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==Career==
==Career==
===Junior career===
===Junior career===
Oldham left [[Rushcliffe School]] and moved to [[Huntingdon]] at the age of 14 to train with the [[2008 Summer Olympics]]-bound gymnasts, where he was the training partner of eventual [[Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's pommel horse|pommel horse bronze medallist]] [[Louis Smith (gymnast)|Louis Smith]].<ref name="nottspost"/> Smith later thanked Oldham for being his training partner leading up to Beijing.<ref name="indonsun"/>
Oldham left [[Rushcliffe School]] and moved to [[Huntingdon]] at the age of 14 to train with the [[2008 Summer Olympics]]-bound gymnasts, where he lodged with the family of fellow gymnast Cameron MacKenzie and was [[homeschooled]]. His other training partners included eventual [[Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's pommel horse|pommel horse bronze medallist]] [[Louis Smith (gymnast)|Louis Smith]].<ref name="nottspost"/> Smith later thanked Oldham for being his training partner leading up to Beijing.<ref name="indonsun"/>


At the European Gymnastics Championships in [[Lausanne]], [[Switzerland]] in 2008, where he was the youngest member of the British team,<ref name="sponsorship"/> Oldham broke his wrist during his [[floor (gymnastics)|floor]] routine. However, he managed to complete his routine one-handed and helped the British team to gold in the junior team event.<ref name="nottspost"/> Late in 2008, a [[Castle Donington]]-based company agreed to sponsor Oldham up to the [[2012 Summer Olympics]].<ref name="sponsorship"/>
At the European Gymnastics Championships in [[Lausanne]], [[Switzerland]] in 2008, where he was the youngest member of the British team,<ref name="sponsorship"/> Oldham broke his wrist during his [[floor (gymnastics)|floor]] routine. However, he managed to complete his routine one-handed and helped the British team to gold in the junior team event.<ref name="nottspost"/> Late in 2008, a [[Castle Donington]]-based company agreed to sponsor Oldham up to the [[2012 Summer Olympics]].<ref name="sponsorship"/>

Revision as of 03:46, 18 October 2010

Sam Oldham
Country represented Great Britain
HometownKeyworth, Nottingham
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
ClubHuntingdon Olympic Gymnastics Club
Medal record
Men's artistic gymnastics
Representing  Great Britain
Youth Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2010 Singapore Horizontal bar
Silver medal – second place 2010 Singapore Pommel horse
European Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2010 Birmingham Individual all-around
Gold medal – first place 2010 Birmingham Team all-around
Gold medal – first place 2010 Birmingham Horizontal bar
Gold medal – first place 2008 Lausanne Team all-around
European Youth Olympic Festival
Gold medal – first place 2009 Tampere Parallel bars
Gold medal – first place 2009 Tampere Pommel horse
Australian Youth Olympic Festival
Gold medal – first place 2009 Sydney Team all-around

Sam Oldham (born 17 February 1993) is an English competitive gymnast who represents Great Britain in international competition. He is a triple junior European champion and won the Men's horizontal bar event at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore.

Personal life

Sam Oldham was born on 17 February 1993[1] to Bob and Dawn Oldham.[2] Oldham currently lives in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, England[3] with his parents and three siblings.[3]

Originally schooled at Rushcliffe School, Oldham left the institution at 14 to be home-taught[2] so he could focus on training.

Oldham first started in gymnastics at the age of seven on the recommendation of his teacher,[3][4] but was also a talented footballer. Oldham played in the Notts County F.C. Centre of Excellence as a forward until the club closed it down. Despite receiving offers from Nottingham Forest F.C. and Derby County F.C., Oldham chose to focus on gymnastics.[4] Oldham's father and grandfather were both footballers, and his younger brother currently plays in the Nottingham Forest youth setup.[4]

Oldham is a Manchester United F.C. fan[3] and considers Vitaly Scherbo to be the Olympian who has inspired him the most, for the latter's performance winning six golds at the 1992 Summer Olympics.[1]

