'My career's just not complete' - Whitlock comes out of retirement

Three-time Olympic gold medallist Max Whitlock is coming out of retirement to target a place at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

The 32-year-old, who is the most successful British gymnast in history, had initially announced that the 2024 Paris Games would be his last.

However, in an interview with The Times, he said his career felt "unfinished" after missing out on a place on the podium in the French capital.

"I was sitting in a station with my family in a cafe for a little bit [soon after Paris] and I said to them, 'I'm not done, I can't finish it like that'.

"It was the raw emotion of getting back to the UK and just feeling like I can't end it like that. Something just didn't feel right.

"Unfinished is the exact word. My career's just not complete. It was just really gnawing away at me. I thought: 'It's the right time for me to retire but it's not the right way'."

Whitlock, who will be 35 by the start of the LA Games, took pommel horse gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and has three bronze medals - as well as a triumph on the floor.

Yet he now faces a challenge to get back into peak shape and compete against gymnasts who are considerably younger, with the English Championships, the British Championships and the Commonwealth Games all on the horizon next year.

"That's something that spooks me if I'm really honest because I was pushing it a bit going into Paris in terms of my age," Whitlock added.

"So you can imagine how much I'm pushing it now. It's a massive challenge. I'm on a mission. I have 10 times more motivation compared to the build-up for Paris. I had no motivation to learn new skills," he added.

"It was all about ticking over and staying at that level. Now I'm in the gym, I'm learning new skills and I'm trying to put out some of the biggest routines that I've probably ever done."