With Team Scotland’s gymnasts competing at the 2018 Scottish Artistic Gymnastics Championships this weekend in Perth, their final competition before Gold Coast 2018, we spoke to the 2017 Men’s All-Around champion Kelvin Cham as he looks to defend his title:

On being Scottish Senior men’s all-round champion:

“It was a great feeling winning the national title, especially because it was my first time competing as a senior. I felt a lot of pressure as well as I was alongside the likes of Dan Purvis and Frank Baines who are top gymnasts.”

On training ahead of winning all-round champ title:

“Training was very tough and I had to step up as I was transitioning from a being a junior gymnast the previous year. There was added pressure as it was also the first competition to achieve scores for the Commonwealth Games but it went really well, and I couldn’t be happier with the result.”

The prospect of representing Team Scotland in Gold Coast 2018:

“It means the world to me because this is what athletes train for from a young age. I know this is my first big opportunity to compete at a major event so I’ve put in a lot of hard work to cement my place in the team. It has always been a dream for me to represent Scotland at the highest level for gymnastics.”

On making sure there’s a training/work/life balance:

“For me it is difficult to balance training and social life because training dictates we have to spend a lot of time in the gym. As an athlete, holidays are also spent in the gym – and for even longer hours than normal!

I also coach younger gymnasts which is what I love – but that also means I spend more time in the gym, even when I’m not training myself! However, it’s all worth it when the hard work pays off and you get opportunities like competing in major events such as the Commonwealth Games.”

The Scottish Artistic Gymnastics Championships take place Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th at Bell’s Sports Centre, Perth – look out for results across the weekend on Scottish Gymnastics Twitter: @ScotGymnastics