Gymnastics: Gold medal winner no clown

English gymnast Kanukai Jackson was so dispirited after missing the Sydney Olympics he considered running away to join the circus.

Yesterday, the 24-year-old was celebrating his decision to stay - he won a gold medal.

Jackson, the English-born son of Zimbabwean parents, had decided to retire after fighting back from a serious injury only to miss Olympic selection by 0.8 points.

He informed British Gymnastics chiefs and signed a lucrative contract with Canada's highly acclaimed human circus Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun), but, with a ticket to Montreal already booked, changed his mind.

Jackson brought a delighted English crowd to their feet when he won the men's individual all-round event with 55.025 points out of a possible 60, ahead of Australian Philippe Rizzo (53.850) and Canadian Alexander Jeltkov (53.650).