Competitions & Achievements

Find out how Josh, Oli and Ben have been getting on….

22nd-23rd November 2024

Oli earns his second call up to the England Team

The end of the year saw Oli get a call up to the England team for his second appearance at the Futures Cup in Linz, Austria.

Oli was selected as part of a team of five gymnasts who competed against some of the best Junior Gymnasts in europe.

The team performed exceptionally well finishing a very respectable 4th position in the team event, missing out on the bronze medal by only 0.5 marks. Oli had a mixed competition, performing some of the hardest routines in the whole competition, many for the first time in a competitive environment. Oli’s All Around score of 70.8 was not what he was hoping for, but it was great preparation for for the 2025 competition season.

His individual scores saw him qualify for the Rings and Vault finals the following day, which brought him medal success in Rings with a magnificent Gold Medal. Oli followed this up with a sixth place finish in the vault final.

Read the Woking News and Mail Report here

9th June 2024

Men’s Club Team Championships, Basildon

The 2024 Club Championships saw Ben the only one of the three brothers competing.

Ben entered as part of Woking Gymnastics Club’s 5-man Junior Team, competing against the best juniors from the UK representing nine other teams in the Bill Williams Trophy.

The competition started in the worst possible way for the Woking team with one of the boys falling on Pommel and seriously injuring themselves, ending with a trip to A&E.

The boys were now one team member down and having to overcome a traumatic start, seeing their teammate taking to hospital. The team of four really stepped up and helped each other to put in a fantastic performance, winning Team silver.

Ben put in some great routines, helping the ream reach a score of 211.200.

Read the Woking Gymnastics Report here

25th May 2024

Men’s London Open, Redbridge - Ben win’s U16 Trevor Low Competition

The 2024 London Open was the final individual competition in the calendar for the boys, with all three brothers competing on the same day.

Ben was up first competing in the U16 Trevor Low competition. This was the first competition of the year that Ben competed without any injuries, and put in a great performance to win All Around with a score of 74.069.

Oli competed next and put in a very credible performance to finish 3rd All Around in the U18 Peter Moore competition with a score of 73.535.

Josh stepped forward in the final competition of the day, in the Senior Westminster Cup. Josh was disappointed with his 19th place finish, scoring 70.035. However, Josh’s lead up was disrupted from his normal routine so he should be proud of what he achieved.

Read the Woking Gymnastics Report here

17th April 2024

National Squad Selections for all three boys!

The English and British Championships were opportunities for gymnasts to be selected for National Squad programmes for 2024.

Although not fully satisfied with their own performances, Josh and Oli were both reselected for the England squad for 2024!

This was quite the achievement for both boys, who have been in National squads previously, but not in the older age categories they entered this year.

Ben qualified for the Top Junior squad in December and is the youngest of 12 boys on this pathway.

The local newspaper felt this a good enough story to include in their sports pages!

Read the Woking News and Mail story here

14th to 17th March 2024

British Championships, Liverpool

The annual trip to Liverpool was again an eventful four days of competition, which gave the boys the full range of ups and downs of competitive sport!

Ben competed first on the Thursday, and proved what an incredible battler he is when it comes to competition. Having been suffering with a number of growing pains for months, he woke on the morning of the competition finding it difficult to walk with a hip problem. His challenge was to do as much as possible, but he pushed through all 6 pieces to score a brilliant 71.300 and finish in 4th position All Around, behind three of the GB European Junior team.

Following a great English competition, Oli had set high expectations for himself, and was disappointed in his 69.150 score following a few falls. Oli did manage to qualify for Sunday’s Rings final, but overall Oli had hoped for more but had learned a lot from the experience.

Josh competed in the Blue Ribbon Senior competition on Saturday night, going around with the Birmingham team and Olympian Joe Fraser. Josh had a mixed competition, with his highlight being High Bar and his stuck landing which got the whole audience on their feet!

Sunday’s Rings final saw Oli perform a beautiful routine, and a small step on landing saw him miss out on a medal by 0.100!

Another great year of competition in Liverpool and lots of of learning opportunities for the boys!

1st to 3rd March 2024

English Championships, Telford

An exciting three days in Telford for the boys, who went into this year’s English Championships with optimism having already competed new routines at the Welsh Championships.

Up first, Ben competed his 6 pieces to score an improved 69.500, finishing fourth on High Bar as the highlight of his round.

Inspired from meting his gymnastics hero Carlos Yulo during Podium Training the night before, Oli upped his performance to score 74.000, finishing 6th All Around and picking up a silver medal on P Bars.

