By Scarlett Elworthy

Name: Beth Tweddle DOB: 1 April, 1985 Born: Johannesburg, South Africa Club: City of Liverpool Gymnastics Club Coach: Amanda Kirby Major honours: World Championship bars bronze (2003), European Championships bars bronze (2002), Commonwealth bars gold and team silver (2002), British All-round Champion (2001-2004)

Tweddle, who competes in the asymmetric bars and floor in Birmingham, will again have loose bone fragments removed from the left ankle she broke in 1998.

Her right ankle is also showing signs of strain and may also be 'cleaned-up'.

Tweddle will go under the knife on 22 December but expects to be fit for the opening Grands Prix of 2005 in March.

The 19-year-old has also revealed that she will not decide whether to contest the 2008 Olympics until after the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

And she says if she does compete in Beijing in four years time she will quit immediately after.

However, the City of Liverpool athlete insists thoughts of retirement have nothing to do with her injury problems and all to do with being realistic.

"In 2008 I will be 23 and that is getting on for a gymnast," Tweddle told BBC Sport.

Top gymnasts ready for Birmingham

"Svetlana Khorkina (the double Olympic asymmetric bars champion) kept going until she was 26, but I will not do the same.

"Right now I am only looking as far ahead as Melbourne in 2006, then I'll see how I am feeling for China."

Tweddle dramatically broke her left ankle during the warm-up ahead of the British Championships Espoir floor final six years ago.

But while some felt the injury could end the four-time British all-round champion's gymnastics career, she says she never once thought of calling it a day.

"My attitude was 'I am a gymnast and injuries are part of sport'. Retirement never crossed my mind, especially as I had all of my senior years ahead of me."

That stoical attitude has stood Tweddle in good stead as she has continued to be dogged by troublesome ankles, plus torn shoulder ligaments and bruised knees over the seasons.

But the first year sports science student at Liverpool's John Moores University denies fitness problems were to blame for her disappointing 2004 Olympic campaign.

Everyone knows I was gutted at finishing 13th in the bars final, but it was more to do with going out early and the judges not being that impressed by my routine Beth Tweddle

The Cheshire-based teenager was a realistic medal chance on the A-bars in Athens - she is the world number two on that piece of apparatus.

But her dream of becoming the first British woman gymnast to claim an individual Olympic medal fell flat after a tough early draw.

"At the start of the year I did have a few feet problems, but I had a cortisone injection and modified my training programme - but I would never use that as an excuse for Athens.

"Everyone knows I was gutted at finishing 13th in the bars final, but it was more to do with going out early and the judges not being that impressed by my routine."

But, returning home from Greece empty-handed has made Tweddle even more determined to reach the top.

"I was originally scheduled to have surgery after the Olympics, but because of how things went I decided not to take a break," she said.

Romanian Ponor won three golds in Athens - the only athlete to do so

So far that decision seems to have worked out.

Tweddle bounced back with two medals in October's Glasgow Grand Prix.

And she is relishing the prospect of more medal success at the National Indoor Arena (NIA).

"I will be trying out a new bars routine - I have switched things around a bit and will be using a couple of different skills.

"I also have a wildcard entry for the floor and I am looking forward to seeing the judges reaction to what I do in that.

"I don't want to be known as a one-piece gymnast and I am keen to see how far I can develop in this area."

With Khorkina no longer around, the way could be clear for Tweddle to reign supreme on the bars in Brum.

But Romania, Russia and China are sending strong teams to the West Midlands and the likes of Ya Li, Elena Zamolodchikova and Catalina Ponor pose a clear and present danger.

Tweddle, however, is in defiant mood.

"There's nothing like competing in front of your home crowd," she said. "I can't wait to go out there and give it all I've got."