Home

British Olympic gold medallist Max Whitlock does somersault on trampoline holding baby

Staff writerThe West Australian
British Gold Olympic gymnast Max Whitlock has divided the internet with a daring video featuring his baby daughter.
Camera IconBritish Gold Olympic gymnast Max Whitlock has divided the internet with a daring video featuring his baby daughter. Credit: Twitter

British gymnast Max Whitlock has divided the internet with a daring video featuring his baby daughter.

The five-time Olympic gold medallist posted a video of himself doing a backflip while holding his daughter Willow to his Facebook account — with a very cheeky caption.

“When my wife isn’t looking,” he wrote above the post — to the delight and dismay of his fans.

The video shows Whitlock standing on the trampoline holding Willow, before casually jumping forward and launching into an effortless backflip.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

His daughter, who is being held to his chest tightly, doesn’t even flinch and can be smiling as he makes a perfect landing.

Fans were quick to praise the gymnast for his risky feat, saying his daughter was sure to be a future champ in the making.

“Wow, super talented Max, and while wearing a mask. Willow's in safe hands,” wrote one.

“Love this! She's going to be following in her dad's footsteps in no time!” posted another.

“Willow is such a lucky girl to have a loving world champion as a dad,” gushed another fan.

The flip that divided the internet.
Camera IconThe flip that divided the internet. Credit: Twitter
The daring backflip mid-motion.
Camera IconThe daring backflip mid-motion. Credit: Twitter
The take off.
Camera IconThe take off. Credit: Twitter

However, not everyone who watched the video was as impressed.

“This frightened me just watching Leah Whitlock! Max, you must have a death wish!” posted another, tagging Max’s wife Leah

“My heart was in my mouth watching that!” said one.

“No way! You would be banned from my pre-school classes! (I'm secretly loving it though!),” joked another.

The video has attracted close to three and a half thousand likes and 120 comments and has been shared widely across all social media platforms.

Whitlock took up gymnastics when he was seven, developing his skills on every apparatus and excelling in the pommel horse.

He is the most successful British male artistic gymnast in history and has a swag of major medals on top of his Olympic wins.

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails