The O2 set for gym spectacular

The venue will host the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships next October and four of Britain's Olympic stars gave the public a taste of what to expect at the official launch this afternoon.

Olympic bronze medallist Louis Smith was joined by former World Champion Beth Tweddle - who narrowly missed out on a medal in Beijing - and British team-mates Daniel Keating and Becky Downie.

For Tweddle the World Championships will be an opportunity to erase the pain of missing out on a podium place by just 0.025 points in China.

And the 23-year-old, getting on a bit in gymnastic years, hinted she might be tempted to keep competing all the way up to the London Olympics, when the event will be staged at The O2.

She said: "2009 was going to be the end for me before Beijing. But there's a temptation to carry on now, so I'll think about it over the next six months.

"Watch this space, and if anyone has any ideas for me, let me know."

Smith is excited about the prospect of competing on home soil. The 19-year-old made history when he became the first British man to win an Olympic gymnastic medal in a century.

He said: "Definitely. It's a great opportunity to use it as an experience for London.

"It's such an amazing arena. It will be by far the best arena I've competed in, spectacular. I'm looking forward to it."

And he hopes it will pave the way to gold medal success in 2012.

He said: "I was so close to the gold in Beijing, but I was a fraction behind and I made a big mistake in my pommels routine.

"So more hard work in the gym, a lot more competitions and I'm going in for a shinier medal."
He will face competition from team-mate Keating, who also specialises in the pommel horse.

The 18-year-old from Corby, who finished 20th overall in Beijing, trains with Smith and admitted his success has spurred him on.

"We train together and I sometimes beat him in competitions and sometimes he beats me," he said.

"But when Louis won his medal it was amazing. I knew he had a chance and when he won I felt like it was me winning it. I was so happy he won."

And the youngest of the talented quartet was Downie, who at just 16 is still at school in Nottingham.

She finished 12th overall at the Olympics and hopes her progress will see her on the podium in four years time.

She said: "The experience in Beijing was fantastic and I'm sure London will be even better.

"This is an amazing venue and we're all looking forward to competing here.

"I'd like to think I'll be in with a chance in 2012. I'll be working on some new routines and will be doing a lot of work."

The launch also saw young gymnasts from Greenwich and Bromley show off their tumbling talents to an appreciative audience.

The Artistic Gymnastics World Championships run from October 13-18, 2009. Tickets are on sale now from www.worldgymnastics2009.com