For a reminder of how far he has come in his gymnastics journey, Jake Jarman need only glance at the two images adorning the wall by the vault runway at his home club.
First, there is a photo of Jarman at the age of 10, holding the Olympic torch at Huntingdon Gymnastics Club in the lead-up to London 2012.
Sitting next to it is the official illustration of the move named after him in the sport’s rulebook – ‘the Jarman’, a mind-boggling 3.5-twisting double layout on floor exercise, which he became the first gymnast to perform in 2023.
“It’s pretty weird seeing those two things together because it’s me at the start of my career, then right next to it is the skill that I’ve put in the Code of Points,“ the 24-year-old tells Olympics.com ahead of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships 2026 in Rotterdam, which start on Saturday (17 October).
“It’s a bit surreal. I don’t think it’s quite sunk in that it’s there in the Code of Points, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
If the pictures at Huntingdon remind Jarman what he has already achieved, another image, at another training venue, serves as motivation for what he could accomplish next.
At British Gymnastics’ home of Lilleshall, the walls are decorated with 2.4m (8ft) posters of Olympic medallists.
Jarman has his own banner, following the bronze he claimed on floor at Paris 2024. But it is the image of the man who made British history at Rio 2016 by winning floor and pommel horse gold – as well as all-around bronze – which constantly catches his eye.
“Max Whitlock’s poster is by the floor area where we warm up,” explains Jarman. “I do find myself looking at it quite often when I’m there, using it as a source of inspiration.
“I’ve got my own poster there, but I always find myself looking at Max’s because I see it with the two gold medals around his neck. I look at it and think, ‘It could be me with the gold medals’.
“It feels weird talking about it because I try not to feel like I’m boasting about what I could potentially do. But I do often look at Max’s stuff and think I’m not far off.”
