Paris 2024: Interview With Jake Jarman’s Father

09 August 2024

Photo: Jake Jarman shows off his bronze medal in Paris with proud parents Ana and Tony

Written by Retirement Line

Retirement Line is once again very proud of Team GB Gymnast Jake Jarman - son of Tony Jarman, a member of our Annuity Guidance Team - following his superb bronze medal performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

As well as his bronze in the floor final, Jake also narrowly missed out on a medal in the vault final, finishing 4th behind Team GB teammate Harry Hepworth. Jake also helped the GB men to come 4th in the team event, and finished a very credible 7th out of 24 finalists in the all round individual competition. 

We spoke to Tony following Jake’s superb Paris 2024 performances. In this interview, Tony talks about how Jake started in gymnastics, the role of his nan in his success, and his preparation for the games.

NOTE: As per our editorial policy, we invite you to republish all or part of this interview, on the understanding that you fully credit us and link to this page. A suggested format for this credit is: ‘Tony Jarman interview originally published by Retirement Line on 6th August 2024 at https://www.retirementline.co.uk/news/paris-2024-interview-with-jake-jarman-s-father/.’

First of all Tony, you must be very proud of Jake’s performances at the Paris 2024 Olympics?

Absolutely, it’s been an awesome week and Jake has performed with relentless perfection. He has done more routines than any other Team GB member and has been consistent across his scores. It’s been a fantastic experience and he has loved every single moment

When did you first spot Jake’s talent for gymnastics?

Jake was always very lively as a young child, but we didn’t spot any particular gymnastics talent. It was a gymnastics coach who happened to see Jake fooling around on the monkey bars in the local park. He spoke to Jake’s nan and suggested Jake pop along to his local club in Peterborough, although it was too early to talk about any potential at that time.

Pretty soon though, the Peterborough club told us that Jake’s ability was greater than they could support and suggested he move to Huntingdon Gymnastics Club as they were better equipped to help him. The Huntingdon coaches could see huge potential almost from the start, and certainly as young as age nine. 

What was Jake like as a boy starting out in gymnastics?

To be honest, the first year or so at Huntingdon was a bit challenging as Jake found it difficult to control himself. He just had so much energy and ran around all the time, jumping everywhere and doing whatever he enjoyed. But with the club’s guidance, he was soon able to focus more and went from strength to strength.

Men’s gymnastics includes the floor, vault, high bar, rings, pommel horse and parallel bars – so did Jake take to any particular event from the start?

Not initially, because as a young gymnast you are encouraged to try everything, and Jake enjoyed them all. But it was soon clear that he had a passion for the floor. That was his first love and it’s still where his heart lies. He enjoys pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on the floor and feels that’s where he can express himself. But more recently he has enjoyed huge success on the vault, including being World Champion of course, and that’s definitely something that excites him also. 

What physical and mental attributes do you see in Jake that have contributed to his success?

From a physical perspective, that’s something he worked on through the years. He was very slight as a boy and so he just didn’t have the muscle mass that gymnasts need. He has worked so hard on that for a very long time and his physique now is miles away from when he started. 

Mentally, Jake is just so calm and level-headed. He doesn’t really get very nervous when he’s competing. He’s able to control his emotions, which has been a real plus for him. 

He’s also incredibly committed to his sport and is willing to give things up to achieve results. He knows that he can’t do everything a regular person might do. For example, he can’t go out drinking with his mates, and we’ve lost count of all the family events he has missed. It’s something everyone in elite sport accepts, and Jake has always been sensible enough to understand that.

Has Jake had any setbacks along the way that he’s had to bounce back from?

He’s been quite lucky in that he hasn’t had many significant injuries. At around age twelve he got an infection in his knee that required keyhole surgery and antibiotics. But apart from that, there have been just a few niggles that he’s been able to manage really well.

Does Jake enjoy the team aspect of gymnastics?

Absolutely, and he’s passionate about being a part of Team GB. I especially noticed this at the 2024 European Championships in Rimini, where he was so focused on performing at the highest level to support his teammates in the team event. 

He was in fact Team Captain in Rimini, which was a little unusual for someone who wasn’t the most senior member of the team. But perhaps he was given the opportunity to see how he reacted to it, and he certainly excelled throughout the tournament.

The really great thing about gymnastics is that the sense of comradery extends beyond national borders. The gymnasts see each other at least once a year at the World Championships and they get to know and respect each other. There’s no animosity between them and it’s lovely to see how they support each other.

As an example, Jake’s mum is from the Philippines and partly through that connection, Jake has got to know Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo quite well. Jake helped to arrange for Carlos to come and train in the UK, including at Huntingdon Gymnastics Club and the Lilleshall National Sports Centre. Jake was fiercely competitive when up against Carlos in the floor and vault finals in Paris, but I’m sure he was at the same time delighted for his friend when he won gold in both events.

Jake has already had a taste of fame and celebrity, but how do you think he’ll cope being under the spotlight after the Olympics?

It’s not a side of things that Jake is naturally drawn to, since he is so focused on his training and performances. But he has had excellent media training from British Gymnastics, and I think he finds talking to the media a lot easier now. He always comes across as modest and very thoughtful in interviews, and that’s exactly what he’s like away from the media. 

Even so, being in the spotlight is not something he ever looks for. He knows he must do it and recognises it goes hand-in-hand with being successful. But as far as I can tell, he has no aspirations for a media career.

I think his modest demeanor, coupled with the fact that he usually has a smile on his face, contributed to Inside Gymnastics Magazine recently giving Jake the Readers’ Choice Award for Favourite International Athlete. They mentioned his ‘engaging personality’ and his emergence as ‘a great ambassador for the sport’ along with his gymnastics talent.

How was Jake’s preparation for the Olympics?

It was really impressive. I had a sense that the training and preparation were even more intense than usual. The team came together as a group earlier than what may have been the case in the past. As soon as the team was announced, it was based at the National Sports Centre in Telford. 

Then they went to the holding camp in Paris to get used to the equipment and weather over there. Even the time difference of just an hour needed some acclimatisation – that’s the level of detail involved at the top of a sport like gymnastics.

I think the lads can be very proud of their performances, despite just missing out on a team medal. Everyone has said that the level of competition in gymnastics at Paris was incredibly high. So to be going toe-to-toe with the likes of China, Japan and the USA as a team is a huge achievement, and of course we have picked up brilliant medals in the individual competitions. 

You’ve mentioned Jake’s ability to control his nerves, but what about you?

A couple of weeks ago I was nervous and worried, because I knew that what Jake was about to go into meant such a lot for his future. But I had a chat with Jake’s coach a week before the Games and he reassured me that Jake was looking good in training. That calmed the nerves a lot and from then on, I was just focused on trying to enjoy the experience. 

And finally, tell us something about the sacrifices that you as a family have made to support Jake’s journey to Paris 2024?

I should especially mention my mum, Sheila, who would drive him from Peterborough to the club in Huntingdon almost every day. She’d typically stay all day to support him, so we can only imagine how much time she spent there. As she got older, Jake’s mum Ana and I stepped in to help more, as well as accompanying him to numerous competitions over the years. 

Being a supportive family of an elite gymnast certainly doesn’t come cheap, but we don’t begrudge a penny of the travel and hotel costs we’ve faced over the years. The whole family is just so enormously proud of what Jake has achieved and of course we look forward to even more success in the years ahead.