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🇬🇷 At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Eleftherios Petrounias won gold for Greece in the still rings, achieving a dream that had begun twelve years earlier. As a young boy, Eleftherios was in the arena at the Athens 2004 Olympics when fellow Greek gymnast Dimosthenis Tampakos won gold in front of his home crowd. Watching that moment firsthand showed him what was possible in the sport he loved. But his own journey was far from straightforward. Eleftherios stepped away from gymnastics for several years before making the decision to return. Since then, he has gone on to become one of the greatest still rings specialists in the history of the sport. At Paris 2024, he won bronze and became the first gymnast ever to win three individual Olympic medals on the still rings. Across his remarkable career, he has collected Olympic, World and European medals and built a legacy that continues to inspire athletes around the world. And he’s not finished yet. With his sights now set on Los Angeles 2028, it’s a privilege to welcome to the podcast, Eleftherios Petrounias 🥇

At the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Naoya Tsukahara helped Japan’s men’s artistic gymnastics team win Olympic gold for the first time since 1976. It was a victory that continued an extraordinary family legacy. Naoya’s father, Mitsuo Tsukahara, was part of the great Japanese dynasty that dominated men’s gymnastics, winning consecutive Olympic team titles in 1968, 1972 and 1976. Naoya went on to build an incredible career of his own, winning six World Championship medals. After the disappointment of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, where he had arrived as one of the favourites following his all-around silver medal at the 1999 World Championships, he returned four years later to achieve Olympic glory in Athens. Along the way, he was coached by one of the legends of the sport, 15-time Olympic medallist Nikolai Andrianov. The final chapter of Naoya’s competitive career took him to Australia, the country he would eventually represent before retiring from gymnastics in 2016. For this episode, we’re joined by Naoya alongside Hiroaki Sato, his former personal coach during his time in Australia, who will also act as Naoya’s translator throughout our conversation. Hiroaki has an incredible coaching story of his own, having worked with the legendary Kohei Uchimura and coached Japan’s men’s team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where they won team gold. Together, we’ll look back on Naoya’s remarkable career, his journey to Olympic gold, and the Tsukahara family legacy that continues to inspire generations of gymnasts around the world. This is the story of Olympic champion Naoya Tsukahara 🥇

Today’s guest is Dutch men’s artistic gymnast, Bart Deurloo. At the 2017 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Montreal, Canada, Bart Deurloo won bronze on the horizontal bar for the Netherlands, sharing the podium with his teammate and Olympic champion, Epke Zonderland. Over a professional career spanning sixteen years, Bart represented the Dutch men’s gymnastics team at two Olympic Games. At Rio 2016, he made history by becoming the first Dutch male artistic gymnast to qualify for the Olympic all-around final, where he finished 15th. Four years later, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Bart qualified for the horizontal bar final, finishing seventh. Throughout his career, he has continued to push the boundaries of what’s possible on his specialist apparatus. This is the story of Bart Deurloo.

With just one month to go until the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, the Five-Way International in Stoke provided one final opportunity for athletes to impress ahead of team selections. The competition brought together teams from Great Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, with both men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics taking place at Fenton Manor Sports Complex. On the men’s side, British stars Jake Jarman, Luke Whitehouse and Courtney Tulloch helped Great Britain take the gold medal. For Jarman, this was an especially important competition. After missing the European Championships and Commonwealth Games, Stoke offered him a valuable opportunity to hit the selection scores needed ahead of the World Championships team announcement later this month. Whitehouse and Tulloch also competed on some of their less-favoured apparatus, perhaps giving us an indication of their strategy as we move further into the LA 2028 Olympic cycle. Sol Scott and Jonas Rushworth, fresh from winning European team gold with Great Britain, delivered solid performances across the competition. But one of the standout performances came from Oakley Banks, who broke the 80-point mark for the first time in his career and finished top of the all-around standings. Ultimately, Great Britain proved too strong for the other nations, many of whom fielded younger athletes hoping to use this competition as a springboard for the years ahead. Elsewhere, France’s Anthony Mansard made his return to competition following an injury that had kept him out so far this year. Italy finished second, narrowly ahead of France in third, with Switzerland fourth and Germany fifth. In this episode, we’ll take a closer look at the competition, the standout performances and what it could all mean as attention turns towards the World Championships in Rotterdam. And finally, a big thank you to the British Gymnastics media team for allowing us to cover the international event in Stoke.