Finally, Josh competed alongside Jake Jarman and Carlow Yulo in his group to finish his competition with an All Around score of 71.400, with a highlight of finishing in the top 10 on High Bar, which was won by Joe Fraser.

A good step forward for all the boys and some good performances mixed with great experiences.

18th February 2024

Welsh Championships, Cardiff

The year started with a new competition for the boys, who had never competed at the Welsh Championships before. All three boys were also competing in new age categories - Ben U16, Oli U18, Josh Senior - so lots of new challenges to face!

The competition was a good marker for all three boys to gauge how they were progressing, and it proved to be a great learning experience for all three.

Ben started in round 1 and fought through a number of challenges to score an All Around score of 63.935. He narrowly missed out on a medal on vault and pommel, which saw Ben competing a new routine.

Next up was Oli, who preformed well to score 70.968 after falls on Pommels and High Bar. Like Ben, Oli got the chance to perform new routines, which with experience and confidence, will help him score higher in the future.

Last up was Josh in the Senior competition. Josh battled through all 6 pieces to score an All Around score of 68.668, with a few falls on different pieces.

Overall, it was a great experience to help set the boys up for the season ahead.

Read more about the Grades Finals here

10th September 2023

Regional Grades, Maidstone

An unusual competition this year for a couple of reasons. First, only Ben competed, giving Josh and Oli a weekend off! Secondly, Ben was the only gymnast competing in the Elite 6 category.

Ben performed his set routines well, with a few skills being missed or still in the early stages of development, which he will be working hard to improve before the National Grade finals in October.

Ben will now go on and represent the South East in the National Finals in October.

Find more about Woking Gymnastics Club here

10th June 2023

British Teams Competition, South Essex

Woking Gymnastics Club sent a Junior team to compete in the Bill Williams Trophy at the British Teams competition in Essex. This was the first time Woking had a Junior team competing in this competition for a few years.

Oli and Ben were both part of a five man team, both performing some great routines to help their team battle for a medal. Woking held their own against a number of bigger clubs, eventually finding themselves In a tightly fought competition with Nottingham and Huntingdon Gymnastics Clubs for a medal.

Woking competed in the morning round, finishing in first position, but needing to watch the afternoon session to see if they would pick up a medal. The excitement built throughout each rotation, and by the end of the round, Woking had won a silver medal.

A great result for a great team performance!

Find more about Woking Gymnastics Club here

12th and 13th May 2023

London Open, Redbridge

This was one of the final competitions for the boys in their respective age groups, before moving up into the next age categories the following year.

Oli continued his upward trajectory in performance and finished a well deserved 4th place in the Trevor Low U16 All Around competition, as well as picking up a silver medal on the Rings.

Ben made a few mistakes in his Max Whitlock U14 competition, but managed to finish 3rd All Around, and win bronze on Rings and Silver on Vault and Floor.

Finally, Josh performed well to finish 7th All Around in the Peter Moore U18 competition, and pick up a Bronze medal on Rings.

Find more about Woking Gymnastics Club here

23rd April 2023

Regional Championships, Maidstone

One month after the British Championships, the boys were competing closer to home in the Regional Championships in Maidstone, Kent.

All three boys competed well, Ben continuing his good form, and both Oli and Josh stepping up having learned from the previous month’s competition. All three boys won their respective age group All Around titles (U14, U16 and U18), and achieved a number of podium finishes on individual apparatus.

It was a good weekend for everyone at Woking Gymnastics Club who enjoyed a number of further regional successes in all age groups.

Find more about Woking Gymnastics Club here

23rd-26th March 2023

British Championships, Liverpool

The annual trip to Liverpool is always a few days away that the boys look forward to, competing with teammates and performing in front of hundreds of gymnastics fans. This year’s competition was moved from the M&S Bank arena to next door’s Exhibition Centre, due to Elton John playing on the Saturday night (!), but was still an experience not to be forgotten.

Oli led the way and was up first on the Thursday, and looked a little nervous going around. He competed well on P Bars to win a bronze medal, but finished 17th All Around. It was a hard, but good learning experience, for Oli who will only use this competition to help in the future.

Ben competed on the Friday and again, performed brilliantly to retain his U14 British All Around title. Liverpool obviously brings the best out in Ben, and he won further medals on High Bar (Gold), Pommel, P Bar and Rings (Silver), and Floor (Bronze).

Finally, Josh was in the U18 competition on Saturday, and competed well to finish 11th All Around, and qualify for the following day’s High Bar and P Bars finals. He took his opportunity in the finals to pick up a bronze on P Bars and narrowly miss out on a medal in the High Bar by 0.2 marks.

