MAX Whitlock said he felt calm and relaxed as he produced the best performance of his life in front of a worldwide audience to claim his second bronze medal of the London Olympic Games.

The steely-nerved teenager sent a packed home crowd delirious when he nailed his pommel routine to earn a podium place for the second time in a week at the North Greenwich Arena yesterday.

Whitlock, who already had a team bronze medal, said his achievements had exceeded all of his expectations going into the Games. “It was great winning the team medal because it was my first — but I really enjoyed this one because it is in my specialist event,” Whitlock told the Echo.

“I just enjoyed the whole experience, I felt calm and relaxed when I stepped up to the podium; I did not feel any pressure because I knew I already had a medal.

“The atmosphere and the noise the crowd made when I finished my routine was incredible and I’ve never experienced anything like that before.

“All I wanted to do was go clean, and I did that. And I knew if I could do that I’d stand a chance of getting a medal.”

At the halfway mark Whitlock was in the gold medal position. But he finished third after world champion Krisztian Berki scored 16.066 to claim gold and push Britain’s Louis Smith — who also scored 16.066 — into silver because the Hungarian had a higher execution score.

South Essex Gymnastics club member Whitlock said it was great to go top, but he never thought for a second he would finish there.

He said: “I knew that the two best pommel workers in the world were coming up, so I did not think I would win gold.

“But as soon as I knew for sure that I was guaranteed a medal — I can’t really put into words just how good that felt.

“It’s all been an unbelievable experience and now I just can’t wait to get home to show everyone my medals!”

Kate Middleton, the Dutchess of Cambridge, was in a crowd of 15,000 to help cheer Whitlock, 19, and Smith, 23, onto glory in the eight-man final.

Whitlock, who only just qualified for the final in last place, was the fourth gymnast to perform.

And he set the competition alight with a clean routine which scored 15.600 and belied his tender years on his Olympic debut.

Afterwards he said he had been inspired by the bronze medal Smith won in Beijing four years ago — the first Olympic podium place for a British man in a century.

Whitlock’s coach Scott Hann said the target for Whitlock would now be a gold medal in the all-round competition at the Rio 2016 Games.

But the man himself said he was just trying to come to terms with what he had achieved in London before he starts to think about the future.

“I think I can improve as an all-round gymnast and it’s good to have ambitious targets like that,” Whitlock said.

“But for now I’m just looking forward to a rest then getting back to training in Basildon and seeing where I can go from there.”