MOTIVATED, positive and, most importantly, injury-free, Nathan Douglas is relishing another opportunity to compete at a major championship.

The 35-year-old is among more than 400 athletes who will be competing for England on the Gold Coast, Australia, over the next 11 days.

But arguably very few have experienced a career quite like the Oxford City AC triple jumper.

Hampered by injury, the two-time Olympian could have quite easily lost faith in an unforgiving sport.

But Douglas has met every challenge head-on as he prepares to compete in his first major championship for two years.

Coming off the back of an injury-free 2017 and a British Indoor title in February, the Birmingham-based athlete is intending to relish every moment of this year’s Commonwealth Games.

“I’m feeling good, healthier than I’ve done for a while,” said Douglas, who flew out to Brisbane more than a fortnight ago.

“It’s exciting to go into a major championship with better preparation than I have had for the last few years.

“You’re always nervous when you’ve not had great preparation and you have to pull it out of the bag.

“I have managed to do that several times, but it’s also more tense.

“This time I can just go out there and enjoy myself – it makes it a lot more pleasant.”

It is tough to interview Douglas without mentioning his long list of injuries.

Having secretly battled chronic fatigue syndrome earlier in his career, he damaged ankle ligaments in 2011 in bizarre fashion when putting his foot through a plyometric box during training.

A thigh issue ruled Douglas out of the 2012 Olympics, before he suffered a fracture in his back at the Commonwealth Games two years later – and still made the final.

A pinched knee and tight calf further restricted his progress in 2016 and ultimately saw him miss out on the Rio Olympics.

But brush all the lows aside and there is an athlete with an obvious talent – European silver medals from 2006 and 2007 prove that.

At 35, you would be forgiven for thinking this could be his last major championship, but he proved in February he is still the country’s top triple jumper.

“This year is the first time I’ve been indoor champion for 11 years,” he said.

“I think that reflects what shape I’m in and what I’m stringing together. That comes back off the end of last season.

“I’ve been saying the last few years that I’ve been fit.

“But I just need to get competition-ready and I feel last season has stood me in good stead.”

Douglas headed to Australia in high spirits and won a warm-up event in Queensland with a leap of 16.41m – he had planned to just shake off the rust.

Having finished last season ranked fifth in the Commonwealth, he is entitled to dream of winning his first international medal since 2007.

Douglas, who competes in the preliminary round on Thursday, April 12, in the Carrara Stadium, added: “When you go over to a major championships you always want to do the very best you can.

“I want to see how big a jump I can do.

“I came fourth in 2010 and made the final in 2014 despite having a fracture in my spine which was really painful.

“It would be amazing if it was third time lucky.”