HANNAH England believes she is back to somewhere near her best as preparations for this summer’s Rio Olympics step up a notch, writes STUART WEIR.

The Oxford City athlete had a 2015 season to forget after being beset by injury and illness.

But England has returned with a bang this year, storming to victory in the British Indoor Championships in Sheffield at the end of last month.

That success earned the 29-year-old a place in the World Indoor Championships, but she turned down the opportunity to go to Portland in the United States next week to focus on being in the best-possible shape for Rio.

England will head to Font Romeu in France later this month for a six-week block of altitude training.

Although disappointed at not representing her country in another international event, she is confident she has made the right decision.

“I had a good winter’s training,” she said.

“I wanted to run some indoor races to touch base after a difficult summer.

“I feel a lot healthier than I did all of last year. I am already running at the pace I was last summer without having done any track work.

“It shows that things are more normal this year and that gives me confidence.”

England’s 2015 campaign was ruined by a virus she picked up in Kenya and could not shake off, leading her to shut down her season early.

She is philosophical, and hopes it is now all systems go.

“I cannot say that other athletes have never had a bad year, it happens to everybody,” she said.

“I have been fortunate to string together all the years I have with nothing worse than a simple injury.

“Last year it was weird to have health-related things that I couldn’t quite work out. But I can’t let one year stop me from carrying on.”

England added: “The purpose for going to Font Romeu is to get the last part of base in before the summer.

“It has been fun to touch on the speed work now and I will get back to that after Easter.”

While nothing is as yet in the diary, England expects to have her first outdoor race towards the end of May.