At the 2026 Osijek World Cup, Harry Hepworth won Gold on the Vault and Silver on Floor and Rings, and at the start of the year, he became the British and English champion on Rings, and also won Silver on Floor and Bronze on Vault at the British Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Harry competed at his first World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp in 2023, and last year, he qualified for the Rings final at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta. Alongside Harry’s British teammates Jake Jarman, Jamie Lewis, Jonas Rushworth and Luke Whitehouse, he competed at the 2025 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships with the British team coming away as Team champions, and Harry also qualified for the Floor, Rings and Vault finals, winning a Silver on Floor, sharing the podium with Luke Whitehouse, with both gymnasts training at Leeds Gymnastics Club. For Harry’s first Olympic Games, he represented Team GB in 2024 in Paris, making the Vault and Floor finals, as well as the British team making the Team final, and with his Bronze medal win on Vault, he made history by becoming the first British male gymnast to win an Olympic Vault medal, and after the Olympics, he was invited to Buckingham Palace with King Charles III to celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic medallists. Prior to the Olympic Games, Harry competed at the 2024 European Championships in Rimini with fellow British gymnasts Joe Fraser, Jake Jarman, Courtney Tulloch and James Hall, with the team winning Silver in the Team event, and Harry made his major international debut the previous year at the European Championships, where he finished 4th on Floor and 7th on Vault. We chatted to Harry about his success so far this year at the Osijek World Cup and British and English Championships, becoming the European Team champion in 2025 and representing Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (where he became the first British male gymnast to win an Olympic Vault medal).
Can you tell us about competing at the 2026 Osijek World Cup, where you won Gold on the Vault and Silver on Floor and Rings?
Yes, I really enjoyed competing at the Osijek World Cup. Going into it, I wanted to show my new routines and see what scores I could achieve. I knew that if I hit the routines with as little mistakes as possible, I could do well, but I didn’t really focus on that. I just wanted to improve my routines in execution from the English Championships and British Championships. Being there with my teammates Luke (Whitehouse) and Jonas (Rushworth) from Leeds and Joe Fraser was amazing, and there was a really good energy between all gymnasts and coaches!
At the start of the year, you became British and English Rings champion, and also won Silver on Floor and Bronze on Vault at the British Artistic Gymnastics Championships; what do you enjoy about competing at the British and English Championships and how do they differ to major international competitions?
I think what I enjoy most about the British Championships is the crowd – they are amazing. At major competitions, there is a mix of fans from each country, but at the British it’s obviously like 99% British fans, so there is always a lot of noise and good atmosphere, plus an extra bit of pressure, which, at the start of the year, after not competing for a while, just gets you into the rhythm of a big major competition almost! But for me mainly, it’s not much different at all. I enjoy both, but the British always feels very special!
How was your time at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta last year, where you qualified for the Rings final, and what are some of your favourite memories from your first World Championships in 2023 in Antwerp?
Yes! Jakarta was really cool! It was my first time in Asia, so to see the difference in culture was amazing. For me, the competition wasn’t my best, as I had been dealing with an injury that occurred a couple of weeks prior to the event, but I was just happy to still be competing. I was really proud of myself for getting into the Rings final, and I believe I showed some of my best ever work on the rings. It was a shame my dismount didn’t go to plan in the final, but it’s just something to learn from and make improvements on for next time.
My favourite memory from Antwerp was actually waiting around all day because I think Team GBR was in one of the early subdivisions. Seeing that I managed to make the Floor, Rings and Vault finals at my first Worlds just gave me a massive boost of confidence going into the Olympic year! Competing in the Team final was a special memory because all of us had put so much hard work in behind the scenes. Although we didn’t medal, we were all happy with our performances!
How did you feel becoming the European Team champion with your Great Britain teammates Jake Jarman, Jamie Lewis, Jonas Rushworth and Luke Whitehouse at the 2025 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships, and how is it competing in Team events opposed to individual finals?
