However, despite the disappointment, Max says he’s proud of his incredible career, which includes six Olympic medals, three Olympic golds, thee World titles, four European titles, and four Commonwealth titles. Not a bad legacy, eh?

Here, in a very personal and intimate interview, Max reflects on his sporting life, the highs and lows he experienced along the way, the mental challenges he faced when he wasn’t competing, and what he has planned next.

Max, it must have been so disappointing for you to miss out on a medal in Paris. Are you starting to feel any better?

I always knew going into the Olympics it was going to be my last regardless of results. Because it was my last one, there was a bit of me that was like, “Of course, it would’ve been amazing to finish my career on that dream result, like retaining that title.” My first emotion was frustration. I was probably too hard on myself, but I was really annoyed. I was just angry at myself. I was sitting with Scott, my coach, just kicking myself thinking, “If I’d just kept my legs together.” It was as simple as that. Sports are hard. You’ve literally got to do it right at the right time, right place.

It must be harder because you’ve won gold medals at the Olympics so there must be more drive to win?

If you’ve won gold before, you aim to retain that title. One of the reasons I carried on was because I still had the potential for that title. So that was my mindset going in. But it is harder when you’ve won before because you’re expected to win. That’s tough. The pressure from myself was there, but also the pressure from external sources, the media, and the public was as tough. It wasn’t overwhelming. Of course, I would’ve liked it to end better, but I can be proud of being at my fourth Olympics. 

Have you felt a kind of “comedown” since being home?

When things don’t go to plan, you still feel switched on and ready to go again, but you can’t. That frustration is still there. I’ve never felt this much frustration from a competition before. I’m just giving it more time. Every day, I feel slightly better. At the end of the day, I am proud that I’ve been able to maintain this level for so long, and I think my decisions throughout my career helped with that. I started competing at 19, and now I’m 31, so there are definitely positives to look at.

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When you decided to retire earlier this year, did you have a plan for post-Olympics?

After Tokyo, I learned a lot because, for the first three months, I loved being away from the sport. But then I fell into a rut and felt completely lost because I didn’t have a passion project driving me. I realised I got my purpose from the gym and competing. So, deciding to come back, I knew I had to set something up outside of the gym too. I launched my company last year, which helps schools and teachers deliver gymnastics within the PE curriculum.

Is there not much gymnastics in schools?

There is, but it’s not what it should be. It’s steered away from gymnastics and has turned into something like parkour or acro because teachers are scared to teach it. We learned that teachers are scared because they don’t get training in gymnastics and think it’s dangerous. But at a school level, it’s really basic, and it can be taught safely. It’s tricky, but it’s a shame for kids to miss out on gymnastics at a young age. That’s why I want to help with grassroots gymnastics.

And that’s where you found gymnastics, so you’re keen to give other kids the chance too.

Yeah, I was lucky to find it at 7, but if we can help kids get involved earlier, it could set them up for the future.

Your daughter Willow’s already got involved, hasn’t she?

Yeah, she does gymnastics. She started at 3 years old. She does loads of other sports too.

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Have you seen a sign in her that she could pursue something career-wise?

It’s really hard to say. Someone asked me how I’d feel if she did gymnastics as a career and didn’t win gold and I had this horrible feeling come over me. I hate the idea of pressure on her from day one. So for now, I’m just happy she’s enjoying everything. She does lots of sports, and she’s showing a lot of progress. She’s showing progress because she does gymnastics—gymnastics, tennis, cheerleading, swimming, trampoline. But I think the foundation of gymnastics really helped her progress in other sports quickly.

It sounds like you don’t want her feeling pressure too early on, but kids have to start young to end up being super successful, don’t they? Willow’s five…

I think keeping it enjoyable is the most important aspect. I started at 7, so it’s possible to start later. I loved every minute of it, and that’s why I progressed. I’m not a pushy parent, but I’m competitive, especially when it comes to my daughter. I want to give her ownership of what she’s doing. She can choose whatever sport she wants to pursue, and we’ll support her. I think I have that outlook because my parents just supported me. If gymnastics was what I wanted, they’d support me, but there was no pressure.

