Three lucky students from a secondary school in Easingwold have spoken of their delight after receiving a lesson from Olympic Gold Medallist, Max Whitlock.

The students, all from ̨��swag Academy Easingwold, met the famous gymnast at the University of Hull at the ‘Meet Max Whitlock’ event on 23rd November. The event was held for A Level PE students from Post-16 centres across the country who are interested in a career in sport after their studies.

As part of the day, the students discussed Max’s approach to training, how he developed his winning mentality, and picked his brains about the importance of the correct strength and conditioning programme.

Things got more physical when the trio took on Max at a series of fitness tests and training tasks in a ‘Beat Max’ competition, before Max gave a live demonstration of his pommel horse routine.

Georgia Ainley, an A-Level student at the York Road-based secondary school said:

“Being able to meet an olympic champion, hold a gold medal and engage in a wide range of activities throughout the day was an incredible experience.

“We completed fun and challenging tasks, including workouts in the top level gym, ‘beat Max’ fitness tests and handball using GPS trackers. One of the highlights was being able to see Max perform an amazing routine on the pommel horse, and listen to his inspirational words.”

Thanks to Max’s generosity, the trio were also able to hold his Gold Medal from the recent Tokyo Olympics, which was a highlight for one of the students.

Sadie Bird, an A-Level student, said:

“To me, the day was full of invaluable experiences. Hearing Max share inspiration and past experiences has provided me with motivation to set targets and succeed with my studies. At one point in the day we were able to have a personal, one on one conversation with Max where he allowed us to hold his gold medal from the Tokyo Olympics. It was great!”

Milly Ainley, the final A-Level student from OA Easingwold involved in the event, said:

“Throughout the day we had the opportunity to take part and experience an amazing variety of events. Max Whitlock answered our questions we sent about his preparation, recovery and nutrition and it was really interesting to gain insight into the life of an Olympian and listen to his inspirational words about motivation and focusing on personal development by ‘staying in your own lane’.

“We participated in a strength and conditioning gym session where we trialled technical gym equipment showing us some ways in which athletes physiologically prepare for competition. One of the highlights was meeting Max and holding his gold medal as well as watching his display on the pommel horse as it was eye-opening to see his talent first hand.”