Joe Fraser prepares for the Commonwealth Games where he will target FIVE gymnastics medals

Forget Duran Duran at the opening ceremony, the native hero value watching subsequent week is gymnast Joe Fraser.  

The 2019 world champion was born only a 30-minute stroll from where he will be competing at Birmingham 2022.

 And Fraser might nicely come away from his house Commonwealth Games with extra medals than another Team England athlete. 

Joe Fraser is focusing on 5 gymnastics medals at the Commonwealth Games

At the Arena Birmingham, the 23-year-old will go for gold in the workforce occasion and the particular person all-around, parallel bars and excessive bar, in addition to having an outdoor shot in the pommel horse, along with his Olympic champion team-mate Max Whitlock not collaborating.

Fraser, who nonetheless lives along with his household in Edgbaston and trains at the City of Birmingham Gymnastics Club, is usually modest about his probabilities of claiming as much as 5 gongs. 

But as one in every of the faces and ambassadors of those Games, he will be determined to impress in entrance of his household, mates and all his different associates asking him for tickets. 

‘There is no extra pressure, just extra enjoyment,’ Fraser tells Sportsmail. ‘I’m positive for those who requested anybody where they wished to compete, they might say their house metropolis. 

He was born only a 30-minute stroll from where he will be competing later this month

‘I have lived and trained in Birmingham my whole life, but I never really get the opportunity to compete here, so it is incredible. I am just going to soak up every moment. 

‘The Arena is a great venue. I’ve been there quite a few instances. My first time was most likely to see Disney on Ice as a younger lad!

‘It will be a proud moment for myself and everyone that has been a part of the journey to get me to where I am today. I will give it my all and see what I can achieve.’ 

Fraser has had this summer season in his sights since 2017, when Birmingham changed authentic host metropolis Durban, which was stripped of the Games because of monetary issues.

The 23-year-old gained gold on the parallel bars at the 2019 World Championships

‘I remember I was at the announcement and I couldn’t imagine it,’ recollects Fraser, who was born with six fingers on every hand and needed to have an operation when he was three months previous to take away the additional digits.

‘It drove me to work as hard as I could to try and make these Games as I knew how much it would mean to the city.’ 

Back in 2017, Fraser was simply 19 and ending his first 12 months in senior worldwide occasions. Since then, he has gained gold on the parallel bars at the 2019 World Championships and competed for Team GB ultimately 12 months’s Olympics. 

But regardless of his success, Fraser’s participation at Birmingham was unsure at one stage after he returned from Tokyo needing surgical procedure on an injured shoulder. 

Fraser additionally has European Championship medals in the workforce occasion and pommel horse

‘They said it would take between six and 12 months to be back fully fit and obviously I had the Commonwealth Games in mind,’ he says. ‘So even making the team has been a huge achievement.’ 

Fraser proved he is again to full health and type by profitable gold on the excessive bar at a World Cup occasion in Baku in April.

 Now he desires to maintain creating constructive headlines for a sport stained by the current findings of the Whyte Review, which uncovered a systemic tradition of bodily and emotional abuse in gymnastics. 

‘It was really important that everyone was able to speak about their experience in the sport and have a voice,’ says Fraser.

 ‘I’m positive British Gymnastics will tackle the recommendation and we will come again and be a stronger sport. I need to encourage that subsequent era to get into the sport and acting at my greatest in Birmingham will do this.’