Cool Commonwealth gold medal winner Joe Fraser knows how to switch off
As anyone who watched him star at Birmingham 2022 will attest, it takes a lot for Joe Fraser to lose his cool.
Despite being a poster boy for the Commonwealth Games in his home city and having the not insignificant hindrance of competing with a broken foot, the England gymnast was a picture of serenity as he claimed three gold medals.
A question, then, for the 23-year-old as he reflects on the success, is what does actually make him angry? It elicits a surprising response.
“Whenever someone leaves the light on!” he smiles. “If you are not in the room, why do it? I think that is the only thing. I don’t even own a house. It’s something which my dad is always complaining about it and I think he’s passed it on to me!”
Fraser is laughing as he says this but so relaxed is the former Sandwell Academy student’s demeanour, whatever the circumstances, the query feels fair.
His heroics at Arena Birmingham have further raised his profile and the good news for any new fans is he and his team-mates will be quickly back in action. The European Championships start this Thursday in Munich with Fraser and the men’s team starting their campaign a week later. At the end of October comes the world championships, back in front of a home crowd in Liverpool.
Fraser, who was unable to compete on the floor or vault due to his injury, sustained in training a fortnight before the Games, will leave it as late as possible before deciding his programme in Germany. “I know I can do four pieces of apparatus now,” he says. “I believe I can do six. It is just a question of whether that is safe to do. We will see. I will be working closely with the support staff, the doctor and the physios and we will come up with the best decision for myself and the team.”
In addition to fracturing his foot, Fraser underwent surgery to have his appendix removed in June.
He said: “My goals for the year were very different. But if you had told me in January what I would need to overcome in order to be in this spot, I am probably prouder of the achievements, even though I wanted more.
“Knowing there are Europeans and World Championships later on in the year is exciting because I know there is going to be more time to prepare and be the best version of myself for those competitions.”
