Jake Jarman has made history at the World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, becoming the first British male gymnast to win two individual medals at a single Worlds after taking silver in a thrilling men’s vault final.
Jake Jarman (Credits: BBC Sport)
Jake Jarman wins vault silver at 2026 World Championships
Jarman, who had already claimed floor silver earlier in the championships, added a second medal with a superb vault performance. He opened with a Kasamatsu 2.5 that he stood up with only a small slide forward, earning 14.900, then followed with a double front half worth 14.400 for an average of 14.650, briefly putting him into first place.
Gold went to Armenia’s Artur Davtyan, who produced two near-perfect vaults, a double front half stuck cold for 14.800 and a front handspring Randi stuck again for 14.900, giving him a winning average of 14.850. It was Davtyan’s second world vault title, following his 2022 win. Norway’s Sebastian Sponevik took bronze, winning Norway’s first ever world medal in gymnastics, men’s or women’s.
Jarman’s achievement is a landmark for British gymnastics. The 24-year-old is the defending world vault champion in spirit if not in name, having won vault gold in 2023 and team bronze in 2022, and his floor silver earlier in Rotterdam, where he finished behind American Frederick Richard, already made him Britain’s most decorated athlete in World Artistic Gymnastics Championships history.
Why Jake Jarman’s second Worlds silver matters
What makes this double so significant is that it came across two different apparatus finals in the same championships. Vault has long been Jarman’s signature event, built around extraordinary difficulty and power, but his floor silver showed a gymnast whose range now extends well beyond one piece of apparatus.
After his floor final, Jarman said he could not be annoyed at silver, noting that knowing he could do better yet still walking away with a world silver gave him confidence. The same attitude will surely apply to this vault result: two silvers at one Worlds, against a field of this quality, is the kind of haul most gymnasts would dream of.
For British gymnastics, Jarman’s Rotterdam campaign is another sign of a programme operating at the very top of the sport. With the next Olympic cycle already in view, his form in Rotterdam will have plenty of people watching what comes next.
Also Read: GB’s Joe Fraser Wins World Bronze in All-Around Final Behind Hashimoto’s Fourth Title
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
