It represents the second British triumph of the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the first being the fact that, despite having had to delay the start by a day to help teams struggling to arrive in the face of the closure of European airspace, the organisers were able to welcome 34 of the 39 teams due to take part as they arrived via bus or boat travel.

Britain’s team of Sam Oldham, Reiss Beckford, Cameron Mackenzie, Max Whitlock and Frank Baines finished with a score of 254.200 to take gold comfortably from Switzerland (248.525 points) and France (245.375).

Overseen by coaches Barry Collie, Sergei Sizhanov and Scott Hann, the juniors competed cleanly through all their routines and retained great composure through the pressure of competing on home soil to hang onto the position they earned at the last championships in Lausanne two years ago.

Tim Jones, the domestic sport’s Olympic Performance Director, described the Lausanne win as a "hugely significant moment" in the development of the men’s programme, adding: "A number of that team have converted that success on to senior level and were responsible for the strong progress made since Beijing.

"The result today is an indication that we are continuing this trend…the impact this has on the long-term success of the programme should be immense."

An altered schedule sees the men's senior qualifications take place today, with finals being held over the weekend.The women's competition begins on Wednesday (April 28).

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
April 2010: "Dunkirk spirit" sees arrivals by sea and land for European Championships
April 2010: Birmingham’s European Gymnastics Championships delayed by volcanic activity