There’s an aura surrounding Jake Jarman right now. The young English gymnast soared high once again to seize a third gold medal as he continues to take this Commonwealth Games by storm.
A huge, beaming smile spread across the 20-year-old’s face after completing an impeccable floor routine at Arena Birmingham with a score of 14.666. A puff of smoke after clasping his hands together after delivering such precision: the realisation of yet more potential fulfilled and the springboard to what promises to be a special career.
Jarman deeply believes in maintaining an element of fun, a vital ingredient to his medal success, yet the validation from a brilliant team gold before edging out teammate James Hall for the all-around title on Sunday propelled him to yet more glory on the floor here.
“I can hands-down say that was probably the best routine I’ve done in my gymnastics career,” Jarman said afterwards. “I’ve done a lot of floor qualifications in big competitions; unfortunately I’ve messed up a few times.
“To get to this final, to even make a final is amazing, to deliver a routine when it really matters, it means so much to me.”
There was expectation Jarman would deliver, yet any slip from his newfound brilliance would be ruthlessly exposed after Felix Dolci produced an impressive, pace-setting score of 14.166 to kick-start the floor final. The Canadian delivered what has become a typically stylish routine after contending for a medal in a fourth-placed finish in the all-around final. This statement performance made him a daunting target but he was there to be shot at from the start and Jarman proved lethal, delivering a staggering 14.666 with the highest difficulty to blow away the competition and supersede his floor routine from the all-around final (14.000). Dolci settled for silver, with bronze for England’s Giarnni Regini-Moran, who spoke glowingly about the rise of Jarman.
“Jake is just incredible,” he said. “He’s the young one on the team and last year he needed a bit of guidance. But he stuck with us, the older ones. He’s incredible, he’s worked so hard. He deserves it.”
Jarman distinguishes himself with blurring speed while turning and that extra snap and explosion when touching the floor. After drawing breath as the routine reached its conclusion, the silence was broken by a crackle of applause and it soon became a roar as Jarman straightened his posture following a sublime backflip into a triple twisting somersault. A nervous wait followed, yet Jarman’s thumbs-up emphasised his newfound stature and comfort on the big stage. Now confident in the finer details, Jarman has realised what it takes to achieve greatness.
“The hardest thing is actually nailing the landings,” Jarman pointed out. “Most of the time, in a floor routine, you put the numbers in so you’re more or less going to land the tumbles, but to land the tumbles without stepping is what really counts in a final. The best gymnasts in the world on the floor, they’ll stick as many tumbles as they can.”
If Jarman has translated online buzz and amazement from five-twist leaps in training to the big stage, it is only due to his support team, with his nan Sheila Jarman receiving special praise for routinely enabling him to hone his craft during his formative years.
“My Nan has always been there for me, to take me to the gym when my parents are busy; seeing her sitting on the balcony at Huntingdon,” he said. “I feel like I’m at an age where I can really appreciate the sacrifices she’s made to get me here.
“When you’re a kid you don’t think about those things, taking time out of their day to do things for you. When I think about it now, I don’t know where I’d be.”
