Since returning from my success in Cottbus, Germany I have had a week of just general training in Huntingdon and also a week with the Great Britain squad in Lilleshall. I will be returning to the National Sports Centre in Lilleshall again this week for another full weeks training with the GB team as everyone prepares for the European Championships in May. I have picked up a slight knock to my ankles but I am still working really hard along with the rest of the squad as we finalise and perfect our routines ahead of the final team selection.

The team spirit within the squad is really good and although we are all fighting for team selection to both the European Championships and the Olympics we still find time to encourage and push each other to the max every day.

I was asked this question by Opus Energy: what do I admire most about my team mates? This is always a difficult question as we have all known each other for such a long time now and we are all good friends as well but I guess I really admire all of them because without them then I would not be the gymnast I am today. Here goes anyway:

Louis Smith (pictured first on left) – he really knows how to handle pressure and nothing fazes him;

Reiss Beckford – really has the 'wow' factor with some amazing big skills;

Daniel Purvis (second from right) – unbelievable work ethic, he just never stops;


Sam Hunter – dedicated to gymnastics and a true professional;

Kristian Thomas (second from left) – also works unbelievably hard and has fantastic team spirit;

Theo Seager – very powerful gymnast;

Ruslan Panteleymonov (third from right) – this guy has awesome style and puts the artistic into gymnastics; and

Then there are Sam Oldham and Max Whitlock – both of them are young and very talented gymnasts who push the senior team every day. Two names to look out for in the future.

Daniel Keatings, who is powered by Opus Energy, made history in 2009 when he became the first British gymnast to win a medal in the all-round event at the World Championships. He was also the first British gymnast to win a European Championship gold when he won the pommel horse event in Berlin in 2010. To find out more about his sponsorship deal with Opus Energy click here.