Gymnastics: Alice Kinsella’s historic comeback continues at international level
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Gymnastics
Team GB return ‘hard to put into words’ – Kinsella
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Alice Kinsella, an Olympic bronze medallist and three-time Commonwealth champion.
By Dan Wheeler, BBC Sport, West Midlands, and Sam Fletcher, BBC Radio Stoke
Published 1 hour ago
Olympic gymnast Alice Kinsella says "it’s hard to put into words" how she feels about returning to international competition as her groundbreaking comeback to the sport continues this weekend.
The two-time European champion became the first British artistic gymnast to resume elite competition after giving birth, when she finished fourth in the beam at the British Championships in March.
Now the 25-year-old is preparing for her first competition back in Team GB colours at a senior team international against France, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy at Fenton Manor in Stoke on 12-13 September.
"It’s kind of crazy – it’s such a surreal feeling but I am very excited," Kinsella told BBC Radio Stoke.
"It’s only been a year, postpartum. Training-wise, it’s been tough, but it’s been good. I’m excited to finally get out there. I’m ready, I’m doing everything I can to get back where I was."
Kinsella’s pioneering journey back to the sport is so rare it became the subject of a university research paper into elite gymnasts resuming their careers after giving birth.
Her son Parker, who was born in September 2025, is already a source of inspiration and he will be watching his mum compete at the weekend as Kinsella competes in all four pieces of apparatus – balance beam, bars, vault, and floor – for the first time.
"It’s really special because I’ve wanted to try to get back into a team and this is a really good start because it’s a little four-way," Kinsella said.
"It’s not too big of a competition which is really good. I’m definitely nervous, but it’s hard to put into words – it’s been so long."
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