Beth Tweddle scores Britain's first ever Olympic women's gymnastics medal

After a gruelling routine in the uneven bars event, British athlete Beth Tweddle..

12:52 08 August 2012

After a gruelling routine in the uneven bars event, British athlete Beth Tweddle, 27, has become the first female gymnast to gain an Olympic medal. 

 

The Brit focused on beating her fourth place position at Beijing and even looked set to take first or second place until she faltered on her dismount.  The unnerving moment saw an unsteady back-step which caused her to have points deducted.

 

However the star, who is often cited as the finest athlete Britain has ever produced, was elated with the result and is happy knowing her career now has a complete collection, as she already has three world championships under her belt. 

 

Tweddle has admitted it was challenging for her to maintain concentration, given the importance of the final, and knowing that her team-mates had completed their competitions and were enjoying some relaxation time. 

 

Adding to the drama was the threat that her knee injury, for which she underwent emergency surgery for in May, would flare up again and give her a disadvantage over her younger rivals.

 

Seven years older than her nearest competitor, Tweddle battled it out against Aliva Mustafina of Russia and Gabby Douglas at the North Greenwich Arena to come up trumps.

 

It was her reaction to the enormous pressure she faced, and the lively crowd, which secured her worthy place as the Brit tactically used her least difficult routine – the same one which helped her qualify.

 

Spectators witnessed her special move dubbed 'the Tweddle', a manoeuvre which sees her catching the bar with crossed hands, in a show which has helped move Britain’s gymnastic medal tally of three - across 116 years - to over seven.

 

The leaderboard as of Wednesday AM:

 

Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
China	34	21	18	73
United States	30	19	21	70
Great Britain	22	13	13	48
South Korea	12	5	6	23
Russia	10	18	20	48
France	8	9	11	28
Italy	7	6	4	17
Germany	6	14	7	27