HUNTINGDON gymnast Sam Oldham is going for gold today (Wednesday) after laying down a marker at the Youth Olympic Games qualification stage on Monday.

HUNTINGDON gymnast Sam Oldham laid down a marker at the Youth Olympic Games qualification stage on Monday.

Seventeen-year-old Oldham goes for gold in Singapore today (Wednesday), looking to add to the three gold medals he won at the European Junior Artistic Gymnastics Championships earlier in the year.

After Monday’s qualification, he sat second overall in the all-round competition, and also booked individual final spots in the floor, horizontal bars, parallel bars and pommel horse.

Oldham, who trains at Huntingdon Olympic Gym Club, said his qualifying performance had been a huge confidence boost.

“I was really happy to start like that because I was quite nervous coming into the competition because I knew I had pommel horse first and that is a difficult one to start with,” said Oldham.

“After that I just kept improving and that really gives me a lot of confidence ahead of the all-round final.

“Qualifying in second means that I will be in the top group in the final and it is always good to be a part of that so everything is looking good.

“I can definitely improve on the rings and the pommel as well because I was a bit nervous for that because it was first.

“But overall it was a good start and a good confidence boost for me ahead of the finals.”

Having claimed two gold medals at the European championships in Finland last year, Oldham knows what he must do in the final.

“I am just going to take each event as it comes,” he said. “With the all-round final on Wednesday I am just going to take each event one by one and try and hit six good ones again.

“If I do that then hopefully the rest will come.”

• Lloyds TSB, partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and supporter of Team GB at the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games. Visit LloydsTSB.com/London2012