Today’s guest is British men’s artistic gymnastics coach, Joshua Champion. Josh is the head coach of the men’s artistic programme at Notts Gymnastics Academy, where he works with some of the country’s top gymnasts. This summer, Josh was part of the coaching team that helped England win silver in the men’s team final at the Commonwealth Games, with the team featuring two of his own gymnasts, Adam Tobin and Alex Yolshin-Cash. Another of Josh’s athletes, Hamish Carter, was also in Glasgow competing for Team Scotland. In August, Josh was back on the competition floor with Great Britain, supporting the talented junior men’s team as they claimed back-to-back European team titles. His gymnast Zakaine Fawzi also enjoyed individual success, winning European silver on pommel horse alongside the team gold. In this episode, we talk about Josh’s journey as a coach, the challenges facing men’s artistic gymnastics coaching, and the financial pressures facing the athletes and coaches working at the highest level of the sport. This is the story of Josh Champion.

🥇 In 2026, we're launching a brand-new monthly gymnastics show on The Sam Oldham Podcast. Each month, we'll explore the biggest names, emerging storylines, and major championship build-ups in artistic gymnastics, alongside post-competition debriefs with some of the sport's most passionate experts, coaches, and analysts. In this episode, I look back at the Men’s European Artistic Gymnastics Championships, which took place in Zagreb, Croatia, in August. The men’s all-around final was won by Illia Kovtun, now representing the host nation, Croatia, by just one thousandth of a point. That incredibly small margin of victory was repeated in the junior event, where Daniil Smirnov, competing as a Russian athlete for Team World Gymnastics 2, took the title—demonstrating just how competitive the sport has become since the reduction to eight skills following the Paris Olympic Games. In the team event, the Russian athletes dominated qualification, led by first-year senior Arsenii Dukhno and Daniil Marinov. However, an outstanding performance from Great Britain saw them claim the team title in Sunday’s final. The experience of Joe Fraser, Courtney Tulloch and Harry Hepworth proved to be the deciding factor in one of the most exciting competitions on the European stage in recent years. All six individual apparatus finals were won by athletes from different countries, including a world-class pommel horse final that was eventually won by Gabriele Targhetta. Remarkably, the top four scores in that final would each have been enough to win the World Championships title less than twelve months ago—an indication of the extraordinary standard we might expect to see in October, when the world’s best gymnasts descend on Rotterdam. Our mission remains the same: to share the stories behind the finest athletes in gymnastics and celebrate the sport we love. Thank you to our listeners, sponsors, and supporters for being part of the journey. Welcome to Episode 8 of The Gymnastics Show! 🎙️

Today’s guest is Australian tumbling champion Ethan McGuinness. Ethan is a two-time men’s individual World tumbling champion, winning his first World title in 2022 and bringing the gold medal home to Australia again in 2025. But his journey to the top has been anything but easy. In 2017, Ethan suffered a devastating injury, fracturing both his tibia and fibula in a freak accident while competing in the double mini trampoline event. After years of hard work and dedication, he returned to become a World champion alongside his coach, Dima Kachan. At one point, Ethan was even working full-time laying turf in the early hours of the morning while chasing his dream of becoming a professional athlete. Today, through events like Face Off and his growing social media presence, Ethan has helped shine a light on the incredible talent within the sport of tumbling. This is the story of Ethan McGuinness.

🥇 In 2026, we're launching a brand-new monthly gymnastics show on The Sam Oldham Podcast. Each month, we'll explore the biggest names, emerging storylines, and major championship build-ups in artistic gymnastics, alongside post-competition debriefs with some of the sport's most passionate experts, coaches, and analysts. In this episode of the Sam Oldham Podcast, I’m joined by Kensley Behel, the talented voice behind Neutral Deductions — a podcast, website and social media platform dedicated to men’s artistic gymnastics. Together, we recap the Commonwealth Games and discuss some of the standout performances, including all-around champion Reuben Ward, multiple Canadian apparatus gold medallist Félix Dolci, and Australian star Jesse Moore. Kensley also breaks down the recent US National Championships in Phoenix, Arizona, which doubled as the selection event for the US men’s World Championships team. We look at the leading all-around performances from champion Fred Richard, silver medallist Shane Wiskus and exciting young talent Danila Leykin, who finished third. We also discuss strong specialist performances from Kameron Nelson and Patrick Hoopes, which secured their places on the team heading to Rotterdam in October. Finally, we preview the upcoming European Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. Great Britain will be looking to defend their 2025 team title, while the competition will feature the return of a Russian men’s team to the European stage after several years away. The all-around title promises to be fiercely contested, with Joe Fraser, Arsenii Dukhno, Illia Kovtun and former champion Adem Asil among the leading contenders. Meanwhile, some of the biggest names in the sport will battle for individual apparatus titles, including Harry Hepworth, Eleftherios Petronias , Rhys McClenaghan and Artur Davtyan. Our mission remains the same: to share the stories behind the finest athletes in gymnastics and celebrate the sport we love. Thank you to our listeners, sponsors, and supporters for being part of the journey. Welcome to Episode 7 of The Gymnastics Show! 🎙️

