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Victor Bolorunduro
Doha
The British men's artistic gymnastics team has successfully concluded its eight-day training camp ahead of the new season in Doha.
The team, who arrived in Doha on January 25, also trained with their Qatari counterparts at the Qatar Gymnastic Federation's (QGF) Training Centre during the camp.
Speaking about their stay in the country, the team's head coach Eddie Van Hoof said,"The hospitality here has been absolutely fantastic. The gymnasium and facilities have been first class and everyone of us has had a great experience."
Leading a delegation comprising 11 gymnasts and 10 officials for the intensive training camp, the renowned coach said the team came to experience Qatar, considering that the country will be hosting the 2018 World Championship, and they have been very impressed with the facilities.
"We've enjoyed excellent weather condition throughout our stay and the food has been great. We look forward to coming back to Doha in the nearest future," the coach said.
Speaking about the team's future plan, Van Hoof who has been at the helm of affairs of Team GB for the last twenty years and was named UK Coach of the Year 2016, said,"We are trying to build fitness and new skill going forward. The team have to shine in the European championship this year. This year all the events are individual and no team events."
He added that most of the gymnasts in Qatar have been in the team for sometime and that their coming here has given them further exposure which will impact performances going forward. Asked about the secret of the unprecedented success of the team at the Rio Olympics where Team GB's won an impressive seven medals, the 60-year-old coach said,"Rio was a hugely successful outing. There were some remarkable performances. The men's team got five medals while the trampoline and the women's team got one each. From the men's perspective, we were thrilled with the success we got. We were above Japan, China and Germany."
"We had two medals at the London 2012 Games. To beat that tally was a strong performance. We are in a good place going forward to Tokyo Games in 2020. We will try and match that. It is important that we achieve better targets."
He added that the Rio success was a culmination of a ten-year plan which dated back to 2006 on the back of London winning the 2012 Olympic Games bid.
"We knew we had strong seniors in the team but I was adamant that we invest in the junior programme. We had a very strong junior programme and all these boys came from that programme."
"They have done well at the European Championships - in the team or individual classes. We managed to keep that going as they progressed to the senior level. That's given them a lot of confidence and understanding that success is possible. We keep building on that," he added.
Team GB's Max Whitlock won double Olympic gold on the floor and pommel, Louis Smith a silver on pommel while Nile Wilson secured GB's first ever Olympic high bar medal and Whitlock an all-around bronze at the 2016 Games.
Van Hoof added that the impetus for the success was given at the Beijing Games when Lewis Smith won the first medal on the pommel horse.
"That medal was crucial because it gave everybody a real belief that it was achievable. Then we knew winning an Olympic medal wasn't just a dream. We weren't expected to be successful in London, in all honesty. But the team medal in London was an amazing achievement. That showed the depth of programme. We didn't rely on Lewis Smith. Everybody who was in the team was able to contribute. The depth of the programme has really come from the junior programme" the coach said.
Meanwhile, QGF President Ali Ahmed al Hitmi said he was very happy that the Qatar Olympic Committee's vision of making Qatar a top sports tourism destination is yielding fruits.
"Great Britain is a very high level team and the fact that they have chosen Qatar to train makes it a big success for gymnastics in Qatar. Aside from contributing to the economy, their visit also enabled our gymnasts to benefit from their wealth of experience. They have learned how to train and acquire new skill sets. They have also got a chance to interact with top coaches," the president said.
The QGF head said that more teams including Armenia are expected in Qatar in the next couple of weeks particularly ahead of the 2017 FIG World Cup which will be held from March 22 to 25 in Doha.
