Team England gymnast Louis Smith has expressed his happiness after he made his comeback from retirement at the Commonwealth Games today.
Smith's last routine came at the London Olympics, where he won a pommel horse silver and team bronze medal, and he is now back competing in Glasgow after a "tough few months" returning to full fitness.
He was visibly delighted after completing his routine on the pommel horse and told reporters afterwards: "I didn't want to come to the Commonwealth Games and have so much talk and hype about it and mess up so I was just very happy that I came and did my job for myself and the team.
"It's been hard getting from January to now – I'm surprised I haven't got more grey hairs. It's been a tough few months' work, trying to get fit, shed all the weight and get my levels back and learn more and difficult skills. But job half-done.
"There's definitely more to come. If I make the pommel horse final I'm definitely going to step up the routine depending on where I am."
Smith's pommel horse qualification score of 15.700 was the second-best of the opening session today behind teammate Max Whitlock. The top eight scores from the team final will qualify for Thursday's apparatus final and as most of the favourites have performed, Smith looks likely to qualify.
Pascal Lemesre
