Max Whitlock thought he had closed the door on gymnastics in Paris. But the pull of the pommel horse, and the feeling that his story was not quite finished, proved too strong to ignore.

The three-time Olympic champion retired after the 2024 Games, where he finished fourth on his specialist apparatus and left without a medal. Now, at 33, he is back in the gym and targeting Los Angeles 2028.

"I couldn't fight the feeling that something was just constantly itching out of me," Whitlock told Sky Sports News. He kept thinking there was more he could do. The idea of looking back in 20 years and feeling regret pushed him to make the call.

Whitlock believes his body still has plenty to give. He wants to take his beloved pommel horse "further than I've ever pushed it." Mentally and physically, he feels ready to prove something to himself one more time.

His family didn't need any convincing either. In fact, they noticed something was missing before he did. "There was zero persuasion," he said. The people closest to him could see the gap his retirement had left.

His wife is thrilled. His daughter Willow is buzzing. His parents and brother can't wait to watch him compete again. Telling them he was returning brought smiles all round.

Whitlock burst onto the scene at London 2012 with two bronze medals. He then struck gold on the floor and pommel horse at Rio 2016. He defended his pommel horse title at Tokyo 2020 before that heartbreaking fourth place in Paris.

Now, LA 2028 is the goal. He'll be 35 by then. And he insists this really is the last dance. "Trust me, I will be done after LA, I will be finished!"

Max Whitlock makes international return at Varna World Cup

Whitlock made his long-awaited international return on Thursday, 7 May. He competed at the Varna World Challenge Cup in Bulgaria. It was his first FIG event since the Paris Olympics.

The result was a mixed bag. Whitlock finished 8th on the pommel horse and 7th on the parallel bars. He admits there were "some good bits, some but not so good bits" to take from the trip.

Either way, he's fired up. "I've just competed my first international back," he said. "Loads to work on, so I'm massively fired up."

The Varna outing followed two domestic competitions earlier this year. Whitlock scored 14.450 on the pommel horse at the English Championships in late February. Things didn't go to plan a few weeks later, though.

At the British Championships in Liverpool, things were less smooth. He fell on the pommel horse, scored 11.600, and missed the apparatus final.

With the Commonwealth Games and World Championships ahead, the road to LA28 has truly started. For Whitlock, Varna was not the finish line. It was the first test of one last climb.

Read more at the Gymnastics Digest!

Written by

Sahil Prashar

Edited by

Sahil Prashar