Jake Jarman shines again in England gymnastics gold rush at Commonwealth Games

That the Commonwealth Games can catapult unheralded sporting figures into the limelight is one of the enduring appeals of an event forever fighting for its relevance. This time last week, Jake Jarman was a little-known, promising young gymnast; now he is the country’s newest gymnastics star.

Having already won team and all-around gold in Birmingham, he added a third Commonwealth title to his tally on Monday with a spectacular floor routine. Should he continue his hot streak in Tuesday’s vault final - for which he qualified with the highest score - he will become the first English male gymnast to claim four gold medals at a single Commonwealth Games.

“It’s a very new experience for me,” said the bright-eyed 20-year-old. “I’ve never had a competition where I’ve done this well.”

His was one of four English gymnastics gold medals won on a bumper Monday inside Arena Birmingham, with Joe Fraser (pommel horse) and Georgia-Mae Fenton (uneven bars) winning their second titles, and Courtney Tulloch (rings) his first.

To those within gymnastics circles, Jarman’s rise is not unexpected. Named as a reserve for Britain’s Olympic team last year, he has long been tipped as someone who could shine when given the right opportunity.

That his emergence has come as such a surprise to the wider world owes much to the Covid pandemic, with Olympic medalist Beth Tweddle describing him as “the unknown factor”.

Jarman’s step up to the senior ranks coincided with lockdowns and sparse competition, meaning he arrived in Birmingham with no experience of competing on such a big stage. Not that you could tell over the past few days.

Continuing where he had left off when winning all-around gold the day before, he set himself the task of completing the