MAX Whitlock hopes his winning display at the London Open will be enough to earn him Great Britain’s all-rounder spot at the World Championships later this month.

The South Essex club star beat all his main domestic rivals at the annual competition at the Europa Centre in North London at the weekend to be crowned champion and establish his place as the country’s best gymnast.

The 20-year-old, who trains six days a week at the Basildon Sporting Village, posted an all-round score of 89.100 to claim gold ahead of fellow London 2012 bronze medallists Danny Purvis (88.500) and Sam Oldham (85.750).

There were also excellent showings from Whitlock’s South Essex club-mates Reiss Beckford and Anthony Wise, who finished fourth and sixth respectively.

All will now be hoping for good news on Friday when the Great British team for the World Championships in Antwerp is due to be announced.

Whitlock said: “I’m pleased with my showing at the London Open because the results were exactly what I wanted and I had to be at my best to win because all the top boys were there.

“I got the chance to try out my new pommel routine and get a bit more experience with it, and I scored 15.9, which I’m very happy with.

“And it has set me up nicely for the Worlds now. I put in a good performance at the trials and after this competition I am now hoping to get that all-round spot.”

Whitlock added: “It will be my first ever World Championships and the first since London 2012, so we are all very excited about it and hoping to do well for the country.

“And we all know we need to prove ourselves heading into the home Commonwealths next year, and of course the Olympics in Rio.”