Kelly Simm has been included in England’s squad for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.

The 22 year-old will be helping England defend the team gold won at Glasgow 2014 after beating the odds to recover from an ankle injury in time, following an operation.

In an instagram post she wrote: “So excited to say that I have been selected to represent England at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast!

“The past 2 years have been extremely tough & I am so thankful to everyone who has supported me through it.

“Massive thankyou to my coaches and club, family, teammates and all of the EIS [English Institute of Sport] staff for their continued help and countless rehab programmes which have enabled me to be back doing what I love.

“So honoured to have been selected for my second Commonwealth Kelly Simm Games. I am on cloud nine.”

Kelly, who trains at Dynamo School of Gymnastics is a former Itchen College student from Whiteley who also studies applied sports science part-time at Southampton Solent University.

She will soon be preparing for the games, which begin on April 4, with the rest of the England squad at Lilleshall National Sports Centre.

Debbie Richardson, director of gymnastics at Dynamo, said: “We are all very proud that Kelly has made the team for this prestigious event.

“She has worked tirelessly returning from injury with the goal in mind of making the team.

“Let’s hope that she returns from the Gold Coast with a gold medal.”

“As well as a team title to be had there will also be individual apparatus medals up for grabs as well as the chance to be the individual Commonwealth Games champion.”

The artistic gymnastics competition takes place Coomera Indoor Sports Centre from April 5-9.

England’s squad of ten also includes Commonwealth and double Olympic Champion Max Whitlock MBE and Claudia Fragapane, who will defend the four Commonwealth titles she won at Glasgow 2014 and Olympic bronze medalists Amy Tinkler and Nile Wilson.

At Glasgow 2014, Team England topped the gymnastics medal table with a total of 19 medals.

Kelly is one of four athletes part of the successful team at Glasgow who will be returning to the Commonwealth Games stage, while six of the athletes will be making their Games debut.

Team England’s gymnastics team leader, Mike Weinstock, said: “We had some really strong competition for places on the England team. The team we have selected has a really good balance between youth and experience. I’m really excited to see what we can achieve on the Gold Coast in April.”