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Triple gold medallist Max Whitlock admitted to a “surreal” feeling as he departed for his fourth and final Olympic Games on Monday.
Whitlock, his gymnastics colleagues, boxers and archers were the first batch of Team GB athletes to leave London via Eurostar for Paris 11 days before the opening ceremony.
Whitlock, 31, won two gold medals at Rio 2016 and successfully defended the pommel horse title in Tokyo three years ago.
He had intended to quit after Tokyo, but his Olympic adventure has now extended into a 12th year following double bronze at London 2012.
“I can’t wait,” Whitlock said. “My fourth Olympic Games feels surreal. I am mega-excited.
“It is really hard to compare the emotions when you compare those four different Olympics. I think every Olympic Games in itself is different.
“I think at London 2012, I was 19 years old, unexpected to produce anything and just going a lot for the experience to see where it could take me afterwards.
“I went to then having a bit of pressure on my shoulders for Rio, then a lot of pressure on my shoulders for Tokyo.
“Of course, there is a lot of pressure for Paris, but I feel like having announced it is my last one, I just want to go and give it my best shot.
“I feel like there is a different emotion attached to all of them, but all in a really positive way.”
Whitlock leads a five-strong men’s team that also includes reigning world vault champion Jake Jarman, former world parallel bars champion Joe Fraser, in addition to Olympic debutants Harry Hepworth and Luke Whitehouse.
The women’s team will comprise Georgia-Mae Fenton, Tokyo bronze medallist Alice Kinsella, Becky Downie, Ruby Evans and Abigail Martin.
“I try to keep a lot of things similar when it comes to preparing for every single competition,” Whitlock added.
“I think the difference with this one is that after Tokyo when I got home I said that I was done. I was adamant I was finished with the sport and that was me calling it a day.
“I have had a year off, and then I’ve come back, so this is different in the sense it is almost coming back after a long period of time off.
“For me, a massive source of motivation is to retain titles. That is one of lots of reasons why I came back to the sport.
“I still feel like there was more that I could do, and I want to hopefully try and prove that.
“For years and years I tried not to think about medals too much, but it becomes more and more apparent and more and more front and centre, and it is hard to try and avoid it.
“I try to embrace it, go for it and I feel like I have got an opportunity and a challenge ahead that I am looking forward to having a chance to take on and go for.”