Was there financial support, too, since gymnastics was outside of school?

Yeah, and at the time, it wasn’t a sport where you could make a career. Now I’m lucky to have made a career. My family was committed enough to help me, and I carry that mindset of just being there to support, not push. There’s no pressure to be at a certain level—it has to come from the child.

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When you started, did you always want to compete for your country, or was it just a hobby?

It was just something I enjoyed and wanted to get better at. I didn’t watch gymnastics on TV or think about being like anyone. I started at a local club, and my coach was Slovenian. He moved back to Slovenia, and I followed him out there to keep training. I was away three months. Being away from home was tough. I went to a Slovenian school and even learned Slovenian, but it became too much. I flew back alone at 12 years old, which was crazy, but gymnastics has taught me a lot. But I missed home too much. I think if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be where I am today. It opened a lot of doors.

Do you think being successful at sport is a natural talent or something you can learn?

You notice the naturally talented kids because they pick things up quickly. You don’t have to teach them as much; they just know how to get into the right shapes. People saw that in me early on, but talent only takes you so far. Often, the most talented are the laziest. The key is a talented person who also works hard—that’s when real success happens. Most people don’t achieve what they want in our sport. A lot of athletes struggle because they might never even make it to a competition. You see people drop out as you get older, and it’s all about discipline and commitment to keep going.

Do you instil that mindset in your daughter?

It’s a balance. The most important thing I try to instil is to never give up. She already says, “We don’t give up.” It’s a good trait to have because it keeps the drive going, even if you don’t reach the top level.

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It keeps you going in a different direction if necessary.

Exactly. So I instil that, but also to try your best and aim to win. Why wouldn’t you? My wife gets frustrated sometimes when we play games like Monopoly, Uno, or card games because I won’t let our daughter win, but I think it teaches an important lesson. I don’t let her win all the time because it’s not teaching anything if I do.  She gets upset sometimes, but it’s a good lesson. I might sound like a hard parent, but I’m not. It’s about instilling competitiveness because that’s life. In life, there are winners and losers. we play all sorts of games at home. We also love playing Pick a Pair, where you flip cards over to find pairs. It’s fun, and I usually end up winning! But Willow did beat me, and the feeling she got from winning was amazing. She didn’t win right away, but she kept trying, and that’s the key. If she had won immediately, where would she have to go from there? That competitive mindset is important in any walk of life. Without it, it’s hard to achieve anything.

You need hunger.

Exactly, and if something doesn’t go to plan, you need the skills to adapt and improve for next time.

So when something goes wrong for you, do see it as a learning opportunity?

I’ve learned more from mistakes than anything else. I’ve made errors in qualification processes that I’ve corrected for the finals, and those lessons have stayed with me. You can learn quickly or over time, but mistakes are stepping stones to where you need to be.

You say you started out young and threw yourself into training, do you feel like you missed out on a normal teenage life because of your intense training schedule?

Sometimes, yeah. I was training six days a week, for hours each day. I look back now and think, wow, that was intense. But honestly, I don’t regret any of it. I loved training and being part of that world. It gave me a different set of friends and interests outside of school. I think if my daughter finds a sport she’s passionate about, she won’t feel like she’s missing out either.

So when you were competing, it must’ve been difficult to balance relationships. How did you manage that, especially with Leah?

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So when you were competing, it must’ve been difficult to balance relationships. How did you manage that, especially with Leah?

I met Leah when I was 14, so we’ve been together a long time. She was a gymnast too, and that helped because she understood the commitment involved. She knew why I was always training or going to camps. It would’ve been harder if she wasn’t part of that world.

You must have been quite the flexible couple, so to speak! 

Yeah, she was a gymnast for England before retiring and moving into coaching. She worked with an elite group of girls before stopping when we had our daughter, Willow. It’s hard for people outside of the sport to understand that lifestyle, but I’ve been lucky that Leah gets it.

So now that you’ve stopped competing, what’s your routine like? Are you bingeing on junk food and TV?

I relaxed with food for a bit, but I’m already back on track. I had a holiday, which gave me time to switch off, but I’m not someone who can sit still for long. I need a target or purpose, so now I’m focused on our grassroots mission for schools, which is really exciting. It’s a good way to stay driven.

