Olympic champion Susannah Townsend has celebrated her return to action by agreeing a return to ‘home’ club Canterbury.

The 27-year-old Rio golden girl has spent nine-months recovering from knee surgery in the wake of TeamGB’s Olympic triumph but made her comeback for England in matches with Spain at the end of last month.

While still not up to speed, last weekend she continued her comeback in the Investec internationals in front of 5,000 partisan fans at the Olympic Park in London as England lost against Argentina on Saturday and the Netherlands on Sunday.

She said: “After the past nine months it’s just amazing to be able to pick up a stick and go out there and play with my mates again.

“I’m actually pretty happy with how it went. I am a couple of weeks away from being properly back – that will come from match practice and getting my hockey brain back up to speed.”

Townsend signed for Belgian club La Gantoise last summer but her spell was blighted by the knee surgery.

She said: “I have registered back at Canterbury – I’m a Canterbury girl, I have grown up at the club and it means a lot to me. I will play as much as I can.

“The support staff and I will monitor my knee and it might be that they tell me to rest it one week or another, as it’s a three-and-a-half year process towards getting me ready for the next Olympics.

“I’ve always said, why would anyone want to win just one gold medal?’

For more from Townsend on her recovery from injury and hopes for the future see next week's Kentish Gazette.