World Gymnastics Championships: Max Whitlock extends break as GB name unchanged men's team

Max Whitlock will miss the World Gymnastics Championships after deciding to extend his break from the sport.

The 29-year-old Briton has not competed since winning his third Olympic gold in Tokyo last year.

GB have therefore named an unchanged men's artistic team for the worlds, held in Liverpool from 29 October.

James Hall, Joe Fraser, Jake Jarman, Courtney Tulloch and Giarnni Regini-Moran won gold at this year's European Championships and Commonwealth Games.

These are the first worlds to be staged in Britain since 2015 in Glasgow, where Whitlock won the first of his three world pommel horse titles.

Despite extending his current break, Whitlock remains committed to returning to pursue a fourth Olympic gold at Paris 2024.

He became floor exercise champion at Rio 2016 and won the pommel horse title at both Rio and Tokyo.

Running from 29 October-6 November at the M&S Bank Arena, the World Championships are a qualifying event for the 2024 Olympics and will be shown live on BBC from 1 November.

The GB team, which represented England in the Commonwealths in Birmingham, begins its campaign on 31 October and will be going for an unprecedented treble of three team golds in a calendar year.

"Being part of this team is very special and after two major championships back-to-back, going into this World Championships together feels like a big moment," said Jarman.

"We've seen how the crowds have got behind us this year," Fraser added.

"With it being in Liverpool, having competed at the British Championships there for years, we know the atmosphere will be electric and how much that support is going to drive us all on."

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