Ashia Hansen suffers the injury which put her out of the Olympics

The Briton, 34, has been sidelined since last June's European Cup in Poland when she badly injured a knee.

But Hansen has revealed she is to talk over a return to full-time training with her Dutch surgeon when they meet at this weekend's European Cup.

Hansen is the non-competing captain of Britain's women for the Portugal event.

The Birchfield Harrier underwent three operations after damaging tendons in her left kneecap following a bad landing on her second jump in last year's cup meeting.

The incident ended Hansen's bid for Olympic glory in Athens.

But while she accepts there is a chance she will not be able to return to elite level, she says she remains hungry for further track and field success.

I still think I have so much to give and achieve in the triple jump Ashia Hansen

"If I'm not ready for the Commonwealth Games (in Melbourne in March), then I will concentrate on preparing for the Europeans in the summer," said Hansen, who returned to part-time training in February.

"But if I'm not fit, then I won't - my health is more important than winning gold medals.

"But I still think I have so much to give and achieve in the triple jump.

"When you have suffered as many injuries as I have during my career - although this one was the most serious - you know it is just another thing to overcome.

"My training has been going really well since I restarted at the beginning of the year.

"Now this weekend I'll be enjoying myself, being back at an athletics meeting, and I'm also looking forward to lending my experience to the team.

"I don't expect I'll be telling Paula Radcliffe what to do," she said of the top name in the British women's side, who will be striving to bounce back to Super League status.

"But I'll be encouraging the younger ones, passing on my past experiences and telling them they must have self-belief that promotion can be achieved."