I think the overall feeling from the team was just ecstatic. In the prep camps beforehand (and I think I speak for everyone involved here), we had all visualised winning the Team competition. It was the main focus throughout, and we were all bringing minor improvements to the table for the team. We planned it out thoroughly and executed it. Nothing else to add really.
Having also qualified for the Floor, Rings and Vault finals, you won Silver on the Floor, sharing the podium with your British teammate and fellow Leeds Gymnastics Club athlete Luke Whitehouse, how was it receiving your medals together?
Yes, the Floor final was really cool, especially to share the podium with my Leeds teammate Luke. It was his third consecutive time winning Floor at the Europeans too, so I was over the moon for him. It was also my first major medal on Floor, since I lost out on a medal at 2023 Europeans due to a tie in score, so I was just really hungry to get my hands on a medal on Floor.
Qualifying for all three of my pieces gave me flashbacks to 2023 Worlds, so I just wanted to put out some really good scores. I remember after the Vault final I was just thinking, right, I really need to up my difficulty because everyone is just sticking the Dragalescu and handspring 2.5 twist, and that’s what I’ve been working on ever since.
What was it like representing Team GB at your first Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, where you qualified for the Team, Vault and Rings finals, and how did you feel finding out you’d been selected for the team?
Yes, finding out that I had been selected will always be one of my favourite memories. I remember being up in my room, waiting nervously for the call, and then, once I heard the news, I ran downstairs and told my mum and she just burst into tears. My family, my girlfriend and her family were just over the moon. I think they all expected it really, based on my performances beforehand.
Qualifying for the Team final was amazing but, also from my point of view, expected. We were just really focused on going for that Team medal, which we didn’t end up getting, but going out there with that goal and giving it our best shot was all we could have asked for, and we did just that!
Qualifying for the Rings final was a bit of history in itself for British gymnastics, so I just wanted to go back out there and show the world how good I am, and I was really happy with my performance. And then, about an hour later, Jake Jarman and I were back on Vault. I knew the competition would be hard, but it’s all down to the landings, so I just focused on that and nailed both of my vaults and became an Olympic Bronze medallist. It was a nervous wait, which in the moment felt like an eternity, and it was a moment I will never forget!
How was it staying in the athletes village alongside other countries and sports, and what was it like being part of a multi-sport competition for the first time?
Staying in the athletes village was an amazing but strange experience. You would end walking by some of the best athletes in the world, who I had watched growing up. Having our own apartment with the boys was really good because we could focus together: wake up, train, eat, sleep and motivative everyone to achieve our goals. The energy in the apartment was always high, and getting to experience it all with my best mates was very special.
We were also lucky enough to go and watch a few of the other sports, like boxing, which was a really exciting experience to be a spectator of another sport and blend in like a fan.
You are the first British male gymnast to win an Olympic Vault medal, having come away with Bronze in the final, how did you find the experience competing in the final and how was it landing your vaults in medal contention?
The experience was like no other. I thought I would be quite nervous for this final, but I didn’t feel it at all. Having my personal coach Dave Murray with me on the floor was so cool and reassuring because we spend so much time away from home that it felt pretty normal.
Dave just told me to just focus on one vault at a time and just give it my best shot, which I did. I was over the moon, but being second up meant I had to wait for six other competitors to go. To see all of them absolutely nail their vaults was extremely nerve-racking.
Hearing my name called out to collect the Bronze medal was such a surreal feeling. Looking up at my dad in the crowd as I stood on the Olympic podium was quite emotional. He’s been at as many competitions as he could since I can remember, so it really meant a lot that he was there.
After the event, I think I was being interviewed and in the spotlight of the media until like 2 or 3am, and then the next day from 6am to 4pm. Knowing I had won, achieved something special and got the medal was incredible. I got to see my teammates and coaches in the crowd going crazy and celebrating, and it will be something I’ll never forget.
What did it mean to you to win an Olympic Bronze medal, and what was it like visiting Buckingham Palace in celebration of the Olympic and Paralympic medallists and to meet King Charles III?
It’s a huge deal because, if you think about it, you train for well over a decade just to compete usually for under a minute – and in my case, about 15 seconds. It had all come together in that moment, so yes, I was over the moon.
