Courtney McGregor (Tri Star Gymnastics) has made a strong return to international competition, highlighted by a silver medal on vault at the DTB Pokal in Germany.

The result follows a 5th place finish in the vault final at the Antalya World Cup in Turkey the previous weekend, marking an encouraging start to her international campaign as she works towards qualification for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Courtney’s journey back to the international stage has been anything but straightforward. Selected for the 2014 Commonwealth Games at just 16, a knee injury during podium training forced her withdrawal. She returned to represent New Zealand at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, becoming the country’s first women’s artistic gymnast at the Games in 16 years.

After competing in the NCAA system at Boise State University, Courtney retired in 2020 following an achilles injury and the disruption of COVID. She turned her focus to medicine and is now in her final year, working as a trainee intern at Auckland’s North Shore Hospital.

Her return began in 2023, followed by a comeback to domestic competition last year where she claimed the New Zealand senior title in her first nationals appearance in a decade.

“It feels fantastic to be back on the world stage,” Courtney said. “After tearing my achilles and starting medical school, I didn’t think I’d be able to manage both. But working in the hospital gave me perspective on how lucky I am to be well, and I didn’t want to have any regrets.”

Now balancing medicine and high performance sport, her approach to training has shifted.

“Growing up I was training around 30 hours a week. Now it’s closer to 20. It’s more about quality over quantity.”

Her experience reflects a broader shift in gymnastics, where athletes are staying in the sport longer and finding ways to balance performance with life beyond the gym.

“I have learned that balance really is better. Balancing gymnastics, academics, whānau, and work has allowed me to enjoy the sport while still striving for my performance goals.”

With qualification events underway, Courtney is building results towards Commonwealth Games selection, as she looks to return to Glasgow and complete what began more than a decade ago.