Forget pressure to deliver gold, I've got bills to pay, says 'veteran' gymnast Smith

There aren't many sportsman in the world who have made Olympic history, captained their national team and won on Ready Steady Cook by the age of 22.

In fact in any walk of life, being 22 is still a steep section on the learning curve where you are finding your feet and building towards the future.

For Louis Smith however, it's an age he can already be classed a veteran in men's gymnastics, and be the star most of his team-mates will be looking towards for inspiration at London 2012.

They have good reason: Smith has crammed plenty of achievements into his short career. His
big breakthrough came at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne where
at just 16-years-old he won gold on the pommel horse.

Leap of faith: Smith will captain Team GB this summer

Since then, the golds have eluded him but the talent is clearly there. In individual events he has twice been runner-up at the European Championships (Milan 2009, Birmingham 2010), while he holds a silver (Rotterdam 2010) and two bronze medals (Stuttgart 2007, Tokyo 2011) at the World Championships.

In addition he has won a team bronze in Melbourne as well as silver in Birmingham.

His headline act though came at the Beijing Olympics, where the Peterborough born star became the first British male gymnast in 100 years to land a solo medal when he picked up bronze.

It's a crowning moment, but much to my surprise Smith told me that his success four years ago has been a double-edged sword and handed him his toughest period in his career.

Smith said: 'I'd say now actually because it's all new. Before Beijing where I didn't have any worries, I didn't have any expectations, didn't have sponsorship, no commitments. I lived at home with my Mum and didn't have to worry about bills or anything.

'Now things are a bit different. I have expectation, everyone expecting gold at London 2012, an Olympic medal in the past, I've moved out and got bills to pay.

'It's a lot more challenging now but
although my life is getting busier and harder I've got good support
around me to make my life as easy as possible.'

Another feather in Smith's cap is
being Team GB's captain going into the games. It's a role that he admits
while not being as challenging as other sports, is still one he takes
seriously.

In a spin: Smith's life has moved on since his feats in Beijing

He watched on as nerves got the better of his compatriots last October in Japan when Team GB unexpectedly failed in their first attempt to qualify for the Olympics.

It led to Smith and his team having to compete at the North Greenwich Arena last month to book their place at the very same venue this summer.

Having been concerned at the fragile confidence shown in Tokyo, Smith was pleasantly surprised how well the team responded on home territory and believes that performing at the Olympic venue will benefit in the long run.

Smith reflected: 'When it comes down to competing I keep my calm and keep my cool. I think the best thing about that is it rubs off on the other guys and it might affect them in a good way.

'You have to make the best out of a bad situation. Even though we would have liked to have qualified straight away in Japan you can’t help but think competing in the London arena, which is where it’s going to be, is a bonus.

'Having your home fans there and going through the motions, it's all a learning curve and I think a lot of the boys learned a lot from that competition in how to deal with it all and what to expect so it was really good.

'I am surprised how well they dealt
with it. This test event could have gone one of two ways. We could have
buckled again and completely blew our chance or the guys could have
realised this is their dream as well and rise to the occasion and done
the job – and that’s what they did.

Medal hope: Smith shot to fame at the last Games in China

'It was such an enjoyable
competition, we were really relaxed in it. We just performed basically,
the crowd enjoyed it and I think it just goes to show if you enjoy the
competition rather than be scared of it you can do fantastically well.'

The conversation turns towards how best to avoid stage-fright and prepare in the best possible way for an expectant home crowd again this summer.

Smith has in the past admitted it's taken a couple of years to fully deal with the pressures involved in the sport but has found a tried and trusted way to extract his best form.

It's not too dissimilar to the Army's 'Seven Ps' (look it up) and its Smith's initial preparation that gives him the confidence he needs to perform on the day. There is a slight irritation in his voice when he suspects that even people within Team GB still leave things to the last minute.

'It's all psychological', Smith adds, 'When you're at the competition there is nothing more physically you can prepare. You've done all the eight-nine weeks of training and if you haven't done the right amount you can't put the extra in on the last day.

'Physically you cannot change anything so it's completely mental and if you are not in the right frame of mind, that's it, you may as well pack your bags and go home.

'I'm pretty sure there is still people
around the world and even in the GB team that still try and change
things up until the last minute. They try extra hard in a routine and
try to get that last little bit of training in. You can't do that, it's
irrelevant. What you've done is done – you can't change anything, you're
ready for the competition.

Moving on: Smith has extra responsibilities now that he has moved out

'If you trained properly in the eight-nine weeks you're ready. That last couple of days before is the time for relaxing, getting into the gym coming home feeling ready and feeling fresh.

'That's what gives me the best chance and that’s why I am so relaxed. I'm comfortable and confident and ready to out there and do the business.'

It's the winning formula that also reflects on the lessons Smith has learned since he secured his place in British Olympic history at Beijing.

Smith, who has been working on short films with BMW, freely admits he has in the past let outside expectations get to him, which hasn't been helped by rivals often pipping him to gold medals.

Krisztian Berki is likely to be one of Smith's main rivals going into the Games, and is often the difference between him and the top step of the podium in the World and European championships.

When I suggest if he has considered any 'unorthodox’ methods at eliminating the Hungarian from competition, Smith laughs before stating his best is enough to beat anyone.

Smith said: 'I don’t focus on
individuals and what I need to do to beat so-and-so. I concentrate on
what can I do to give me the best chance of doing the best.

'So for me that's being as fit as I
can, as ready as I can and having the best routine possible. That way I
know if I do my best, Berki has a hard job.

'I've learnt never to think about
getting gold. I've learnt never go into a competition thinking to myself
I have to win it because everyone wants me to.

Bronze age: Smith became the first British gymnast to win a medal since 1908

'I have to go there and understand why I'm there and just perform. I made the mistake in 2009 thinking I needed to win because everyone else expects me to, it just buckled me completely.'

That brings us to London 2012 and the future. Gold or not, Smith hasn't ruled out retiring sensing a desire to start a business and settle down. Approaching his mid-20s he considers it an ideal time hinting a possible move into fashion.

He stresses he is willing to help out Team GB if he is still needed but is confident the sport is in excellent hands going towards the future.

Youngsters like Nile Wilson, Sam Oldham and the 'unbelievable' Joe Fraser are gymnasts who Smith believes the nation can look forward to maybe seeing at Rio 2016 and beyond.

'Maybe,' Smith said on a possible early retirement, 'I would like it to be an option just because there are still lots for me to do and I'm still young.

'I'm thinking of starting a business and when you hit 25 you have got to start thinking about the right partner and be more responsible. So yes, I have got to think about what I want to do with my life.

'But then at the same time it might not be very easy to retire from the sport. Maybe the team still needs me for a couple of years, who knows

'The juniors coming through are unbelievable so if I don’t retire on my own accord they just may be able to assist! There is much more money coming into gymnastics now and a lot more support so the future is bright.'

So what about that appearance on Ready Steady Cook There is a nostalgic excitement in Smith's voice when I remind him of his culinary talents displayed on the TV show shortly after Beijing.

'I beat Christian Malcolm. I think I was green peppers,' Smith added. 'I had a spicy noodles with plum sauce and roast duck. It was amazing!'

It's a pleasant end to our chat and while fashion may be on the shortlist for business adventures, the sudden talk of food means, like a gold medal this summer, a Louis Smith cook-book may not be that far off either.

Louis Smith features in BMW Presents, a series of short films that celebrate the BMW London 2012 Performance Team and explore Ultimate Performance. To view the films, visit www.youtube.com/bmwuk