Whitehouse joins his hero Max Whitlock in British Gymnastics senior squad

Halifax artistic gymnast Luke Whitehouse will train with his childhood hero and Olympics legend Max Whitlock after securing a place in Great Britain's senior men's TOP squad, as part of the High Performance Programme.

The 19-year-old will travel alongside six-time Olympic medallist Whitlock to Dubai in January for his first training camp of the year, where he will train in a new environment and meet his new team mates and national coaches.

In June, Whitehouse reached the World Cup final on floor in Croatia and in so doing became the first British gymnast to complete a triple-back somersault in the discipline.

The former Brooksbank School student started gymnastics at Diamond Gymnastics Club and moved to Leeds Gymnastics Club to progress his career.

Under the guidance of coaches Andy Butcher and Dave Murray, Whitehouse was selected to the Junior TOP Squad in 2019 and competed in seven internationals that year, including the inaugural World Junior Championships in Hungary and the European Youth Olympic Festival, in Baku, where Team GB claimed a superb fourth place.

Whitehouse trains in floor, pommel, vault, rings, parallel bars and high bar and his focus is now set on the Commonwealth Games, in Birmingham, the European Championships and the Paris Olympics in 2024, while continuing to study for a Sports and Exercise Therapy BSc degree at Leeds Becketts University.