At the 2025 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Jonas Rushworth helped the British men’s team claim gold. It was his first major championships, and Jonas made an immediate impression, competing across multiple apparatus and establishing himself as an important member of the team. Now, just a year later, he’s been selected again to represent Great Britain at this year’s European Championships in Croatia. And 2026 has already been a breakthrough year for Jonas. He’s been crowned English All-Around Champion and, at the British Championships in March, finished runner-up to Olympian and World Parallel bars Champion Joe Fraser. Training at Leeds Gymnastics Club alongside Olympic vault medallist Harry Hepworth and World Floor Exercise medallist Luke Whitehouse, Jonas is surrounded by athletes who have already reached the highest levels of the sport. With LA 2028 firmly in his sights, he’s hoping to follow in their footsteps and establish himself among the next generation of British gymnastics stars. This is Jonas Rushworth’s story.

On July the 4th 2026, surrounded by family members, loved ones and close friends I married the most beautiful person in the World. It was truly the best day of our lives and we both felt incredibly lucky to have shared the experience with soo many wonderful human beings. Ozzy is now two and a half years old and growing at a pace that me and his Mum find rather bewildering. The past twelve months have been full of both challenges and positive milestones in all aspects of my self employed work. I've shared my Olympic story with thousands of children again this academic year, coached many young gymnasts at both ends of the performance pyramid and have had many exciting opportunities to work with elite athletes. Gymnastics continues to evolve but as we reach the half way point in the LA 2028 Olympic cycle the financial framework within the sport is something I'm watching extremely closely. A wedding signifies the start of a brand new chapter and I feel optimistic about the possibility of building a long lasting legacy that will give back to the sport of artistic gymnastics for many years to come. And this is my story.

At the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the young Italian vault specialist Tommaso Brugnami came within touching distance of the podium, finishing fourth in a world-class men's vault final. It was confirmation that one of gymnastics' brightest junior stars had arrived on the senior stage, capable of challenging the very best in the world. But success has never come as a surprise to those who have followed his journey. Brugnami's junior career was nothing short of extraordinary. He helped Italy capture the European Junior team title in 2022 before collecting three European junior gold medals in total. As his junior career reached its peak, he established himself as the world's premier young vaulter, becoming Junior World Champion on vault while also claiming two individual European titles. It was a statement that Italy had another world-class gymnast ready to make the leap to the senior ranks. His rise mirrors that of Italian men's gymnastics itself. Once defined by the brilliance of individual legends such as Olympic champion Yuriy Chechi and Olympic horizontal bar champion Igor Cassina, Italy has transformed into one of the strongest and deepest men's programmes in the world. Years of investment, belief and emerging talent have elevated the Azzurri into consistent contenders on the biggest stages, with a new generation carrying the sport into an exciting era. Tommaso Brugnami is one of the leading faces of that generation. Now, the next chapter begins. His immediate focus is the Italian National Championships, where every routine offers another opportunity to prove he belongs among Italy's elite. Beyond that lies another chance to represent his country at this year's World Championships in Rotterdam—the first major milestone on the road towards qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The Olympics are no longer a distant dream. They are just two years away. Every landing, every tenth of a point, every competition from now until 2028 carries greater significance than the last. The margins are small, but so too is the gap between fourth in the world and standing on a World Championship or Olympic podium. For Tommaso Brugnami, the foundations have already been laid through years of junior dominance and a breakthrough senior season. The talent is undeniable. The ambition is clear. The destination is within reach. The journey to Los Angeles starts now. And this is his story.

🥇 In 2026, we're launching a brand-new monthly gymnastics show on The Sam Oldham Podcast. Each month, we'll explore the biggest names, emerging storylines, and major championship build-ups in artistic gymnastics, alongside post-competition debriefs with some of the sport's most passionate experts, coaches, and analysts. In Episode 6 of The Gymnastics Show, Sam is joined by Katie Foster — a women's artistic elite gymnastics coach, qualified judge, and respected commentator with a lifelong passion for the sport. This week, we preview the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, breaking down both the men's and women's competitions. Team England will be looking to defend their men's team title, but with Max Whitlock ruled out through injury, the squad—led by 2025 World floor silver medallist Luke Whitehouse—will face fierce competition from Australia, Canada, and an experienced Scottish team. England's women will also have a tough challenge in their pursuit of team gold. Australia, led by Georgia Godwin, and Wales, featuring Ruby Evans, will both arrive with medal ambitions. Canada bring a wealth of experience through multi-time Olympian Ellie Black, alongside Lia Monica Fontaine, who has surpassed the 54-point mark twice this season and is widely tipped as a leading contender for the all-around title. The men's all-around competition promises to be one of the highlights of the Games, with Jesse Moore and Felix Dolciexpected to battle for gold. A strong chasing pack—including Adam Tobin, Reuben Ward, and Marios Georgiou—will all believe they have a realistic shot at the podium. In the women's all-around, defending Commonwealth champion Georgia Godwin will aim to retain the title she won in Birmingham in 2022. Standing in her way are Ruby Evans, Abigail Martin, and Canada's talented all-around squad. British fans will also be eager to watch Luke Whitehouse chase Commonwealth floor gold, while Olympic champion Rhys McClenaghan takes on Britain's exciting new generation of pommel horse specialists, including Reuben Wardand Alex Yolshin-Cash. World floor medallists Ruby Evans and Abigail Martin are expected to contend for multiple apparatus medals, while Ruby Stacey and Francesca Stone look set to deliver standout performances throughout the competition. Our mission remains the same: to share the stories behind the finest athletes in gymnastics and celebrate the sport we love. Thank you to our listeners, sponsors, and supporters for being part of the journey. Welcome to Episode 6 of The Gymnastics Show! 🎙️

