Britain’s Joe Fraser is eagerly awaiting the opening of the World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022, with the former World champion looking to finish off a phenomenal year with more success on home soil after an impressive haul at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and European Championships in Munich this summer.
The 23-year-old, who is an Ambassador for the World Championships, is undergoing final preparations before the competition begins this weekend at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena – a special place for the British team.
“It’s wicked to know that this (the M&S Bank Arena) is somewhere we compete in year in, year out, so we’re excited and looking forward to seeing the crowd out there. We know how much Liverpool loves gymnastics, so we’ll give it our all and see what we can achieve.
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“I’m just trying to soak up every moment. We always say that we don’t get that many opportunities to compete on a world stage, but you certainly don’t get many of those in your own country, so we’re just really soaking up every moment we get.”
And the emotion of competing in front of a home crowd is something not lost on former British gymnast, and now board member for the World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022, Kristian Thomas.
Trailblazer Thomas won three medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, plus the European floor title in 2015 before being picked for his seventh World Championships later that year, where the team took silver - another historic medal.
Having competed around the world, Thomas still insists nothing compares to the adrenaline of a home crowd. Looking back to that special Olympic moment in 2012, he said:
“It was one of my fondest memories, it was extremely special to have friends, family and the team there – all that helped you along the way in your career, supporting you and enjoying the moment together. Having a home crowd made a real difference and home games are a massive steppingstone in raising the sport’s profile.”
With such a major championships coming to the city, the next two weeks will see Liverpool cement its place as the home of gymnastics in the UK. As far as Thomas is concerned, a step up in quality as the world’s best compete in the city will only have a positive impact on those competing for Great Britain, as well as for the many young people watching in Liverpool.
“Major competitions will always play a huge role in helping people who want to know the sport better or get involved in gymnastics themselves, and that must be the goal for the World Championships. Look at the Commonwealth Games just recently for example, that has put us on the right course to not only be competing at major championships, but excelling and winning medals too.”
With a young Great Britain team already impressing, Thomas tipped the World Championships to inspire even more young people into the sport and boost the UK’s talent pool, with every elite level gymnast at one time starting out at a grassroots club. He said:
“If you want to be training to be the next Max Whitlock, it’s so important we see that talent pool come through and we are certainly starting to see that now with gymnastics excelling at a grassroots level.
“It’s important everyone can access the sport as it has so many benefits - for health reasons, or for pure enjoyment. In that sense, it’s a really unique and amazing sport, because it’s something anybody can do, at any sort of age.”
And for Joe Fraser, his inspiration comes from the support of the crowd. He added: “Keep supporting, it really goes a long way! From Birmingham, to the Europeans and now the World Championships, we’ve really felt the buzz of the crowd and people supporting from their homes, so keep supporting - we can really feel the energy when we’re competing.”
The World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022 will be one of the largest international sporting events ever to be held in the city. Over 400 gymnasts from more than 70 countries will compete at the M&S Bank Arena from 29 October to 6 November 2022. Tickets are still available, starting at £10, at www.2022worldgymnastics.com/tickets.
