Whelan ready to put injury woes in the past

BEIJING Olympian Hannah Whelan has vowed to banish her injury nightmare at the British Artistic Gymnastics Championships this weekend.

ROAD THE RECOVERY: Hannah Whelan has been out of action with a wrist injury but she is back for the British Championships this weekend (Getty Images)

Whelan, 17, who represented Great Britain in the team event in Beijing, finishing ninth, has seen her progress curtailed after requiring a wrist operation, forcing her out of action for the 2009 season.

That ruled Whelan out of both the 2009 World Championships and the 2010 European Championships - something made all the harder to stomach due to the fact that both were on home soil.

At both events, Great Britain achieved considerable success with Beth Tweddle taking world gold as well as two European titles while GB captured also captured European team silver in Birmingham.

And while Whelan, who was an avid spectator of both events, admits she is sure to face some stiff competition in Guildford this weekend, she cannot wait to get back on the horse.

"I'm looking forward to it but I'm sure it will be a difficult competition. Still, it will just be nice to get out there and get competing again," said Whelan.

"I'm doing all the events there, I basically just want to do as much competing as I possibly can in Guildford.

"I don't really have any goals for the tournament, I haven't set myself any aims, all I want to do is get out there and do perform to the best of my ability.

 "The British Championships will act as the first World Championships trials so obviously there's some extra incentive there - it would be a great feeling to lay down an early marker.

"I've had a tough time since Beijing to be honest. I went to the Europeans in 2009 but then I had to have an operation on my wrist and that meant I missed the World Championships and then the 2010 Europeans.

"They were both great competitions to watch, even more so because they were both on home soil and there was some great home success - it's just a shame that I could not compete.

"Looking forward to the rest of the season, the World Championships is obviously the big competition of the year.

"The top six will get to go to that but the good thing is that after the top six, the next bunch will go to the Commonwealths which is on at the same time.

"So one way or the other I'm hoping to go to a major competition this year, I just don't know which one yet."