OLYMPICS LONDON 2012: British best not enough for Driscoll

By Barrie White, Sportsbeat, London 2012

GREAT Britain trampolinist Kat Driscoll admitted her British best was not good enough as she failed to make the final of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

PLAYING IT STRAIGHT: Driscoll storms to new British record but cannot seal place in the final

Driscoll scored 46.335 for her 'set' routine which sees the gymnasts complete a compulsory list of moves and then backed it up with a complex 'voluntary' routine.

She scored 54.650 for a qualification total of 100.985 and ninth place, just agonisingly missing out on the final, knocked out by the last competitor in qualifying American Savannah Vinsant.

“It's the highest score a British woman had got but to finish ninth – no one wants to finish ninth,” said Driscoll, born in Kent.

“I did the best I could but it wasn't good enough. It's not the result I wanted but I got a personal best and I delivered in front of a home crowd.

"My first routine is not my best and that score is normal for me. I knew my second routine would be the higher score and I hit a personal best for my second routine.

"The crowd was fantastic. I had my friends and family scattered all over the stadium, and even with the crowd cheering I could still hear them.”

Driscoll, who had finished fourth at the test event earlier on in the year, believes she has taken on enough positives to put into practice when she competes again.

She said: “I felt relaxed – more relaxed than I've ever felt, so that's a positive to take into future competitions.

“It has been an honour to compete at the Olympics. On my way up to the second routine the crowd were getting louder and louder, I thought, 'This is all right'.

“But it was so loud when I got to the trampoline that I had to take a minute before I started."

© Sportsbeat 2012