Before picking up the injury, the 21-year-old from Kettering was in the form of his life as he became the first British gymnast to win a medal in the all-around event at the Artistic World Championships at the O2 Arena as he picked up silver in the venue that will host the London 2012 Olympic event.

Keatings followed this success by making history again when he won Britain's first ever senior European Championship gold medal on the pommel horse in Birmingham.

However, it was at the event in Birmingham that he landed awkwardly during a normal routine and suffered a cruciate anterior injury that required an operation to reconstruct the ligament.

A lengthy recovery followed with Keatings only returning to competition last month at the Japan Cup where he finished eighth overall in the all-around competition but he feels the injury may actually have improved his London 2012 prospects.

"It was really hard being injured for such a long time and watching on from the sidelines," Keatings told insidethegames.

"It was particularly tough to miss the World Championships in Rotterdam last October even though it was great to see Louis [Smith] take pommel horse silver as we train together in Huntingdon and are good friends.

"But I have been working really hard in rehab and I think that I will actually be a much stronger athlete because of the time off.

"Being injured has allowed me to work specifically on certain things so I am actually fitter and stronger than I was before.

"I have also had a chance to rest so I think that I will head into the London 2012 Olympics in peak condition.

"So although it was hard at the time, I think the injury may actually have been a blessing in disguise and improved my chances winning gold at the Olympics.

"I'm obviously not at my best yet and need a bit more time to get back to where I was but by the time I get to London 2012; I will have had enough time and enough competitions to be at my peak.

"I'm lucky to be back a year before the Olympics, so I have time to get ready."

The immediate focus for Keatings ahead of the London 2012 Olympics is the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships which will take place in Tokyo in Japan from October 8 to 16.

The priority for the British team is to finish in the top eight so that they can take a full quota of five gymnasts to the 2012 Olympics but for Keatings, the target is beating Japan's Kohei Uchimura.

The 22-year-old took all-around gold at the 2009 and 2010 World Championships and also won silver in the event at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, while Keatings missed out on the medals in China.

Uchimura is favourite to retain his world title on home soil at the 2011 World Championships in October and win gold at London 2012 although Keatings is hoping to provide a stern obstacle for him.

"He's amazing and everyone wants to catch him," said Keatings.

"I've had a year out and he's been training away so it's going to be difficult for me to beat him at the World Championships but I think at London 2012, if I can stay injury free and perform at my best, I can be a real challenge for him."

Keatings is also an official ambassador for premium sports nutrition brand Maximuscle and admitted that he is very grateful of their support.

"Maximuscle is actually a really important part of my nutrition and really helped me stay in shape while I was injured," he said.

"I am really grateful for their support as I prepare for the biggest year of my life."

Follow Keatings' progress by clicking here. 

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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