British gymnast Claudia Fragapane lands floor bronze at World Championships

Claudia Fragapane won Great Britain’s second medal at the World Gymnastics Championships in Montreal with bronze in the women’s floor final.

The 19-year-old recovered from an early stumble to match her qualifying score of 13.933 which was enough to claim her first individual world medal.

Fragapane finished behind gold medallist Mai Murakami of Japan, who scored 14.233, and Jade Carey of the United States, who posted 14.200.

Fragapane finished her Strictly-inspired routine strongly and to her evident delight, but then faced a nervous wait to see if any of the final five competitors could beat her score.

Neither home favourite Ellie Black nor Brazilian Thais Santos managed to surpass her, leaving only veteran Italian Vanessa Ferrari with the chance of denying her a medal.

But the 26-year-old former world all-around champion suffered a painful fall early in her routine and had to be helped off the mat, confirming Fragapane’s position in third place.

The Bristol athlete has had her own share of difficult times, including a tumultuous experience at the Rio Olympics where she fell in qualifying for both the uneven bars and the beam.

Another disappointment at the European Championships in Cluj in April left Fragapane, who won team bronze in Glasgow in 2015, with a difficult task to recover her confidence.

But her strong performance in qualifying in Montreal settled her nerves and, after her initial error in the final, a series of strong landings proved enough to seal her place on the podium.