Bermuda's gymnasts battled the odds, ignored their pain and put on an impressive show at the World Championships in London yesterday.

Plucky Caitlyn Mello, who had fought back from serious injury to compete at the highest level, ended her gymnastics career on a high with a solid performance in front of the biggest crowd of her life.

And Kaisey Griffith – struggling with a cold which has restricted her training – fought on despite gashing her hand in the bars warm-up.

A visibly drained Griffith couldn't hide her disappointment after two falls on the beams. But she won praise from incoming head coach Bob Nelligan for sticking it out when many would have thrown in the towel.

He told The Royal Gazette: "I think she was courageous. A lot of people wouldn't have put the leotard on today.

"She knew today wasn't going to be great but she didn't give in."

Griffith said: "I am disappointed I couldn't compete as well as I wanted with being sick but I coped, I didn't break down and let it get to me."

Her vault was measured but she fell on the dismount from the bars.

She said: "I had got ripped in the warm-up. I had a bloody hand when I was competing but I ignored the pain and did my routine."

But the nerves were getting to her at the beam and she hit the floor twice.

"At the end of each routine I could barely walk down the stairs, my whole body was tired. I was having difficulty breathing."

But like Griffith before her, she came alive on the final floor routine. Griffith was gutted to have been hampered with injury and illness after training so hard but at least she can have another crack on the big stage at the Commonwealth Games next year.

But yesterday's event at London's O2 Arena was a swansong for Mello, 17, who had fought back from serious injury to keep her career going.

And she despite a long term ankle injury she was confident enough to pull off a new floor routine - a double back somersault - as she finished her set in style.

Her coach Tina Williams said: "She did herself justice today, it was a good meet for her to finish on."

The ankle injury meant her vault routine had to be kept simple to avoid further aggravating it. The hardest routine, the bars, saw a clean start but there was a fault on transferring between the bars and a slight fall on the dismount.

Mello pulled off an accomplished back somersault on the beam but was otherwise fairly cautious. However she came into her own on the floor. With the music pumping and the crowd focused she was fluid and thrilling.

Williams said: "That was the most exciting. She completed a new tumble for the first time successfully - a double back somersault."

A proud Mello told The Royal Gazette: "I stood up for the first time today and the rest of the routine was a lot of fun.

"I was a little bit nervous but I did a lot better than I thought. Leading up to this I had a lot of injuries, in training here I pulled a muscle in my back and was having physio everyday."

But in the end Mello was pleased with her own performances despite struggling a bit on bars after a rush to get them properly chalked after the previous performer.

"Beam is nerve-wracking. You shake a lot and it can throw you off balance - one wrong move and you can fall off.

"I fell on my dismount but I am not too upset by it and I am really excited about the rest of the events.

"With floor you can relax a bit more, play to the judges and smile."

And there were plenty of smiles at the O2 arena yesterday as the crowd enjoyed the world's best gymnasts strut their stuff.

The partisan British crowd roared on home favourite Rebecca Wing while USA's Ivana Hong also thrilled despite a hiccup on the bars.

Top honour was picked up by USA's Rebecca Bross while Griffith came 75th and Mello came 78th out of 146 competitors.

While the Bermuda pair had a few slips they were by no means alone in an entertaining spectacle of acrobatic prowess which saw plenty of spills among the thrills which are heavily penalised under new, stricter rules.

Retiring coach Tina Williams said: "Even the top gymnasts were making mistakes. The judges are harder at this level."

For Mello the meet was a bitter-sweet finish to her career which she is packing in through injury.

"I will miss the sport, I have done it since I was five. But my body is kind of giving up on me."

Mello broke her ankle when she came off a motorbike while riding pillion two years ago, just months after she had bagged 24th at the Commonwealth Games in Australia and made it to the finals.

"I was out for a year and really didn't think I was going to come back. But I was on the team for the Island Games and was amazed at how quickly I came back."

Mello took two silvers and five bronze medals in Aland and helped Bermuda win team gold. "But along the way my ankle has been giving me trouble as it jams and hurts me but my coaches have done a good job in helping me tape it up.

"But I am sure without the accident I would have stayed in gymnastics and would have progressed without that lost year. I am not retiring because I don't like gymnastics – it's just that my body really is having a hard time."

Despite bowing out prematurely Mello is grateful for where gymnastics has taken her.

"It's been exciting, it shows you that hard work really does pay off. You get to go to places you never thought you would go to - my gymnastics has taken me all over the world.

"It's been a great experience. You learn how to stay disciplined - I kept my school grades up while training hard."

And her coach Tina Williams, who hands over completely to her successor Bob Nelligan in December, believes the sport has not seen the last of Mello.

She said: "She loves gymnastics, I think we might end up seeing her as a coach."

And Nelligan has similar hopes for Griffith after pointing out that her pluck in battling against illness yesterday would serve as a good example to youngsters she might coach.

He said: "She is the centrepiece of this programme right now.

"And it's a heck of a lot easier telling the little ones coming up that you have to be tough and strong and put on a smile whatever happens when it comes from someone who has done it at the highest level."She has earned her stripes. We are very proud."