Gymnast Kristian Thomas amazed at bronze medal

Black Country gymnast Kristian Thomas today said he was "amazed" at making history in the Olympics by helping his team take bronze.

Millions watched the 23-year-old from Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, help his team to glory with a faultless routine on the floor of the North Greenwich Arena last night.

It was a dramatic final however, with Team GB initially being awarded silver behind China, before a successful appeal by Japan saw them downgraded to bronze.

But it was still a dream come true for Kristian to be part of the first British men's team to win a medal since the 1912 Stockholm Games.

He said today: "I keep looking down at the medal and I'm amazed. I'm hoping once the next week is out of the way we can relax, take a moment and realise we've achieved one of the greatest things in the history of our sport.

"There was a lot of pressure on that routine. I was very confident I could go through it successfully.

"We've put in all the hard work and it was a matter of controlling the nerves and letting the body take over.

"The noise was deafening from the crowd."

Kristian's mother Catherine, who was watching her son from the crowd, said: "We thought they might get a medal but it was still a massive surprise."

Former St Edmund's School pupil Kristian, who lives in Silverton Way, Wednesfield, competed with Louis Smith, Daniel Purvis, Max Whitlock and Sam Oldham.