TOM Gale has re-discovered his mojo in time for the European U23 Championships in Sweden this weekend.

The Trowbridge international high jumper will go into the qualification round on Saturday morning with the spring back in his step and confident of making the final on Sunday.

A recent clearance of 2.26m in Marseilles, France, was his best height for two years and lifted him to second in the UK rankings.

Coming so soon after his victory in the England Athletics U23 Championships, it was further confirmation that the disappointments of 2018 are now firmly behind him.

“To be honest, I am feeling more like myself now, more like the Tom Gale of 2017 when I felt like every competition I went into, I could win,” said Gale.

“Last year, I suffered a loss of motivation and my results showed that.

“I knew that I could not keep on going up and up, but what was unexpected was that I felt so bad last summer.

“I am not sure what really happened, but I put on some upper body weight so maybe it was down to physical development.

“But that’s behind me now and I am just focussing on the positives and really looking forward to this weekend.”

Gale flew out with the Great Britain team to the Swedish city of Gavle, which is north east of Stockholm, on Tuesday.

It will be the 20-year-old’s fourth major championships, having finished ninth at the World Juniors in 2016, third at the European Juniors the following year and then eighth on his senior international debut for England at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast last year.

But Gale believes this competition will be the toughest he has faced so far.

“The field here in Sweden is fantastic – possibly the strongest I have ever been in,” added Gale.

“There are four guys who have jumped over 2.30m and a coupe of others around 2.28m and 2.27m, but I showed in Marseilles that I am in 2.26m shape and I also went very close to 2.29m.

“I have trained well and am really feeling like my old self again.

“And in the past, I have always risen to the occasion at major championships, so hopefully I can do that again this weekend.”

In that sort of mood, an on-song Gale is a man to be reckoned with again.