Few athletes have demonstrated the resilience, artistry, and determination of Danusia Francis. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, she proudly represented Jamaica in the women's artistic gymnastics competition, fulfilling an Olympic dream that had been years in the making. Before competing for Jamaica, Danusia enjoyed an outstanding international career representing Great Britain. As both a junior and senior elite gymnast, she competed at the highest level at the European and World Championships, establishing herself as one of Britain's leading female gymnasts in the lead-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games. Although she was selected as the reserve athlete for Team GB, she narrowly missed the opportunity to compete on home soil. That same summer marked the beginning of a new chapter. Danusia moved to the United States to pursue higher education while continuing her gymnastics career. At the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), she flourished, graduating in 2016 as an NCAA balance beam champion. Renowned for her creativity and originality, she performed some of the most distinctive and innovative balance beam skills in the world, earning admiration from fans, judges, and fellow gymnasts alike. The opportunity to compete for Jamaica reignited her Olympic ambitions and provided a second chance to achieve the dream she had chased since childhood. Nine years after narrowly missing the London Games, Danusia stepped onto the Olympic stage at Tokyo 2020, proudly representing her Jamaican heritage and completing one of the sport's most inspiring comeback stories. Since retiring from artistic gymnastics, Danusia has successfully transitioned into a diverse creative career. She has become a respected broadcaster, choreographer, and stunt performer, continuing to combine athleticism with artistry in new and exciting ways. This is Danusia Francis's story—a journey of perseverance, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of an Olympic dream.

Over the past decade, Pegasus Gymnastics Club has consistently nurtured some of Great Britain's finest men's artistic gymnastics talent. Among those athletes is Sam Ghinn, who has proudly represented both Great Britain and Team England throughout his competitive career. Alongside Olympians James Hall and Courtney Tulloch, Sam is a product of the exceptional culture cultivated at Pegasus under the guidance of head coach Ionut Trandaburu. At the 2025 Northern European Championships, Sam enjoyed one of the most successful competitions of his career. He claimed gold medals on his favoured apparatus, the pommel horse and parallel bars, while also earning bronze in the men's all-around, silver on the horizontal bar, and team silver with England. Beyond the competition floor, Sam co-founded Satus, a sportswear brand designed by Olympians for athletes, alongside World, European and Commonwealth medallist James Hall. After years of competing at the highest level, Sam has recently made the decision to step away from elite gymnastics, choosing instead to focus on growing Satus and pursuing his passion for freelance videography. This is his story.

At the 2026 Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Antalya, Turkey, Sebastian Sponevik delivered the performance of his career, capturing the vault gold medal for his home nation of Norway. The victory marked the culmination of a remarkable 12 months. Sebastian announced himself on the international stage by collecting multiple medals on the World Cup circuit before qualifying for the men's all-around final at the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Indonesia, where he finished among the world's top 20 gymnasts. Behind his rise stands one of Norway's greatest gymnastics icons, Espen Jansen. An 11-time Norwegian national champion, Jansen represented his country at 14 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships during an extraordinary career. It was Jansen who first spotted Sebastian's talent at a local sports fair after watching the young athlete perform a backflip—despite having never received any formal gymnastics coaching. Recognizing a rare natural ability, he took Sebastian under his wing. Their partnership has transformed raw talent into world-class success. Norway has become known for producing elite athletes despite its population of just 5.6 million people. The nation made global headlines at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan by finishing at the top of the medal table, highlighting the success of its unique approach to sport and athlete development. Now, Sebastian is preparing for the next chapter. Later this year, he will compete at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam with his sights set on breaking into the world's top 15. More importantly, every routine brings him one step closer to achieving his ultimate dream—qualifying for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. This is the story of Sebastian Sponevik.