Jake Jarman reveals Louis Smith inspiration after taking third Commonwealth gold

Jake Jarman was a 10-year-old schoolboy when he watched on a big screen as Louis Smith won two medals at the London 2012 Olympics and decided he would dedicate his career to emulating his Huntingdon gymnastics club-mate.

A decade later Jarman stands on the brink of becoming the first English gymnast to claim four golds at the same Commonwealth Games after adding the floor apparatus title to his rapidly-increasing collection in Birmingham on Monday.

The 20-year-old could be joined in his potential quadruple haul by Joe Fraser, who continued to defy a fractured foot as he edged Northern Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan to clinch the pommel horse title and his second gold of the Games.

“I remember in 2012 we had a big screen up in the gym and I remember watching Louis and thinking, ‘I want to be like that’,” said Jarman, who has already won the team and all-around titles in Birmingham.

“These competitions feel like a huge stepping-stone on that way. I’ve always had Paris 2024 as my main goal in life, and nothing has changed apart from my mentality and my ability to believe in myself a little bit more.”

Jarman rose to the occasion again in the eight-strong floor final, eclipsing his totals in both the team event and the all-around final with a total of 14.666 that could not be surpassed. Team-mate Giarnni Regini-Moran took bronze behind Felix Dolci of Canada.

“It’s a new experience for me – I’ve never had a competition where I’ve done this well,” added Jarman. “I’m just trying to keep the energy high and the good vibes up and the momentum going, because I feel like if I was to sit back and relax I wouldn’t be able to put on these types of performance.”

Fraser, whose build-up was stricken by a ruptured appendix and a fractured