The event was jointly organised by British Gymnastics and Birmingham City Council, whose cabinet member for leisure, sport and culture, Ray Hassall said: "This event has proved once again that Birmingham is first class when it comes to staging sports events.

 

"With a delegation here from the Beijing Olympic Committee it is also clear to see that our reputation as an international city of sport has spread across the globe."

 

Britain's Sarah Palmer rose to the occasion before a crowd of 3,000 by winning a gold medal in the tumbling, beating the reigning champion and pre-event favourite Anna Korobeynikova from Russia.

 

The 19-year-old, who earlier this year won the European Championships, said: "It feels absolutely great to win. I was watching what was happening on the screens and I knew exactly what I had to do to win.

 

"It feels absolutely great to win and the support from the home crowd was fantastic."

 

Claire Wright also won a medal for Britain, taking a surprise bronze in the individual trampoline with the Olympic champion Irina Karavaeva finishing out of the medals in sixth place.

 

"It's a been a big event today and the home crowd really cheered us on," she said. "But it was also nerve-racking as we've never competed in front of such a large audience before.

 

"I feel like I've made a step forward. I've had a hard couple of years and have trained hard for the Olympics. As a team we hope to increase the popularity of trampoling for Britain in the future."