GYMNASTICS golden boy Max Whitlock will go into tomorrow's Glasgow World Cup as a favourite to clinch victory.
The reigning world pommel horse champion is set to open his international competition calendar at the Emirates Arena – a crucial first step on the road to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Whitlock, 23, made history last autumn by becoming the first British man to win gold at a World Gymnastics Championships, ending a 112-year wait.
He was shortlisted for the 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year and testament to his rising global stock recently fronted a campaign for designer Paul Smith with billboards in Tokyo and Dubai.
Success hasn't gone to his head. Whitlock may be a star of the Great Britain team, but equally is a workhorse. The Essex-based gymnast completed 20 routines at the World Championships last October – more than any other competitor.
Whitlock was typically measured when asked to outline his prospects for this weekend. "I want to go there, be ready for it and enjoy competing," he said.
"My main target is to go clean in my routines and hopefully make some good stepping stones in the lead-up to the European Championships and Olympic Games."
His team-mate Daniel Purvis, fresh from claiming a third successive senior all-around title in the Scottish Championships a fortnight ago, is another strong contender for a podium finish.
Purvis, 25, has proved himself to be the backbone of British performances in recent years, an integral member of the men's teams that took silver at the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow and Olympic bronze at London 2012.
Four-time Commonwealth Games champion Claudia Fragapane will be the lone representative for Great Britain in the women's field.
Compatriot Kelly Simm, part of the bronze-medal winning team at the recent World Championships, has withdrawn as a precaution to further rehabilitate an unspecified injury.
Among the names to watch will be MyKayla Skinner, a two-time world team gold medallist for USA.
Skinner, 19, was the alternate in Glasgow last autumn and did not compete, but a year earlier took bronze on vault in Nanning and narrowly missed out on a floor medal.
Also in action will be Madison Copiak (Canada), Enus Mariani (Italy), Asuka Teramoto (Japan), Elisabeth Seitz (Germany), Maria Kharenkova (Russia) and Vera Van Pol (Netherlands).
The men's line-up includes former European all-around champion David Belyavskiy (Russia) alongside Akash Modi (USA), Christian Baumann (Switzerland), Arthur Nory (Brazil), Yu Cen (China), Masayoshi Yamamoto (Japan) and Junho Lee (South Korea).
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