Are you thinking of taking up another sport, just for fun?

Definitely. I like learning new things while keeping fit. I’m interested in trying new sports. It won’t be intense like gymnastics was, more about learning something new and staying active as a perk.

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What about returning to gymnastics in a casual way?

I’ll probably go back to the gym occasionally, more for the social side of things. It’s like my second home, so I’ll never completely step away from it.

How do you feel seeing the younger gymnasts coming up now?

It’s exciting seeing the next generation. I’ve trained alongside younger gymnasts for years, and it’s inspiring to see them doing things we couldn’t do at their age. It shows how good they could be. I do sometimes wish I still had that feeling of being fresh and able to train unlimited hours. That’s the part I miss, but it’s all part of the process.

The world is your oyster now. Surely Strictly or I’m A Celeb producers must be sniffing around?

I’m still figuring out what I want to do next. I’m open to trying new things and seeing where they take me. But not Strictly. I’m actually a terrible dancer. I have no rhythm at all. Louis Smith was great at it, but I’m hopeless.

Now that you’re back home with the family, does Leah appreciate having you around more? 

Yes, she struggles with it a bit. Outside of competition, I’ve been pretty good at balancing things. But during competition season, especially leading up to the Tokyo Olympics, it was tough. COVID made training difficult, and I had to be selfish in my preparation. I had to tick every box, and if I hadn’t, I would’ve never felt ready. In hindsight, I should’ve communicated that better.

Was she patient through all that?

Yeah, she was. It was tricky, especially when we had a young child, and I was trying to manage everything—training, family life, and making sure I got enough sleep. She was doing all the nights when our daughter was young. There were definitely challenging times.

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Willow was born in the run-up to the 2020 Olympics. Did becoming a dad take the edge off your competitive drive?

It definitely put things into perspective, but it didn’t take away the importance of gymnastics. In fact, it complemented everything. People doubted me, thinking I couldn’t compete at the highest level now that I was a dad. That only made me want to prove them wrong. Having my daughter helped me strike a better balance between my home life and training.

You mentioned losing motivation at some point around 2020. How did that impact on your family?

Yes, it was tough for everyone around me. I was always ambitious, driven, and disciplined. When I fell into that rut after the Tokyo Olympics, I knew what would help me feel better, but I didn’t have the motivation to do any of it.  I was disappointed in myself, but it taught me a lot. It’s important to have those moments of reflection. If I hadn’t had that period, it could have hit me harder later on. It was a blessing in disguise, helping me reset and go again.

Do you feel better equipped to handle those low moments now?

Yes, I think so. The first time, I couldn’t even comprehend what I was feeling, let alone explain it to others. If it happens again, I hope I’ll process it more quickly. But it’s also about understanding that it’s okay to give yourself some space.

Was being present for your daughter’s birth more terrifying than competing?

Absolutely! It was a crazy experience, but nothing compares to the pride of being a parent. It’s life-changing, and I can’t imagine life before her.

Time seems to speed up when you have kids. Does it feel like that to you?

Yes, it’s scary how fast time flies. You look at old pictures, and it’s hard to believe how much they’ve grown. It definitely makes you more aware of the time passing.

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Your wedding day must have been a wonderful moment in your life.

Yeah, our wedding was actually amazing. We look back on that day and think it was incredible because we had everyone there, celebrating it. So yeah, real fond memories from 2017. Feels like a long time ago now, but great memories. My wife keeps saying we should renew our vows in 10 years, but I feel a bit funny about that. I don’t really know why people do it. I feel like we said what we needed to say, so what we’ll do instead is have a 10-year celebration.

Along with success, comes public interest. Have you had strange fan experiences?

I’ve had a few, especially on forums. Some people talk about odd things like my armpits or other random stuff. But you just have to laugh it off.

Finally, you’ve also received both an MBE and an OBE. What was that experience like?

Surreal. I never expected it, but to be honoured for doing something I love is amazing. Receiving the MBE from the Queen herself was an unbelievable experience. It’s a huge honour.

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