Jake Jarman admitted he was surprised with his performance after falling just two points short of an individual world medal. 

The 20-year-old secured fifth place in his first all-around final at the World Gymnastics Championships on November 4. 

Jarman, who trained at Huntingdon Gymnastics Club, gave Great Britain its best showing in the men’s all-around event in 11 years after winning team bronze earlier in the week. 

“I totally surprised myself out there,” he said. 

“Qualifiers didn’t go exactly to plan so I just wanted to enjoy myself, especially after the huge relief of the team competition. 

“I was targeting the top ten but to finish fifth, I honestly never thought it would be possible.” 

Jarman scored 82.865 in the final, 2.366 points shy of a medal with Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto winning gold. 

His fifth-place finish was the culmination of a fine breakout year for the Peterborough athlete after winning four Commonwealth gold medals and two European titles. 

“Coming fifth is a real motivator for me,” said Jarman. 

“Standing out there, knowing I’m two spots away from the podium, it’s given me a boost of confidence and belief that one day, I can push to be top three.” 

Jarman has played his part in a successful World Championships for Great Britain, with the hosts the only nation to win a full complement of ten Olympic qualifying spots at the first opportunity. 

He now has 18 months to prepare ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris, as he looks to ramp up the difficult across all apparatus. 

And despite performing well on floor and vault, he is determined which areas he wants to work on most. 

“I definitely want to work on my pommel, high bar and rings,” Jarman added. 

“When I’m really on it on the other three, I know I can hit really well but the other three pieces are areas I can work on. 

“Now we’ve got a nice long time to rest and collect myself but when I get back in the gym, I’ll be looking to focus on those three areas.” 

*The World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool 2022 was one of the largest international sporting events ever to be held in the city.  

Over 500 gymnasts from more than 70 countries competed at the M&S Bank Arena from October 29 to November 6.