, Kristian Thomas, Nile Wilson and Brinn Bevan in the men’s team.
Smith’s best performance at a World Championships was a 2010 silver medal. He has also twice won bronze.
Not only will Smith and his fellow GB stars be chasing world glory, but the top eight nations who advance to the final will also secure qualification for the 2016 Olympics.
But fellow Huntingdon ace Daniel Keatings has missed the cut for the GB squad despite striking pommel horse gold at the Commonwealth Games last summer when Smith took bronze.
GB men’s head coach Eddie Van Hoof said: “The team reflects the great strides made by the Great Britain’s men’s gymnastics programme with a real blend of experience and youth in our team.
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“The primary aim for Glasgow is Rio qualification, but a home World Championships with the fantastic home crowd also gives extra motivation for individuals to really make their mark.”
The World Championships run from October 23 to November 1 at the SSE Hydro Arena with the GB Men’s squad entering the fray on October 25.
