A day in the life of Olympic hopeful Jay Thompson

Jay, thanks for taking the time out for a chat. When I think of elite athletes, I think of early morning wake-up calls, pre-dawn training runs… Is that what it’s like?

Well no, not really. I set my alarm for around 8:30am but properly wake up around 9:00am. First thing I need is a good, strong cup of tea. Once awake, I'll sort my breakfast, generally this is porridge with protein powder and toast and peanut butter. If it's a competition day, it would be kale, poached eggs – possibly salmon as a treat.

What does a typical day's training involve?

Training is around 30 hours a week over six days and each day I have two different sessions. The first session is around 12 noon till 4:00pm and involves warming up, stretching and working on all the apparatus. The second session is from 5:00pm to 6:30pm and that’s where I focus on a certain area. My main focus is on the floor. We also have physio sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays to make sure we are all in working order.

And once training is done?

I generally get home around 8:00pm. By then I'm quite tired so it's a case of putting kit in the wash, having a big dinner, catching up with people and either chilling with music – currently listening to Ed Sheeran – playing PlayStation or strumming my guitar. Whatever I do it’s not too strenuous as most of the time I feel broken from soreness, cuts, bruises and occasionally actual broken bones. I try to be in bed for 11:30pm to get at least eight hours sleep.

Actual broken bones doesn't sound like much fun. What's the up-side of being a gymnast?

For me there are two things: travelling the world – experiencing new cultures and meeting interesting people. And winning – knowing at that moment you are the best in the world at what you are doing.

What highlights stand-out?

Winning my first European gold on pommel horse in 2012 and being part of the London 2012 pre-show event and performing in front of 16,000 people.

Thanks to you, lottery funding supports our 1,300 elite athletes on their Roads to Rio, allowing them to train full time and have the best coaching, facilities and medical support in the world.