Find more about Woking Gymnastics Club here

24th-26th February 2023

English Championships, Telford, Shropshire

The year’s first competition for the boys was held at the Telford International Centre over the last weekend of February.

All three boys performed well and competed new skills in their routines. Oli was up first in the U16 competition and won silver on Rings, also finishing a very credible 8th All Around.

Josh followed in the U18 competition, winning bronze medals on Floor and High Bar.

Finally, Ben competed on the final day and took home the bronze medal in the All Around competition, as well as gold on floor, and silvers on Pommel and P Bars.

A good start for all three boys to the 2023 season.

Find more about Woking Gymnastics Club here

6th January 2023

Ben wins Woking Young Sports Personality of the Year Award

After a very successful year, Ben was awarded the Woking Young Sports Personality of the Year Award for 2022.

Ben’s hard work and commitment in the gym and success in the year’s gymnastics calendar, including becoming British U14 All Around Champion and representing Team GB in his first international competition over the previous 12-months, was recognised in this year’s awards.

Ben followed Oli who won this Award in 2020.

Find more about the awards here

10th December 2022

National Elite Grades Finals, Telford

The final competition of 2022 saw Ben travel up to Telford to compete in the National Elite Grades final, following his successful qualification back in October at the Regional Grades. Ben produced some beautiful routines, scoring the highest marks on High Bar, PPP and Floor. However, a few small mistakes on other pieces saw him finish in third position, 0.3 marks behind the silver medallist.

Ben was happy with his performance and showed great maturity when he made the costly mistakes, but continued and finished with a good positive attitude.

Read the full report on the National Elite Grades here

25th and 26th November 2022

Oli earns a call-up to the England team!

Following a constantly improving competition season, and working hard in England training camps throughout the year, Oli earned his first call up to represent his country at the Futures Cup in Austria.

Oli was the youngest member of a team of five, helping the team to a second place finish in the team competition, only missing out on top spot by 0.7 to a full strength Austria team who finished 8th at the recent European Junior Championships.

Oli’s performances were full of confidence as he contributed scores on three of the pieces, and qualifying in third position on Rings for the final the following day.

Day two of the competition saw Oli step up and win a Bronze medal for England on Rings. It was a fantastic experience for Oli which helped with his confidence and belief in his gymnastics which will set him up well as we go into 2023

Read the full report on the Futures Cup here

16th October 2022

South East Regional Qualifiers 2022

After a five-month rest from competition, the boys returned to action with slightly different roles at this year’s regional qualifying competition.

Ben was the only Porter competing this year, and he took his opportunity to shine in the limelight by winning the Elite Level 5 Competition.

Oli experienced his first competition as a Coach, working with younger groups of Woking Gymnasts throughout the day, helping encourage and support them through the rollercoaster ride of a gymnastics competition!

Josh also gained a first in this competition - his first time judging. Josh enjoyed being on the other side of the desk, judging on Vault throughout the day. His experience as a gymnast certainly helped in his scoring of the younger gymnasts.

Read the full report on the South East Qualifiers here

14th & 15th May 2022

London Open 2022

A short wait before the next major competition of the year saw Josh, Oli and Ben back in Redbridge competing in the 2022 London Open. It is often said that success breeds success, and it is fair to say that this was certainly the case for all three brothers at this year’s competition.

The weekend started with Ben producing an assured performance to win the coveted U14 Max Whitlock Trophy, winning the All Around competition and further medals on Vault (Bronze), Pommels (Silver) and Rings (Gold). It was a good learning experience for Ben as he had to manage his emotions and attitude to get over the line.

Josh took on the baton later in the day and again scored over 70 in his second consecutive competition, also picking up a Bronze medal on the High Bar. Josh can be proud of his performances in 2022 and is already looking forward to the season starting again in 2023.

Oli finished off the weekend on a high, again breaking the 70 mark barrier, increasing his All Around score for the fourth competition in a row. Oli also picked up the Gold medal for the U16 High Bar.

Read the full report on the London Open here

1st May 2022

Regional Championships, Pegasus Gymnastics Club, Maidstone

As Ben touched down from his European adventures, Josh and Oli were making the short trip to Kent, to compete in the South East Regional Championships.

Both Josh and Oli raised their game and scored 70+ for the first time in a competition in 2022, both walking away as Regional Champions (Josh U18 and Oli U16).

Oli performed excellently, again improving on his all around score for the third competition in a row, and also helping himself to three Gold and three Silver individual pieces medals. Josh was equally as impressive on his way to becoming U18 Regional Champion, scoring 72+ for the first time and picking up a further five individual pieces’ medals (two Golds and three Silvers).

