Ellie Downie left Romania with four medals and the praise of gymnastics great Nadia Comaneci ringing in her ears after a successful European Championships in Cluj.

The 17-year-old from Nottingham emulated Comaneci by winning all-around gold then went on to take silver on vault and floor as well as bronze on the uneven bars.

Comaneci, a five-time Olympic gold medalist and the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 in major competition, also won the continental title three times in succession from 1975.

Comaneci said: “Ellie is a very strong athlete and I am very impressed with her physicality – it takes time but she is adapting to the new code of points very well.

“Everything has changed for Great Britain since London 2012. They have made a big investment and they have made a big effort to promote the sport and I can see the success is really appreciated.

“I think it is good when the sport is popular as more kids watch on TV and want to also succeed. Of course there is a balance, but I think everybody needs to push as hard as they can, otherwise a different country will be the best.”

Despite the absence of a number of star names, Great Britain left the championships with six medals, including all-around bronze for James Hall, and silver on the rings for Courtney Tulloch.

Meanwhile Comaneci expressed her relief in an apparent revival for the Romanian programme after the blow of having failed to qualify for Rio 2016 for the first time since she took the sport by storm at the age of just 14.

In Cluj, the veteran Catalina Ponor returned to win gold on the beam with compatriot Larisa Iordache third, while Marian Dragulescu won gold in the men’s floor and silver in his trademark vault.

Comaneci added: “It was amazing for us to have three different finalists and four medals, and hopefully it will really have helped towards a revival of the success in this country.

“You could see the enthusiasm for the sport is still here and now it will have motivated the new generation to work hard to do gymnastics. Hopefully we will continue to see new talent and success again in the Olympics.”