Gymnastics: Heap and Jackson ponder a future with the circus

Chronic shortage of funding forces Britain's medal-winning gymnasts to contemplate alternative careers as travelling acrobats

All that was missing as England's Kanukai Jackson was flipping, spinning and vaulting to the gold medal in the men's all-round event at the G-MEX Centre yesterday was a star-spangled ringmaster yelling: "Roll up, roll up, laaaaaaadies and gentlemen".

If precedent is followed, the effervescent Londoner – who added to Friday's team gold by seeing off challenges from Phillipe Rizzo of Australia and Canada's Alexander Jelkov – will one day hear it for a living.

A former gymnastics team-mate, Paul Bowler, already works as an acrobat for Cirque Du Soleil in Las Vegas. And Jackson has previously turned down offers to join him, preferring to eke out a meagre living in the name of his art.

If you look at the sponsors' section on Jackson's personal website there is no list of multinationals. Instead a message reads: "Donations welcome at the following address."

Meanwhile, Craig Heap – was part of England's gold-winning team last week and who finished fifth yesterday – says he is now ready to pack his bags and follow Nellie the Elephant. "I've had a fantastic time in my career," said Heap. "Like today, watching Kanukai win.

"But he's only 24, whereas I'm 29, and the body can't stand what it used to."

Heap claims there is little contest any more between trying to live on £300 to £700 of funding a month from benefactors – and hoping against hope that the annual appeal in his local paper, the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, comes up trumps – and heading west for £100,000 a year.

Last night, his priority was a good night's sleep before today's individual apparatus finals, where he and Jackson will be after more medals.

"I share a room with Kanukai so sleep's not easy, because he snores like a blocked vacuum cleaner," said Heap.

Fortunately for England, and for another exultant capacity crowd, Jackson performs with more grace than he rests.

He hit first place after scoring 9.500 on the rings in the fifth rotation and then produced a breath-holding 8.825 on the high-bar to seal his victory.

The crowd produced scenes of glee to rival the multi-coloured, unadulterated mayhem last seen when Goran Ivanisevic beat Pat Rafter to the men's singles title on People's Monday at Wimbledon last year. Flag-waving, fist-pumping, lusty cheers – and that was just the OAPs. The kids were even rowdier.

"It hasn't sunk in yet," said Jackson. "It's just incredible."

Quite why gymnastics provokes such passion – and just why it should be so transfixing -– is open to debate.

But certainly a perfectly-executed move on the floor like Jelkov's, that starts with a tiptoe take-off and sees the legs hurtle perfectly skywards together, can leave you imagining he could stop dead in mid-air, in a perfect levitation, before descending, feather-soft and upright, to the mat.

Or it could be that the spectators, most of whom once did a half-decent forward roll or clumsy vault in the school gym, can but marvel at the deftness, art and guts of someone risking their neck in a twisting triple somersault dismount.

It could be the ever-present possibility of a spectacular fall, the kind that Steve Frew of Scotland had from the high bar yesterday when he dropped face down to the floor from eight feet with his hands at his sides and his legs still straight.

Or it could be the courage that made him get up, winded, and try again.

There are no true world beaters in Manchester, but all other gymnastic life is here. Roll up, roll up, laaaaaaadies and gentlemen.