European Gymnastics Championships 2024: Kinsella was close to retiring

A year ago, Alice Kinsella did not want to do gymnastics anymore.

When she started treatment for acne, the Olympic bronze medallist did not think it might leave her on the verge of quitting her sport.

The 23-year-old, who helped Great Britain to a surprise women’s team bronze at the Tokyo Games in 2021, said she went on the contraceptive pill to help her skin condition but ended up developing anxiety and depression last year.

“I was so close to retiring,” she told BBC Sport.

“I couldn’t train properly, couldn’t go for anything. Especially on bars, skills I’ve been going for like since I was 10 I couldn’t even go for those.

“My mind would be, ‘OK, you’re going to do it’. And then my body would stop and then I would just be in hysterics because it would just be so stressful.”

She came off the pill and now says she is in a “really good place” as she seeks to add to her five European Championships medals this week.

She lines up alongside a resurgent Becky Downie, Ruby Evans, Georgia Mae-Fenton and debutant Abigail Martin as GB seek to defend their continental team title in Rimini, Italy, and you can watch some of the action on the BBC.

But British all-around champion Ondine Achampong has withdrawn after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).