Halesowen gymnast's brilliant performance helps team GB make history at Olympics (From Dudley News)

Halesowen gymnast's brilliant performance helps team GB make history at Olympics

9:32am Sunday 29th July 2012 in Local

Halesowen's Kristian Thomas was one of the star performers in GB men's gymnastics team which has made history at the Olympic Games.

The five man team of Louis Smith, Daniel Purvis, Kristian Thomas, Max Whitlock and Sam Oldham has exceeded expectations and made it through to tomorrow's final.

In doing so they have become the first British Olympic men's gym team to get to a final since 1924, outscoring Olympic champions China along the way.

Finishing only behind the United States and Russia, they stand a good chance of winning a medal in Monday's team final.

Kristian, a member of Earls Gymnastics Club, shone on the high-difficulty vaults and has earned a place in the individual final of that apparatus.

In a spectacular achievement he also qualified for the all-round final, which sees gymnasts compete on five apparatus and the mat, which will take place on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old, from Wolverhampton, is the first member of the club in Furnace Lane, Halesowen, to ever compete at an Olympics.

He said: “We knew what we were capable of and we knew we could pull it out. But on the day it’s a completely different matter when you have the adrenaline and nerves. Everything is a different situation.

“The home crowd is a massive advantage for us, we just need to make sure we do it again on Monday.”

A crowd of around 13,000 at the North Greenwich Arena (the old Millennium Dome) cheered on the  gymnasts.

Yesterday's performance has been hailed as one of Britain's finest days in an Olympic gymnastic arena.