OLYMPICS LONDON 2012: Bronze medal for Tweddle in uneven bars

GREAT Britain’s Beth Tweddle says she can retire from gymnastics a happy woman after securing bronze in the London 2012 women’s uneven bars final – Team GB’s first-ever medal in the individual event.

BRONZE MEDAL: Beth Tweddle win’s bronze in the women’s uneven bars to heal Beijing hurt

Three-time world champion Tweddle, Britain’s most successful gymnast ever, posted a score of 15.916 after a difficult routine – but an unstable landing denied her a different coloured medal.

However the 27-year-old, who plans to retire following London 2012, insists she is over the moon to finally secure an Olympic medal after finishing an agonising fourth in Beijing.

She said: “This is the one medal that I wanted to finish my career. It was the one that was missing from my collection; I wasn’t bothered what colour it was.

“It is my third Olympics, everyone knows I wanted this one medal to be able to finish my career happy. This was the one thing that was missing.”

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Russian Aliya Mustafina took home the gold with a huge 16.133 as title holder He Kexin settled for silver with 15.933, and Tweddle had a nervous wait as she sat in second place with three gymnasts still to go.

The USA’s double-Olympic champion Gabrielle Douglas couldn’t add to her fantastic medal haul from London as she finished in last place and ensured the Brit held on to third place.

There was no doubt as to who the home crowd had been supporting, with Tweddle receiving a rapturous reception from the North Greenwich Arena crowd as she signed off her career in style.

And the South African-born Brit admits her fairytale ending looked in danger after pre-Olympic surgery on a knee injury cast doubt on her quest for home glory.

“Twelve weeks ago I couldn’t think about competing here. I cried myself to sleep back then because I thought it was the end of my Olympics,” she said.

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“Tonight it will be easy to sleep, because I have a medal.”