Lisa Mason announced her return to the gymnastics world in some style, but she admits she still has plenty of work to do if she is to make it to Glasgow for next year’s Commonwealth Games.
Having taken up the sport aged five, Mason won a gold and silver at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, before going on to represent Great Britain at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
But after her Australian adventure Mason took some time away from the sport, only returning after a 13-year absence at the beginning of March for the English Championships.
And it proved to be a happy homecoming for the 31-year-old, as she took home vault gold and was declared English Ladies champion for 2013.
Mason has set her sights on the 2014 Commonwealth Games but despite announcing herself back with a bang, the mother of one is not about to get ahead of herself.
“I was inspired by watching the Olympics,” Mason said. “After every Olympics a lot of people drop out so I thought why not give it a go.
“It was a case of getting my body fit again. I’ve been quite lucky with injuries and have remained quite active.
“I’d be over the moon if I made it to the Commonwealth Games but there’s a lot of work to do.
“I expected people to be sceptical about my return. There are still some who doubt me and I understand that.
“Not many people have 13 years away from a sport and then come back and have everything go smoothly.”
© Sportsbeat 2013