Q&A: Gymnast Sam Oldham On Recovering From Injury, Being A Sky Sports Scholar And The Road To Rio
British gymnast Sam Oldham talks exclusively to Sportsvibe about being a Sky Sports Scholar, recovering from career-threatening injuries, missing the World Championships and the road to the Rio Olympics.åÊ
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First of all, how did you get into the sport?
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It was actually because of a school teacher. When I was younger, like a lot of gymnasts, I was quite hyperactive and pretty much jumping from sofa to sofa. My teacher suggested to my mum that I go along to the local gymnastics centre, and I basically did the same thing, which was run around like a nutter, but in a controlled environment. I went from doing my first school competition at a really low level and I got scouted for my first club and then before I knew it I was doing one or two sessions a week and it got to a point where I was training every day.åÊ
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When did you realise gymnastics was something you could compete in at an elite level?
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Probably the first time I competed abroad. I was 12 and I competed in my first international and I actually won it. That was big turning point for me, I can remember standing on top of the podium listening to the national anthem and that for me was the point that I decided that this is what I want to do. I loved that feeling and I fell in love with the sport really and that was definitely a pivotal moment for me in my career.åÊ
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How has being a Sky Sports scholar aided your development through the years?
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Being a scholar has been massive for me. The help I get in the media side of things, IÛªm not going to get there anywhere else, you donÛªt just get that given to you. My peers and my other teammates, theyÛªre not given any media training. IÛªm very lucky to have Sky mentor Geoff Shreeves, when I found out he was going to be my mentor that was massive. I used to play football at a high level when I was a youngster and IÛªm a big football fan and heÛªs helped me a lot. Also just their ability to help me, you get marginal gains talked about a lot but for me, I got a career-threatening injury in 2014 and one of the reasons I managed to get back so fast was actually being able to use a really high-tech ice compression machine which basically helped reduce the swelling in my ankle so I could get on it earlier and I used that non-stop every day, and itÛªs incredibly expensive, I wouldnÛªt have been able to afford that myself without the support of Sky.
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How difficult was the recovery process for the double muscle tear you suffered last year?
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It was difficult. I was in great shape before the original injury, and it was tough. In a way it was a small injury, I had a small tear to my lat, but I literally couldnÛªt do anything. I couldnÛªt do any apparatus, I couldnÛªt even twist because as soon as I tensed my arm at all I was in agony, and this lasted for about eight weeks. So this gave me about four weeks to get back and competing and ready to make the WorldsÛª team but I just didnÛªt have enough time. In rushing to get back I actually tore a small muscle in my bad ankle and that set me back again another two weeks. In the end we decided that it wasnÛªt worth the risk. The long goal for me is the Olympic games, and if I go to a World Championships and put that in jeopardy, thatÛªs not doing me any favours. Right now, if I was to write down how iÛªd want January to have gone in an Olympic year iÛªd probably write it pretty much as itÛªs gone, itÛªs been a great start to the year for me.
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Was it as nerve-racking watching your teammates from the sidelines at the World Championships as competing yourself?
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Yeah, itÛªs always worse because for me, IÛªve trained with these guys since I was eight-years-old and a lot of them are my best friends so itÛªs very tough watching knowing youÛªve got no control over the outcome. It was an incredible event that really helped to raise the profile of the sport the more again and it was such a big thing for us to do well there.åÊ
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Looking forward to Rio, youÛªve mentioned your aim is to medal in an individual event, where do you think youÛªre strongest and where do you have the best chance?
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For me itÛªs always been about the all-around. Get any gymnast, if you take Lewis Smith for example, every gymnast starts as being an all-around gymnast, so itÛªs the most important thing. ItÛªs almost like the heptathlon of gymnastics and theyÛªre considered the greatest athletes, so for me thatÛªs the ambition. On an individual apparatus, my best event is the High Bar, and thatÛªs the event I enjoy doing the most and itÛªs the most nail-biting, nerve-racking and itÛªs the event the crowd love.åÊ
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Sam Oldham is supported by the Sky Academy Sports Scholarship Scheme, helping young athletes fulfill their potential on the international stage and achieve their goals for Rio 2016: skysports.com/scholarship