BETH Tweddle refused to abandon her dream of Olympic gold, despite missing out on a medal in Beijing after attempting one of the most difficult uneven bar routines ever witnessed at any Games.

Needing 16.6250 points to overhaul China's Yang Yilin, the 23-year-old from Bunbury, Cheshire, went for broke with her last routine, but received an agonising 16.6225 to finish fourth after a stumbled landing.

But the European silver medallist, who was expected to retire before London 2012, refused to throw in the towel and believes she can climb the podium in her own back yard.

"I'm definitely going to continue – I've still got the belief that I can compete at the top," said Tweddle, who began her career at Crewe and Nantwich Gym Club.

"I didn't have the best training going into the Olympics after injuring my ankle and my ribs, but I still managed to get into the final.

"There were some great performances by the girls out there and I knew I would have to do something very special to get a medal.

"At the start I decided to go for the most difficult routine to give me a chance. Last week I was just glad to be in the final, so I can't be too disappointed with it.

"I just had to give it my all so it wasn't as tidy as I planned it to be, but I don't think I could have done it another way and this time it just didn't quite work out. My dismount is normally not a problem, but I just didn't get enough height and to be honest I thought I was going to end up on my face."

Tweddle was fancied to become the first British woman for 100 years to secure a medal in Beijing, but after a series of injuries the European silver medallist only sneaked into the final.

But following Louis Smith's bronze medal success on the pommel horse, Tweddle is confident a golden age of British gymnastics is just around the corner.

"Hopefully the rest of the squad can build on what Louis has done, and in the future we will be competing in more finals for more medals," she added.