Rio Olympics 2016: Wolverhampton gymnast Kristian Thomas misses out on medal in men's team final

Trailing China for the bronze medal by over two points heading into their sixth and final apparatus – the pommel horse which is traditionally their strongest – Team GB needed a miracle.

But when Louis Smith fell off attempting a routine of very high difficulty to close the gap, any chance they had of repeating their bronze from London 2012 was lost.

Fourth is the worst place to finish at an Olympics but there are still the individual final floor final to come for Thomas - and eight in total for Team GB's men.

And Thomas – who looked in impressive form on the vault and on the floor with routines that broke the 15-point barrier – insists he and his teammates will bounce back stronger for their chastening experience in the Rio Olympic Arena.

"It's mixed emotions really, we gave it everything we had," he said.

"Sadly we came up just short today but that is sport, that's gymnastics.

"We will reflect on our performance and soon realise that we did everything we possibly could to get into this position to try go out there and win a medal.

"It didn't happen here but we have all got individual finals so we can re-focus and head towards them now."

While China edged Team GB out of the bronze medal by 1.37 points, Russia were able to snatch silver by an even narrower margin.

Gold, however, went to Japan whose total of 274.094 was way out in front and Thomas admitted that he and his teammates had been forced to raise their game after their world team silver last year.

"This is the Olympics – the level is going to lift - that is obviously going to happen," he added. "Everyone wants this as much as we do. We did everything we could but we came up just short.

"There was still a possibility for us but at the same time the other teams were finishing well on strong apparatus so it was going to be tough.

"Maybe we could have nicked a medal – who knows?"

He will return to compete on the men's floor final on Sunday.

It was a day of mixed fortunes for Team GB in Brazil.

Divers Tom Daley and Dan Goodfellow won bronze in the men's pairs 10m synchro competition and Ed Ling's bronze in the trap shooting took Britain's tally to four and put them 10th in the medal table.

But the women's rugby sevens team and swimmer James Guy missed out on bronze in their respective events.

World champion sailor Alison Young, from Wolverhampton, endured a difficult first day at the Olympic sailing regatta in Rio.

Young, 29, posted a 13th and 18th in her opening two races to rank just outside the top ten in 13th.

But there's a long way to go with eight races to go - and the ability to discard her worst score - before the top ten progress to the double points medal race.

Conditions made for difficult sailing, overcast skies, lumpy sea and a shift wind was more like Cowes Week back home than Rio.

Young arrived in Rio as one to watch having become the first British woman to win a world title in an Olympic solo dinghy class earlier this year.

She was fifth four years ago in London, admitting that despite initial disappointment the result probably reflected her world standing.

However, this time around a medal is a legitimate target, though the women's laser class is arguably the most stacked at the Olympic regatta.

Dutch sailor Marit Bouwmeester, the silver medallist four years, is currently ranked number one in the world and has won two recent events on the same waters off the Marina de Gloria.

After a break from sailing China's Lijia Xu - the early fleet leader - will be hoping to defend her title while Belgium's Evi Van Acker has enjoyed a successful World Cup season and American Paige Railey will be itching to avenge her single point defeat to Young at the Worlds.

"Winning the worlds was a good confidence boost to take forwards," said Young.

"To perform under pressure in that environment and to keep it together all the way through a seven-day regatta was a good omen and a real learning experience.

"The last four years, there have been plenty of ups and downs but I feel things are starting to come right when it matters.

"The worlds gave me self-belief that I could do it. I was a bit in shock after we finished because it was so close.

"I've never stood on a worlds podium and doing it in an Olympic year is pretty cool, obviously I'd like to do it again in Rio."

It comes after Staffordshire swimmer Adam Peaty won Britain first gold of the games.

Aldi is the first Official Supermarket partner of Team GB and has been championing our nation's extraordinary athletes on their Road to Rio and encouraging the public to tuck into fresh, affordable, Great British food. For more information visit aldi.co.uk