Joe Fraser thanks Lichfield gym staff after British title win

The two-time Olympian finished ahead of Jonas Rushworth and Paris 2024 team-mate Jake Jarman in front of a packed crowd at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena.

Fraser, who last year became the first British gymnast to win a world medal on the high bar, moved ahead of Jarman and into the lead after the fifth of six rotations in what was for long periods a tightly-fought contest.

The former Sandwell Academy student was competing in all-round competition for the first time since Paris, having spent the months after the Games focusing on opening his gym.

Fraser paid tribute to those members of staff who had taken the load of his hands in recent months to help him properly prepare.

He said: “It’s very special. Getting back to doing six events has been a challenge. 

“Last year I opened my own club and got back on a few apparatus but getting back on all six is a whole new ball game, so to produce a British title performance I’m very proud of myself.

“Early last year I was coaching most evenings and getting the training time I needed was difficult. 

“It meant I was only doing a couple of apparatus, the pieces I thought I could do well on at the worlds.

“Once the worlds were over we had more staff in the gym, which meant I was not needed as much.

“This is not just for myself though, it’s for the coaches at my gym club who have taken the load of managing the gym. I want them to share this with me.”

Fraser hopes the win can be a springboard to even better things with both the European and World Championships looming later in the year.

“It gives me loads of confidence,” he said. “Doing six events has always been difficult for some of the best gymnasts in the world.

“Being able to do that here has filled me with a lot of belief moving forward.

“There are some huge competitions in the pipeline and I am looking forward to what we could achieve.”