Great Britain's Jake Jarman and Jessica Gadirova – Olympic superstars in waiting?
The artistic gymnasts are dreaming big ahead of Paris 2024. With a slew of medals and titles in their collections already, the next stop is the World Championships in Antwerp, starting 30 September where they'll no doubt continue to make their mark.
Artistic Gymnastics
The Jarman.
So difficult is the tumble on floor exercise in artistic gymnastics that only one person has ever performed it. Not only that, just one person has likely ever thought it was even possible, let alone performed it.
That person is Great Britain's Jake Jarman, who showed off the 3.5 twisting double layout at the Paris World Challenge Cup, the weekend of 16-17 September.
As the first gymnast to ever perform the pass successfully at a world governing body-recognised competition, the move is now named after him, and due to its successful first outing, the 21-year-old will likely perform the run again at the upcoming Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, which start in Antwerp, Belgium on 30 September.
"The Jarman 😎" posted the man himself on Instagram. "Cant believe im the first person to ever compete this😅"
Neither can we, Jake, neither can we.
Jessica Gadirova's joyful celebrations
Jarman's compatriot and fellow British gymnast hoping to make a splash in France is one Jessica Gadirova.
Already an Olympic medallist, oh, and world champion, the 18-year-old's famous joyful celebrations were first seen in her debut senior international in 2021.
Last to compete in the floor final at the European Championships in Basel, Gadirova was sitting in the kiss and cry did-I-win-a-medal seat with the then first and second-placed gymnasts when the Brit's score – and ranking – popped up.
So busy was Gadirova smiling and making love-heart signs to the camera that she was possibly the last person in the arena to see the score and realise she'd won gold.
When she did, her reaction was priceless.
A brief pause to register what had happened, leaping to her feet to wave to the crowd, eyes filling with tears, more enthusiastic love hearts and kisses to the camera – Jessica Gadirova had arrived, leaving Switzerland with a pocketful of gold, silver (vault) and bronze (in the all-around).
A few months later and Gadirova was an Olympic medallist, securing bronze with teammates Alice Kinsella, Amelie Morgan, and twin sister Jennifer Gadirova. The quartet won Britain's first women's Olympic team medal in 93 years.
Choreographed TikTok routines created by the squad in their downtime during Tokyo 2020, had gained traction, the dance moves then making their way into the arena in celebratory moments, such as when Gadirova defended the floor title at the following season's European Championships.
Turns out 2022 was quite the year for both Gadirova and Jarman.
Jake Jarman and Jessica Gadirova dreaming big
In his first major senior international competition, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Jarman won four gold medals. In the individual events, the blue riband All-Around title was his, plus top spots in his showcase vault and floor disciplines.
The twisting maestro also helped the men's team become Commonwealth champions, the first in a trio of ground-breaking British men's team performances that year.
Gadirova, meanwhile, had missed the Birmingham-hosted multi-sport event in early August in which Jarman had excelled, but both featured at the European Championships in Munich later that month.
Three more medals followed for Jarman, including team gold – a first European men's team title since 2012 – plus vault gold and bronze on floor. Gadirova, meanwhile, contributed high scores to the women's team silver, along with the defence of her floor title.
Two months later, and a home World Championships was upon them, taking place in Liverpool.
Both gymnasts played their part in Great Britain becoming the only nation to qualify quota spots for both men's and women's teams at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – courtesy of top three finishes. The five-person teams will be selected by the National Olympic Committee closer to the Games.
The women's squad of Jess and Jen Gadirova, Kinsella, Georgia-Mae Fenton and Ondine Achampong secured a best ever result in the team competition, claiming silver behind the dominant United States, and ahead of third-placed Canada.
Jarman, Joe Fraser, Giarnni Regini-Moran, James Hall and Courtney Tulloch won bronze in a dramatic finale, making the podium for only the second time ever in the men's event, with GB having won silver in Glasgow in 2015. People's Republic of China claimed top spot with Japan in second.
All five nations secured quota team spots for Paris 2024, with nine other sides for each gender to join them based on finishing positions at the 2023 Worlds in Belgium.
* Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.
* As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
Jessica Gadirova is known for her joyful celebrations at competitions.
Jessica Gadirova in dream world
The home Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were also the moment Gadirova became a first-time world champion.
"WORLD FLOOR CHAMPION! 🥇🌍," Gadirova posted. And just to be absolutely clear, followed up with: "Floor Champion… in the WORLD!!!"
Gadirova continued: "Am I still dreaming or what!? This has always been a dream of mine to be called a World champion but I’d never thought it would become a reality! If you would’ve told the younger me that I would be a world champion one day I wouldn’t have believed you!"
The 2023 season has continued in the same vein.
Six medals were secured between Gadirova and Jarman at the European Championships that took place in April in Antalya, Turkiye, including a first-ever continental team gold for the women's team. Gadirova became the first female gymnast to win three successive floor titles.
There was also a near double whammy of two GB All-Around champions – Gadirova claiming top spot with Jarman just missing out, taking silver.
The upcoming World Championships in Antwerp provide another platform for Gadirova and Jarman to showcase skills and celebratory dance moves on their way to collecting more hardware, but it's in Paris next year where the twosome hope their promise will shine brightest of all.
