THE Great Britain women’s team looked in flying form as they got their campaign under way at the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow.

While there was plenty of drama – including a series of heart-in-mouth moments when Ellie Downie and big sister Becky fell from the asymmetric bars in quick succession – the six-strong squad insisted they still felt confident of making the team final on Tuesday.

With that top eight placing comes qualification for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio – the ultimate goal for the British sextet.

The team – which comprises Claudia Fragapane, Kelly Simm, Ruby Harrold and Amy Tinkler alongside the Downie sisters – opened strongly on beam.

Not even a fall from Fragapane could temper their ambition as they marched towards the floor with steely determination etched on their faces.

Four-time Commonwealth Games champion Fragapane, who delighted the crowds in Glasgow last summer, came bouncing back from her early mishap to post a 14.600 on floor – a score she hopes will be enough to gain her a place in the individual apparatus final.

As the home crowd roared their support loud enough to raise the rafters at the SSE Hydro, vault also passed smoothly. Throughout Ellie Downie had looked cool as a cucumber, but on asymmetric bars it all fell apart for the 16-year-old European bronze medallist.

After a fall, she remounted only to then hit her feet on the floor although regained sufficient composure to finish the routine. With Harrold through cleanly next, the weight of expectation fell to Becky Downie to wrap up the job for Great Britain.

The reigning Commonwealth Games gold medallist and former European champion on this apparatus should have been a safe pair of hands, but the 23-year-old lost her grip on the upper bar and plummeted to the floor.

Her shock and disappointment was palpable as an audible gasp of dismay echoed around the arena.

Afterwards Becky Downie professed “mixed emotions” but remained philosophical. “From a team perspective, I’m really happy because the girls did an amazing job,” she said. “I’m pretty confident that after today we will get that top eight qualification place.

“Individually, beam I was pleased with but bars was a big disappointment. It’s the one final that I really wanted and I knew I had a routine that was potentially medal worthy. But I was taking a risk – you have to take risks in gymnastics. It is a gamble and today that didn’t pay off for me.”

The British woman face a nail-biting, 24-hour wait to discover whether they have secured that coveted top eight spot. With the only remaining big hitters Russia and Italy competing this evening – and China and USA tomorrow – their final score of 227.162 should prove adequate to achieve that.

There was upset for the Romanian women after a series of uncharacteristic errors left them on the cusp of potentially not making the team final.

Even five-time European champion Larisa Iordache was not immune with falls on asymmetric bars and beam. The team were without Anamaria Ocolisan who injured her ankle in training on Thursday.

Other than an emotional outpouring for a Romanian television station, the team did not stop for interviews with Iordache in tears as they exited the arena.

Watching from the sidelines was sporting legend Nadia Comaneci who made history as the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

Comaneci, who is now based in the US where she co-owns a gymnastics academy with her husband double Olympic champion Bart Connor, said that she knew things did not bode well when she witnessed her compatriots crying in training after Ocolisan was injured.

“I’m not saying that is an excuse but it made me want to cry because I wanted to encourage them,” she said. “I was trying to say something in their language, for a 16 or 17 year old.”

Five-time Olympic gold medallist Comaneci conceded it didn’t look good for the Romanian women in terms of aspirations to make the team final.

“I think I counted seven falls,” she said. “We will just have to wait and see. Hopefully they are going to make the top eight qualifying teams because the final is a new life for everyone.”

In action earlier in the day was 40-year-old Oksana Chusovitina, the Uzbekistan gymnast whose stellar international career has spanned more than 25 years. The mother-of-one first became a world champion in 1991 and has competed at six Olympic Games to date.

In qualification, she performed an incredibly difficult Produnova vault – a skill that has only ever been landed by three gymnasts in international competition (one of whom was creator Yelena Produnova of Russia herself).

While Chusovitina did sit down on landing, it was a brave effort. “I was expecting to land on my feet but my arm slipped so it didn’t go as well as I planned,” she said.

Her average score on vault of 14.683 – which includes 14.766 for the Produnova – is strong but she may just find herself outside the top eight for the individual apparatus finals a week on Saturday.

Tomorrow afternoon will see the star-studded USA women’s team that includes reigning world champion Simone Biles and double Olympic gold medallists Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman compete.

The Chinese women – silver medallists at the 2014 World Gymnastics Championships – will also begin their qualification.