Oakley Banks has recently competed at the London Open, coming away as the Under 18 champion, and at the British Championships, he made the Rings final this year, and in 2022, he won Silver in the All-Around and on Floor and Bronze on Rings and Parallel Bars. At the 2022 Junior European Championships, Oakley, along with his Team GB artistic gymnastics teammates Danny Crouch, Jack Stanley, Reuben Ward and Gabriel Langton, won Bronze in the Team event, and in July, Oakley was part of the European Youth Olympic Festival in Slovakia with Danny and Reuben, with the GB gymnasts winning Team Silver. This month will see Oakley compete at the British Teams for Pegasus Gymnastics Club (where he trains) with Sam Ghinn and James Hall, and he is currently part of the British Gymnastics junior squad, and will soon be transitioning to senior level. Catching up with Oakley, he answered our questions about competing at the British Championships, winning Team medals at both the Junior European Championships and European Youth Olympic Festival last year and training at Pegasus Gymnastics Club.

In March, you competed at the British Championships, where you qualified for the Rings final, what was this like?

I felt the British Championships was a really positive experience for me and was very exciting. The competition was very rewarding, after the hard work that was put in at the gym in the lead-up to the event. I also gained some valuable experience from this competition to take with me for the future events this year.

What do you enjoy most about competing at the British Championships and how was it winning Silver in the All-Around and on Floor and Bronze on the Rings and Parallel Bars last year?

I most enjoyed the atmosphere at the British and competing under that high level of pressure. I also like the fact that I have made an impression on people and that I will be recognised in future events. Winning the medals has given me confidence for future events and a clear goal for this year, in terms of what I want to achieve but also what I need to improve on.

How did you find the experience representing Team GB at the 2022 Junior European Championships in Munich?

It was an amazing pleasure and honour to represent GB, but nerve-racking at the same time. It gave me an insight into what international competitions are all about, as it was only my second major but made me want to be competing for my country more.

What was it like winning Bronze with your teammates Danny Crouch, Jack Stanley, Reuben Ward and Gabriel Langton and how did you stay focused during the Team event?

It was a proud moment more than anything, and to do it with those boys just made it even more special. It was six months of hard work and after spending so much time together we are extremely close and I can really see a future with this team.

You won Team Silver at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Slovakia in July 2022 with Danny and Reuben, what was the competition like to be part of and what are some of your favourite memories from competing in Slovakia?

It was exciting, very exciting. The arena was big and loud, it had a festival sort of feel to it with really big crowds. It was our first major as a team, so we enjoyed being on the big stage together.

How was it finding out you’d been selected for the European Championships and EYOF and how did you prepare for the competitions?

It was a big relief, to be honest, after all the training and hard work. I was really proud and excited and it motivated me to train even harder in the gym. The team spent lots of time at Lilleshall and it was hard work, with lots of routines. We also travelled to Belgium to train as part of the preparation.

What was it like competing at the Berlin Cup in April last year and returning to international competitions for the first time since COVID closed gyms?

I was really nervous as I hadn’t competed since 2019 so it was a big relief to get out competing again. It was a great stepping stone to show my ability and how much I had progressed in this time. I also think it played a big part in me making the team for the Youth Olympics.

Can you tell us about some of the other competitions you’ve been part of over your career so far and do you remember how you felt representing Great Britain for the first time?

Cottbus Cup in 2018 was my first international competition and I did that with Danny. It was a really exciting time for me and made me realise that I really wanted to compete for GB and at international level. I returned to the Cottbus Cup in 2019 and also travelled to Switzerland for a 4-Way International with France and Germany, which was a great experience also.

Being picked for more international events is a really proud achievement for me. It has made me strive for excellence, motivated me and also made me hungry for competing internationally at a senior level.

Where does your love of gymnastics come from and how did you get into it?

It was actually my grandad I have to thank for my love of this sport. As a young child he would make me run from the top of the garden and jump over a chair – vault in the making! He was in the army and took part in trampolining. Once in the gym, I just loved new skills and gaining this ability to do things that other people couldn’t do and made me want to just do it more and more.

Did you have any favourite gymnasts to watch when growing up and is there anything you enjoy most about being part of the British Gymnastics junior squad?

As a young child I definitely looked up to Max Whitlock. However, since joining Pegasus and working in the gym so closely with James Hall, Giarnni Regini-Moran and Courtney Tulloch, it has been incredibly motivating to work with these guys who I admire so much. Working with them has shown me all the hard work that goes into competing at such a high level. It also makes me want to train hard and gain harder skills to impress them.

Can you tell us about your typical training day at Pegasus Gymnastics Club and how has it changed over the years?

It’s very different to national squad training. We train around four hours at a time, five to six days a week. I think the biggest difference in terms of how my training has changed is, when I was younger, I used to train more as a group with the squad that I was in but now I train more as an individual and have more one-to-one time with my coach.

Have you been given any advice over your gymnastics career so far that has stuck with you?

James Hall has always advised me to ”work smart” and this is something that has really stuck with me.

My grandad also used to say to me ”it’s hard to get to the top but it is even harder to stay there”, this is something I always have in the back of my mind when training and when things are getting tough.

How do you like to spend your time away from the gym?

I don’t get a lot of free time between the gym and schoolwork but I like to see friends, play Xbox and try and let my body rest.

Do you have any competitions coming up that you can tell us about or that you are targeting?

Sam Ghinn, James Hall and I have the British Teams this month. I am taking a big step in my gymnastics career at the moment, as I am transitioning from a junior to a senior and have got a Bundesliga in Germany later in the year, which will be a great learning curve for me.

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