Beth Tweddle produced one of the
to top qualifying for the uneven bars after four of five sessions at the Olympic gymnastics.
The 27-year-old scored a mammoth 16.133 in her last Games for Great Britain.
“It is the best feeling in the world,” said Tweddle, a world champion three times but yet to win an Olympic medal.
Rebecca Tunney, the youngest Briton at the Olympics at 15, should qualify for Thursday’s all-around final while GB’s place in the team final is assured.
Tunney scored 56.391 from the four pieces of apparatus – bars, beam, floor and vault – with Hannah Whelan (55.699) expected to join her. The pair lie 10th and 12th respectively with one set of gymnasts still to go through qualifying on Sunday.
Russia’s Victoria Komova led all-around qualification after four sessions with 60.632 but the United States team, driven on by a series of vault performances no other country can match, hold a narrow advantage over the Russians in team qualifying.
The US scored 181.863 with Russia posting 180.429. China lie third with 176.637 and Britain’s 170.656 currently leaves them fourth, ahead of Italy and Canada. Romania are the strongest team left to compete.
“We knew they were a step above us and we have no chance of catching them unless they have about 10 falls,” said Tweddle.
“We have worked with them every day in training and they have been hitting their routines every day, with probably only one mistake in the whole week, so we knew they were going to go out there and do that.”
Tweddle, who performed to a specially arranged composition of Live And Let Die, subsequently admitted she was speechless at the reception her remarkably complex – and beautifully executed – routine received.
“The last few weeks have been really hard because the pressure has been on,” she told BBC Sport.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
Inside the Liverpool Gymnastics Club with Beth Tweddle in January this year
“You want to go into it thinking that there’s no pressure on you but I would have walked out here disappointed if I had not gone clean.
“I am just pleased to be here. Twelve weeks ago I didn’t think I would be walking into this arena
so it’s just the icing on the cake to reach the final.”
There is still hope Tweddle could also reach the floor final, depending on results to come. He Kexin of China – the 2008 Olympic champion on bars – is her nearest challenger in qualifying here, with 15.966.
Tweddle came close to an Olympic medal four years ago, finishing fourth in the uneven bars, but it remains the one item missing from her distinguished gymnastics collection in more than a decade’s international competition.
Elsewhere, Jordyn Wieber – the 2011 all-around world champion – will not compete for Olympic all-around gold after failing to qualify for the final.
Wieber, 17 earlier this month, finished behind US team-mates Raisman and Gabby Douglas. Only two gymnasts per nation can qualify for each final, leaving Wieber in tears at the end of her qualifying session.
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18904623
R Soft Web Hosting