There is so much that goes into winning an Olympic medal, and so that moment was for all of us.
To go to Buckingham Palace and meet King Charles III was just an honour. Being recognised by arguably one of the most powerful and recognisable people in the world was surreal. It took a while to sink in that I had met the King. If younger Harry knew that was going to happen, he would never believe it!
Ahead of the Olympics, you competed at the 2024 European Championships in Rimini, Italy alongside Joe Fraser, Jake Jarman, Courtney Tulloch and James Hall, where you won Silver in the Team event; what was it like getting on the podium a few months before the Olympics and how was it competing with the team in Italy?
That whole competition was just nerve-racking for everyone, I think, because everyone knew if you competed well then there was a high chance you’d be selected for the Olympics. At that stage, I was battling an injury which kept me off Floor, so it was just about maintaining fitness and making sure I wasn’t still injured for the Games.
Standing on the podium in second place was a tough one because we were so close to winning. But, like I’ve said before, we had all done our jobs and it just didn’t work out this time. Finishing second instilled some hunger in us for the Olympic Team final though, which was a good thing.
What was it like making your major international debut at the European Championships in 2023 and finishing 4th on Floor and 7th on Vault?
Not going to lie, I was really nervous. It had always been my dream to compete at a major, and here was my chance. Doing what I did just gave me a massive confidence boost leading up to Worlds.
It was a really cool experience to see first-hand and behind the scenes how major competitions operate. It was a good insight, especially alongside more experienced gymnasts and teammates who helped me to feel comfortable and relaxed.
How did you get into artistic gymnastics, and was it always something you wanted to do at elite level?
I first got into gymnastics when a coach from Leeds Gymnastics Club, and now gymnastics judge, Craig Richardson, demonstrated a backflip at a school assembly. Ever since then, I just wanted to learn a backflip. In the training sessions, I knew I was pretty good and I could potentially take it far, so I just kept working hard and I have ended up where I am today.
If Craig hadn’t come into my primary school, I would probably have never got into gymnastics. I hope I can do the same for other young children and inspire what might be the next Olympic medallist.
Were there any gymnasts that inspired you when starting out in the sport, and do you have any other favourite sports to watch?
I had some club favourites, like Nile Wilson and Ashley Watson, and watching them train and motivate everyone in the gym was very inspiring. I think having older role models in the gym is very important because you want to emulate them. That was always the case with Nile, so it’s very special that exactly 10 years later from Nile winning his Olympic Bronze medal, I won mine!
But I also really looked up to Nikita Nagornyy simply because he was such a powerful gymnast, and that’s something I have always wanted to be. He was constantly pushing the boundaries on what was possible.
Can you tell us about your typical training day at Leeds Gymnastics Club, and how has it changed since joining the British artistic gymnastics senior squad?
My typical training session has always been the same really at Leeds. We get to training at 12:30pm and do a main session, where we do the bulk of our training. Then we have an evening session where we work on key bits and new skills and upgrades.
This has always been the same, I think, and it clearly works. Leeds have always produced great gymnasts, and it’s down to the coaches, the programme and the atmosphere there.
Since starting gymnastics, have the floor, rings and vault always been your most successful apparatus to compete on?
Floor, rings and vault haven’t always been my most successful apparatus, but ever since I understood what I needed to do and what it took, those three have become my most successful.
I stopped doing all events in the first year as a senior simply because I was really excelling on those three, and I just didn’t like pommel and high bar. So, over the last few years, I have just focused on floor, rings and vault, and fortunately to a world-class standard, with a big thanks to the coaching team around me.
What do you enjoy doing away from competing and training?
I like to spend time with my girlfriend, play video games and try to take my mind away from training and competing. I do find it hard to switch off, but I don’t see that as a really bad thing. I think it’s a big part of why I have been successful.
Do you have any competitions coming up that you can tell us about or that you are targeting?
I’m targeting the Europeans and World Championships. The target is always to do better than last time, whatever that looks like. The ultimate goal is to be Team champions, and a World champion on one of my three apparatus, or hopefully all three!
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