London 2012 Olympics: Russia find their rhythm to make it four in a row

GYMNASTICS: Russia won their fourth consecutive Olympic gold in the rhythmic gymnastics group all-around competition after two stunning performances in the final at Wembley Arena.

The defending champions retained their title in style as they drew the curtain on the final piece of gymnastics action at London 2012 with a characteristically dominant performance.

Russia scored 28.700 for their five balls routine before 28.300 with the ribbons and hoops earned them a total of 57.000 to see them finish on top ahead of Belarus (55.500) in silver medal position and Italy (55.450) in bronze. Uliana Donskova, part of the six-strong winning Russian team, admitted the group believed they would win gold in London. She said: “It was a long time with hard work. We believed in our victory, but we didn’t allow ourselves to relax. We didn’t think about the medal. We had big support and there was no pressure.”