Fortunately for them, they were gifted a second chance. Which, by happy coincidence, was at the Olympic test event held at the O2 last weekend.
Normally, Louis Smith, Daniel Keatings and the rest perform in front of friends, family and if they are very lucky, a passing man and his dog.
Far from crumbling from all that expectation, they performed with aplomb, filling the first three places in the individual event and qualifying with ease. Now the most photogenic of pursuits will have a significant British presence.
If a few thousand gymnastics enthusiasts can so inspire their team, imagine what a million lining the streets for the cycle race might do for Mark Cavendish, or how the 80,000 screaming in the stadium might lift Mo Farah.
Suddenly you see an unforeseen consequence of spending all that money to bring the Games to London.
It might do nothing for the wider economy, it might not get a single person off the sofa and on to the pommel horse, but at least, by giving us all the chance to shout for the locals, it might bring a few extra medals.
