Strictly star Smith considers quitting gymnastics after London 2012 success
By ALEX HORLOCK
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Team GB’s double Olympic medal-winning gymnast Louis Smith has said he could quit the sport before Rio 2016 because he may be ‘too old’ to challenge for a podium place.
At only 23, Smith, who won a bronze medal in the men’s team gymnastics and silver in the pommel horse at the London Games, also has other goals he wants to pursue.
Although the Peterborough gymnast is currently in training for both gymnastics and hit TV show Strictly Come Dancing, Smith wants to launch a clothing range or start a property business, and believes these other ventures would be incompatible with full-time training.
Game changer: Louis Smiith (right) is competing on Strictly Come Dancing
But Smith would be 27 in Rio, the same age as Krisztian Berki, the Hungarian who beat him to gold in London.
When asked whether retiring before the Brazil Games would be too early, Smith told Sportsmail: ‘It’s not to do with it (retirement) being early. It’s to do with being 27 and being past my day.
‘I mean, what happened in London, I was 23-years-old and in the peak of my career, I did the best routine of my life.
‘I’m not going to do better than that, so what am I going to achieve in Rio? Another bronze? Another silver? It’s not going to compare to this summer.’
‘Like I said, I would love to get to Rio, but it (retirement) is an option. I have got to think about life, life is bigger than Rio.’
Game over? Smith could quit gymnastics rather than compete in Rio
He added: ‘I wouldn’t class it as giving up or quitting. I can look back on my career and I have 11 major international competition medals.
‘I’ve got three Olympic medals, I can look back and say if I was to retire, “I have had a fantastic run”. I wouldn’t be giving up, I would be retiring on a massive high.
‘But I’ve got to think about my future. I’ve got a lot of things that I want to do. Like my fashion range, my clothing range, my property - I want to set up a business.
‘I can’t really do all those things and train full-time so I will make a decision about what I am going to do.’
For now though, Smith is starring in the new series of BBC ballroom dance show Strictly Come Dancing.
Silver lining: Smith finished second in the pommel horse competition
Although used to spending hours training to be among the world’s best on the pommel horse, Smith said the regime for the TV show was just as tough.
Smith said: ‘To be completely honest, it’s hard work. My body’s aching, I’m getting ill, I’m getting run down.
‘Lots of people say you must find it easy compared to gym. But it is hard work, to do what they do.
‘I train 10 to 4 and then my partner will stay longer and carry on dancing. I’m in bits.’
The three-time Olympics medal winner was running a training session for children at his gym in Peterborough for Sky Sports Living for Sports, a scheme which uses sport and sports stars to improve lives of young people in the UK.
Doing his bit: Smith works with young people as part of the Sky Sports Living for Sport scheme
Smith said: 'Sky have a programme called Sky Sports Living for Sport that introduces sport to kids, trying to help them develop their skills, not just in sport but in life to set targets and goals.
'It's helping them focus on school work and whatever it may be. So for me, that's quite important because I struggled in school and I found sport very motivational and inspirational.
'It was something I wanted to get involved with. It's all about using sport as a tool.'
'There's a lot of sports a lot of people didn't used to watch before this year, but the Olympics brought them into peoples’ lives.
'I think programmes like this can definitely introduce sport into people's lives.'
Living for sport: Smith (centre) is involved with the Sky Sports scheme
Louis Smith is supporting Sky Sports Living for Sport, a free secondary schools initiative that uses sport stars and sport skills to improve the lives of thousands young people across the UK.
Find out more and get involved at: www.skysports.com/livingforsport