Career

Junior career

Oldham left Rushcliffe School and moved to Huntingdon at the age of 14 to train with the 2008 Summer Olympics-bound gymnasts, where he lodged with the family of fellow gymnast Cameron MacKenzie and was homeschooled. His other training partners included eventual pommel horse bronze medallist Louis Smith.[3] Smith later thanked Oldham for being his training partner leading up to Beijing.[4]

At the European Gymnastics Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2008, where he was the youngest member of the British team,[2] Oldham broke his wrist during his floor routine. However, he managed to complete his routine one-handed and helped the British team to gold in the junior team event.[3] Late in 2008, a Castle Donington-based company agreed to sponsor Oldham up to the 2012 Summer Olympics.[2]

Oldham was named to the British team for the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival,[4] where he won team gold.[5] Later that year, he was selected to be in the British delegation to the European Youth Olympic Festival in Tampere, Finland, where he won two golds[3] in the pommel horse and parallel bars events.[5] Oldham was named BBC East Midlands' Junior Sports Personality of the Year in 2009 for his performances in Tampere and for sweeping all seven golds available at the English national championships.[6]

At the 2010 European Gymnastics Championships in Birmingham, England, Oldham won three gold medals, becoming European junior champion in the team all-around,[7] the horizontal bar,[8] and the individual all-around.[9] By winning the individual all-around, Oldham secured qualification to represent Great Britain at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore.[10]

Summer Youth Olympics

In Singapore, Oldham qualified second overall for the all-around competition and made the finals in four other events – the floor, pommel horse, parallel bars, and horizontal bar.[11]

Oldham was in the silver medal position in the all-around final when he suffered a fall from the horizontal bar, his final apparatus, thus finishing fifth.[12][13] However, he recovered from the setback to win silver in the pommel horse event, missing out on gold by 0.25 points.[13] Oldham subsequently followed that by winning gold in the horizontal bar event,[14] on the same apparatus in which he had suffered his fall during the all-around competition. Despite going first out of the eight finalists, Oldham's score of 14.375 points held out throughout and was enough for gold.[15]

After the Youth Olympics, Oldham considered trying for the 2010 Commonwealth Games team.[14][15] His coach Paul Hall has described Oldham as having a chance of making the British team for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London,[16] while Smith has said Oldham is an "amazing talent" and British head gymnastics coach Andre Popov has predicted Oldham will "absolutely" become Olympic champion.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b "Sam Oldham". British Olympic Association. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d Delia Monk (24 December 2008). "Teenage gymnast on course for gold in 2012". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Jennifer Scott (30 January 2010). "'I won gold medal with a broken wrist'". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d e Alan Hubbard (11 January 2009). "Oldham saddles up to pummel his way to top". Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  5. ^ a b "British Gymnastics Best Achievements in 2009". British Gymnastics. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  6. ^ "Carl Froch named BBC East Midlands Sports Personality". BBC East Midlands. 4 December 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  7. ^ "Team Results: Juniors Team Competition and Qualifications for CII & CIII" (pdf). European Union of Gymnastics. 22 April 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  8. ^ "Results: Juniors Apparatus Final" (pdf). European Union of Gymnastics. 25 April 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  9. ^ Ore Oduba (13 August 2010). "Singapore set for Youth Olympics". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  10. ^ "Team GB Youth Olympic Games Squad Selected". British Gymnastics. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  11. ^ "Oldham falls out of the medals in Singapore". Nottingham Post. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  12. ^ "Oldham strikes gold on bar to banish painful memories". Nottingham Post. 23 August 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  13. ^ a b "Oldham earns silver medal". sportinglife.com. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  14. ^ a b Staff writer (22 August 2010). "Sam Oldham wins Youth Olympics gold but Tom Daley fails". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  15. ^ a b Sportsmail reporter (22 August 2010). "Sam Oldham's gold on horizontal bars takes Team GB's tally to eight at Youth Olympic Games". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  16. ^ "Youth Olympic Games win for golden Oldham". Hunts Post. 25 August 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  17. ^ Lin Xinyi (6 August 2010). "Sam aims to ride on revival". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2 October 2010.

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