Smith heading to China

Louis Smith has been given the all-clear to compete in this weekend's World Cup Series event in China despite suffering a fractured finger.

The British gymnast is set to travel on Wednesday to Zibo, where he will face pommel horse world champion Krisztian Berki at the competition which takes place this weekend.

Smith had been a doubt for the event after he suffered an injury to the ring finger on his right hand last Tuesday while performing a high bar routine during a training session at his gymnastics club in Huntingdon.

However, the 22-year-old Peterborough-born gymnast has made quicker progress than expected, and later posted a message on social networking site Twitter confirming he would be taking part in the competition.

He said: "I'm all good, it's only a fractured finger. I'm off to China on Wednesday to compete."

A spokesperson for British Gymnastics confirmed that the pommel horse specialist will travel to the event.

Smith became the first British gymnast in 80 years to win an Olympic medal when he took bronze on the pommel horse in Beijing four years ago.

Following the injury to his finger, Smith posted photographs of himself training on the pommel horse last Thursday in a bid to play down concerns after the initial prognosis ruled him out for a month.