After the medal-laden performances of the B-team in this month's Commonwealth Games, the A-team duly delivered at the World Artistic Gymnastics championships in the Ahoy Arena.

Tweddle, who became Britain's first world champion when she won this title in 2006, unexpectedly captured the world floor title in London last year, but this time round she was helped in her specialist event by the fact that the two Chinese favourites - Olympic champion He Kexinand Huang Qiushuang, both fell.

Tweddle produced a relatively secure score of 15.733 points, gambling, correctly, that none of the five finalists who followed would beat it.

"I've said from the beginning it was theirs to lose and mine to gain," said Tweddle.

"That's what happened."

Smith, 21,added silver to his Olympic bronze as he successfully completed a difficult routine, identical to the one which caused him to fall at last year's World Championships, to finish one tenth of a point behind Hungary's Krisztian Berki.

Imogen Cairns, a gold medallist in the Commonwealth Games, came eighth in the vault final.

"Everyone keeps telling me how old I am but the motivation is there, and the main motivation is London 2012," said 25-year-old Tweddle.

"I didn't see what happened to the Chinese girls but I heard it.

"After that, in my head I'm thinking, 'Don't get ahead of yourself,' but it's hard not to when you know you qualified third and the two above you have both fallen.

"But Amanda [Kirby, her coach] soon grounds you down and tells you to just do what you've done in training, so that's what I did."

Smith (pictured) had reached a score of 15.800 in the men's team final on Thursday (October 21), so knew the score was within reach.

But Britain's Olympic bronze medallist pulled up just short, scoring 15.733 to miss out.

"When I hit my routine and finished I was praying to be in first place, I've never been able to pip Berki," said Smith.

"But walking away with any medal at the World Championships, two years out from the Olympics, is a positive.

"Berki is so calm and placid, he's a lot older and more experienced than me, he's been here for ages.

"Hopefully I can take a leaf out of his book and settle my nerves a bit more."

Liverpool's Purvis delivered the most composed of routines in the floor final to score 15.366 points, enough to place him third with one gymnast remaining - Israel's Alexander Shatilov.

When Shatilov came up just short, scoring 15.333, Purvis's injured team-mate Dan Keatings - silver medallist in the all-around event at last year's World Championships, in London - erupted in delight inside the BBC studio overlooking the apparatus.

"It's a great breakthrough and a dream come true, getting a medal and getting my name out there," said Purvis, 19.

"When I didn't stick my last tumble I thought that could be it for a medal, but when Shatilov's score came up I was amazed.

"I felt the nerves, definitely, but I had to give it everything in my last competition."

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May 2010: Double gold for Tweddle confirms her London 2012 potential
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February 2010: Motivation of London 2012 stopped Tweddle quitting
December 2009: Tweddle awarded MBE in Queen's Honours List
December 2009: Tweddle and Britain's top gymnasts to miss 2010 Commonwealth Games