'No-one believed a boy like me could succeed at gymnastics'

“When I was younger, no-one believed a boy from a Bangladeshi background could make it big in gymnastics,” says 16-year-old Uzair Chowdhury, proudly clutching one of his shiny new gold medals.

“Now that I’m competing on the world stage, people are shocked by what I’ve been able to achieve, and that makes me proud.”

The teenager, from Luton, managed to successfully defend his parallel bars and team titles he won last year, while competing for Team GB at the Junior European Championships in Croatia last month.

He trains at Huntingdon Gymnastics Club in Cambridgeshire, which has produced Olympians including Louis Smith and Jake Jarman – and Chowdhury hopes he can one day put his name alongside them.

Uzair Chowdhury won two gold medals at the championships in Croatia [Huntingdon Gymnastics Club]

Chowdhury first started out in the sport a decade ago, at the age of six.

“I got into it by one of my mum’s friends because I was a very energetic child, just jumping all over the place,” he says.

“She was like, ‘Try gymnastics.’ And to be fair, none of my family really knew anything about gymnastics. [I] tried it one time, and I just loved it ever since.

“I feel like when I was younger, no-one really believed I could do it as a boy whose background’s from Bangladesh.”

He puts much of his success down to his mum, Syeda, and coach, Ben Howells.

“I have to get a train every day – it’s around a three-hour trip, six days a week,” he says.

“I think getting these medals really helped me. It just feels like something I want to do every day for the rest of my life.

“I think being able to prove people wrong, being able to show that people from the Asian community can do sport at a high level, that’s one of the reasons I keep on going.

“[I want to] show the younger generation that it is possible, and hopefully they can be inspired to get into sports.”

Uzair Chowdhury, pictured in red alongside his brothers and his mother, Syeda, says his family has pushed him to keep going [Huntingdon Gymnastics Club]

One of Chowdhury’s close friends – 19-year-old Sol Scott – also came back to his Huntingdon club from Zagreb with medals around his neck.

The Godmanchester gymnast competed in the senior competition, helping Team GB win gold before claiming a bronze in the individual vault final.

Scott says he has also made “multiple sacrifices” to achieve his goals, including missing out on time with friends.

“My family are a massive support and advocate for my success,” he says.

“I think I wouldn’t have got here at all without their support, the money they’ve put in, the time it takes me to go places, the sacrifices they make as well.”

Sol Scott, wearing his two new medals, says the Olympic dream keeps him “motivated” [Shariqua Ahmed/BBC]

The pair hope to be part of Team GB’s Olympic squads in 2028 and 2032.

They say UK role models such as Smith and Jarman, along with the US’s Simone Biles – the most decorated gymnast in history – had opened more doors for people to get into the sport, but more work was needed.

Scott says he experienced a great disparity when trying to get a scholarship in the US, saying there were more opportunities for women than men.

“You think gymnastics is a girls’ sport or you look at football and think, ‘Oh, that’s a boys’ sport’, but I think when you break those barriers, anyone could do anything,” he says.

“I think perception can be a massive thing and that would be amazing to change the game.”

Coach Ben Howells, left, says he is “incredibly proud” of Chowdhury and Scott’s medals [Huntingdon Gymnastics Club]

Howells, who coaches both teenagers, says he “can’t stop smiling” because of their achievements.

“I’m incredibly proud of them because the dedication and hard work that goes into training for gymnastics is tough, it’s tougher than most sports,” he says.

Howells similarly joined Huntingdon Gymnastics Club as a student aged seven and has seen the club grow significantly over the decades, but says further support is needed.

“This club has grown over the 40 years from starting off in a school hall with homemade equipment to the purpose-built facility we have now,” he says.

“But… it’s not a world-class facility yet. So, we are looking for support and sponsors both for the club and our athletes.”

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