LAURA Halford says she was left disappointed with her display at the World Championships as the Cricklade gymnast finished 67th overall.

The 22-year-old was Great Britain’s only competitor in Italy and started well with the hoop, before her ball and club routine saw her drop down the pecking order.

“I’m really disappointed with how I did. I really didn’t show what I know I am capable of doing,” said the Cardiff University student.

“I was pleased with my routine with the hoop and actually finished 30th, which is a really big achievement for me.

“I just wish I was able to show that across all of my apparatus, because then I would have had such a good result, but I made too many mistakes.

“It’s always an honour to represent Great Britain and it is an amazing arena to compete in.”

After dropping the ball early on in the second day of the competition, the gymnast admits she struggled to remain focussed mentally from that point forward.

However, Halford says she is still aiming to qualify for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Australia.

“I don’t know what I can put it down to, my ball routine was a disaster really, I’m not sure how it happened because it has never been that bad before,” she added.

“A lot of it is the mental side, I found it quite hard to pick myself up after the ball routine because I knew I could do so much better.

“The mental side plays a big part in the competition. I just need to think about the Commonwealth Games next year.

“When I get there, I will have a good chance to produce and maybe win some medals like I did last time.

“I need to learn from this experience because that is all I can do. This tournament is just another stepping stone to next year.

“When I get home, I’ll look back on it and see what went wrong, then talk to my coaches and psychologist to see what I can do so it doesn’t happen again.”

Halford will now be out of action until the AEON Cup in Tokyo at the end of this month, where she will be representing Wales.