Rueben Ward wins Max Whitlock-less British Pommel Horse Final

For over a decade, the pommel horse has been synonymous with British and Irish athletes. From Louis Smith, through to current Olympic champion Rhys McClenghan, Team GB and Ireland have shown their dominance over the apparatus by winning the last three Olympic titles. 

Pommel Horse at the British Gymnastics Championships - Liverpool, 22nd March

But nobody stands out more than the King of the Pommel Horse. Max Whitlock OBE. 

On a rare sunny day in Liverpool, around 7000 people watched Whitlock return to action following his shock decision to come out of retirement last November. He started the day with a fall on parallel bars, and appeared to tweak something in his shoulder. 

Whitlock chose not to perform on high bar, and instead sat on the sides holding his right shoulder, discomfort apparent on his face. 

In the final moments of the day, he stepped up to pommel horse. His bread and butter, the event he claimed two of his olympic gold medals in. He never looked comfortable, and around halfway through the routine he fell off the apparatus, ending his hopes of taking part in the event final. 

This made way for a new champion, and a field full of young, hungry and hopeful gymnasts.

Joe Fraser, Alexander Yolshin-Cash, Jake Jarman and Joshua Nathan warm up for the pommel horse final at the British Gymnastics Championships 2026 - Liverpool, 22nd March

The morning started with Adam Tobin of Notts Gymnastics Academy, fresh off the back of an incredibly successful English Championships in early March. He started his routine nicely, but fell victim, just as a double Olympic champion had just 24 hours earlier, and came off the horse on a travel element of the routine. 

Stanley Cropper from City of Newcastle Gym had to follow the fall, and put in a stellar clean performance that temporarily moved him into first position. 

Elliot Vernon was up next and suffered a very early fall that upset the rhythm of the rest of his routine. He cut a visibly disappointed figure, with just a curt nod of his head to the judges, no smile to go alongside.

It was Rueben Ward who threw down the gauntlet, nailing his routine with precise execution and difficulty level with that of Olympic champions. A score of 14.550 moved him clear at the top of the standings, with just four more athletes to compete. 

Jake Jarman, a clear fan favourite, was fresh from floor victory in a quick turnaround to the pommel final, yet still managed a similarly clean and difficult routine that put him into second place. 

Alexander Yolshin-Cash followed with a clean routine, but couldn’t quite reach the score needed to stay in the medal positions with two more athletes to go. 

These athletes were Joshua Nathan of South Essex Gymnastics Club, Max Whitlock’s gym, and Joe Fraser, current Commonwealth champion on pommel horse. 

Joshua Nathan produced the most difficult routine of the day, and the audience held their breath. He got through cleanly for the most part, but the judges saw a few technical errors that came at the cost of such high difficulty. A score of 14.300 guaranteed both him and Ward medals. 

The colour of these medals was in the hands of Joe Fraser, as a tense Jake Jarman watched on. Fraser’s routine was a big step up from his qualifying pommel routine, and he had spoken the day before of wanting to “push it harder” for difficulty in the event finals, for his best shot at more titles. 

Joe Fraser during his pommel horse routine at the British Gymnastics Championships 2026 - Liverpool, March 22nd

Unfortunately, a score of 13.700 meant that he ended the final in fourth place. Leaving Jake Jarman a bronze medal to add to his floor gold, as well as a silver medal for Joshua Nathan, and a stunning gold medal for youngster Reuben Ward, his first senior title.