Read the full report on the Regional Championships here

29th-30th April 2022

Ben called up to Team GB for the Berlin Cup 2022

Following his success at the British Championships in Liverpool, Ben was rewarded with his first International competition at the prestigious Berlin Cup. Ben again competed in the U14 Competition, and also as part of the Junior team who were up against the top teams in Europe who were preparing for the upcoming European Junior Championships later in the year.

Ben got off to an uncharacteristic shaky start on his first piece, but picked himself up to perform well enough to qualify for 5 finals the following day. He also helped the team to an 8th place finish.

The Ben we all know stepped up brilliantly in the finals the following day, performing confident and precise routines to come away from Germany with two Golds, two Silvers and a Bronze.

A wonderful experience for Ben topped off with some well deserved medals!

Read the full report on the Berlin Cup here

24th-27th March 2022

British Championships, Liverpool - Ben becomes U14 British Champion

Three Years since the last British Championships, all three boys travelled to Liverpool for the biggest domestic competition in the calendar. And what a weekend!!

Oli lead the brothers off in the U16 competition on Thursday, making a marked improvement on his English Championships performance. He scored an average of 0.5 more on every piece, enjoying a top 15 finish. Friday saw Ben step up to the stage making his debut in the British Championships. And what a debut! Ben performed at a significantly higher level than ever before, and came away as Under 14 All Around Champion. Ben also won Gold on Pommel Horse and Silver on Rings.

After the celebrations on Friday, Josh had an early start on Saturday to compete in the U18 Competition. Again, Josh performed consistently well, qualifying for the Parallel Bars final on the Sunday. At the end of a tiring four days away from home, Josh stepped up on the Sunday and secured a very impressive 6th place finish.

A memorable few days for all the boys!

Read the full report on the British Championships here

11th-13th March 2022

English Championships, Redbridge, Essex

The first competition of the year was the English Championships in Redbridge, which saw all three brothers compete in the same competition for the first time in 3 years. Oli was up first and produced a steady performance following suffering a number of injuries in the lead up to the competition. Josh was up next and again performed consistently, achieving an all around score just under the 70 point target. Ben wrapped up the weekend of competition on the Sunday with a very assured performance, again scoring an all around score just under the magical 70 mark. A steady start to competing in 2022 for all three brothers.

Read the full report on the English Championships here

7th November 2021

Elite Grade Success for Oli and Ben

The traditional end of year Elite Grade competition returned following its cancellation in 2020, held at a new location for the boys to experience. The Telford International Centre hosted this year’s event which saw Ben competing at Level 4 and Oli at Level 6. Ben enjoyed a great competition and finished in 2nd position, just 0.04 behind the eventually winner. Oli was competing in his final Elite Grade competition and finished a respectable 3rd place, just missing out on a silver medal on his final apparatus piece.

Read the full report on the National Elite Grades here

11th September 2021

Return to competition for Josh at the British Championships in Cardiff

Following nearly two years of no competition, the British Championships returned in September 2021 at the Sport Wales National Centre in Cardiff. Josh was the only brother to participate, competing in the Under 16 competition. It was a tough return to competition for Josh who finished in 24th position. It was great to return to competitive gymnastics and although the result wasn’t what Josh was hoping for, it was a great event to clear some ‘rustiness’ and motivate Josh to train and prepare for the next year of competition.

Read the full report on the British here

7th January 2021

Oli wins 2020 Woking Young Sports Person of the Year

Following an unprecedented year of home training and no competitions, Oli was awarded with the Woking Young Sports Person of the Year for 2020. Oli was nominated, alongside Ben, by Woking Gymnastics Club, and In the true sense of the award’s title, the award was very much given to Oli because of his personality and his incredibly positive approach to training throughout Lockdown. Oli’s sense of fun and hard-work helped not just his brothers but the coaching staff during some of the tougher moments during early 2020.

Find out more about the Awards

26th November 2020

The Porter Brothers feature in the Woking News and Mail

During Lockdown 2.0, the Woking News and Mail featured Josh, Oi and Ben on their sports page. The article highlighted how the boys had been training during both Lockdowns during 2020, and the efforts they had all gone to to keep up their training. The boys combined training at home with Zoom training sessions run by Woking Gymnastics Club and their National Squad coaches, as well as making time to include their own training such as extra conditioning sessions and going for additional runs.

2nd & 3rd November 2019

The National Elite Grade Finals, Birmingham

The 2019 Elite Grade Finals held at the GMAC in Birmingham saw Josh competing in his last finals (Level 6). Josh finished in 5th place and helped the South East win a bronze medal. Oli (Level 4) finished in 4th place, and Ben (Level 2) finished in 3rd place and helped the South East earn a silver medal.