Having been given the green light to return to training amid the coronavirus pandemic, Bracknell Gymnastics Club are stepping up their preparations for the rescheduled TeamGym European Championships.
The biennial event sees gymnasts at junior and senior level partake in three pieces of apparatus – tumble, floor and trampette – and Great Britain will endeavour to win their first-ever medal at senior level when the 13th European Championships take place next April in Copenhagen, Denmark.
James Langley – a stalwart of Bracknell Gymnastics club – will be competing at his third European Championships when he dons the GB jersey as part of the Senior Mixed team next year.
Langley has already competed at the 2016 and 2018 Europeans – finishing fourth and fifth respectively – and the 23-year-old is hoping to break into the top three this time around.
Furthermore, James is a current and five-time British champion with Bracknell and currently coaches the next generation of superstars at Majestic Gymnastics in Bristol, which he balances with his training commitments.
Here, he speaks to Sports Mole reporter Ben Knapton about the build-up to the disrupted European Championships and his thoughts on the future of the sport.