AMY Tinkler marked her return to international competition for the first time since the Rio Olympics by taking bronze in the World Cup of Gymnastics in London.

The Basildon based 17-year-old - who trains at the South Essex Gymnastics Club - delivered a polished floor routine to score 53.433 points and finish behind Germany’s Tabea Alt and Victoria Nguyen of the USA in the women’s all-around event.

Tinkler had been suffering with a calf injury since her stunning bronze medal in Rio and missed out on a medal at the British National Championships last month.

But her performance at a packed-out O2 Arena provided encouragement for a busy year ahead, starting with the European Championships in Cluj later this month.

Tinkler said: “I’ve had some problems this year with my calf so coming into this I wasn’t sure what to expect.

“But it was a better performance than I thought it would be. It was like Rio all over again but even better with it being in Britain. I love the pressure and the buzz of competition so that definitely helped me today.”

Tinkler’s team-mate at the Basildon venue, Brinn Bevan, finished fifth in the men’s event.