Max Whitlock: Britain's 'greatest ever' Olympic gymnast to retire

Max Whitlock with his gold from the Men's Pommel Horse final in Tokyo

Three-time Olympic gold medallist Max Whitlock has announced he will be retiring.

The 31-year-old is the most successful British gymnast of all time.

Max had previously stepped back from the sport after Tokyo 2020, but wanted to retain his title.

That means if he is selected for the 2024 Paris Olympics, it will be his last time competing in the games.

Max Whitlock on the pommel horse

How many medals has Max Whitlock won?

All together the gymnast has won an incredible 2 major international medals, including six Olympic medals - three of them gold.

He also has three World Championship gold medals.

Max is Britain's most successful pommel horse competitor in history - that's the vaulting equipment with handles that gymnasts hold onto and move their legs and body around.

He also made history by becoming Great Britain's first-ever Olympic gold medallist in artistic gymnastics when he won both the floor exercise and pommel horse at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Whitlock is a four-time European champion and a four-time Commonwealth Games champion.

He received an OBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for his sporting achievements.

Whitlock has certainly put British gymnastics in a spin!

When did Max Whitlock first start gymnastics?

Max was introduced to gymnastics when he was seven. He joined the Sapphire school of gymnastics, in Hemel Hempstead where he grew up, at the age of 12 and has now been in the sport for 24 years.

Why is Max retiring from gymnastics?

The gymnast had previously stepped away from the sport post-Tokyo 2020 before making a comeback in 2023.

Speaking about that time Max said: "I felt like I had a lot on my shoulders, and I almost started to fear failure in terms of moving forwards and I think that's what switched my mindset to think, you know what, I'm almost feeling slightly content with what I've done, I'm finished."

Whitlock has announced that Paris will be the last time he represents Team GB.

"It's weird to think about and to say but I've decided Paris 2024 will be my fourth and final Olympics," he said.

"This decision now feels right," Whitlock told BBC Breakfast.

Max Whitlock says the upcoming Olympics will be his last

What does Whitlock hope to achieve before he retires?

Max will be aiming to add to his medal collection when he competes at the European Championships in Rimini this month.

He'll then be hoping to be selected for Team GB for Paris 2024 this summer - with the aim of becoming the first gymnast to win four Olympic medals on the same apparatus - adding to his two golds and a bronze he already has on the pommel horse.

He is hoping to inspire the next generation of gymnasts

What will Max Whitlock do after he retires from gymnastics?

Whitlock says creating opportunities for children at school will be a big part of his next steps.

He said: "One of the best things is I have been in a position to inspire and encourage others to take up sport.

"It's one of the most humbling comments I get when parents tell me that their child started gymnastics because they saw me on TV."

Max says he wants to help inspire the next generation of athletes to the podium.