Sixteen months after bidding what many believed was a final farewell to competitive gymnastics, Britain’s Max Whitlock has announced he is stepping out of retirement with one more Olympic

chapter in mind: the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

Whitlock, 32, one of the most decorated gymnasts in British history, said on Monday that the decision came after months of reflection following the Paris 2024 Olympics. The three-time Olympic champion had originally framed Paris as the culmination of a remarkable career, but the disappointment of narrowly missing the podium in the pommel horse final left him feeling, as he put it, “unfinished.”

“I thought Paris would be the perfect ending,” Whitlock said. “But once the dust settled, I realised I wasn’t ready to close that door. I still feel I have more to give—more to prove to myself.”

Whitlock, widely regarded as a transformative figure for British gymnastics, has not competed since the Paris Games, where he delivered a strong performance in the pommel horse final but finished just outside the medals. For an athlete who has spent more than a decade redefining excellence on the apparatus, the result stayed with him.

The decision to return means Whitlock will attempt to qualify for his fifth Olympics. His comeback will require months of conditioning, technical refinement and choreography, though British Gymnastics officials have long maintained that his discipline and experience make him a viable contender should he commit to a new cycle.

Whitlock’s career already spans a historic range of achievements. Since bursting onto the international stage in the early 2010s, he has amassed three Olympic golds and three bronzes, along with multiple world titles. His innovative routines and precision on the pommel horse elevated Britain to global prominence in a discipline long dominated by Eastern European and Asian powerhouses.

While LA 2028 is still nearly three years away, Whitlock said the timeline gives him the space to build steadily without cutting corners. “This comeback isn’t about nostalgia,” he added. “It’s about pushing for something extraordinary again.”

If successful, his return would not only add another chapter to an already storied career but also provide a significant boost to Team GB, which continues to lean on the example set by its most influential gymnast. For now, Whitlock says he is motivated, healthy, and ready to begin the long road back—one routine at a time. Photo by los_bandito_anthony from UK, Wikimedia commons.