TOM Gale is definitely back in business.

A silver medal at the European U23 Championships in Sweden is further proof that the Trowbridge high jumper has re-discovered his passion for the sport.

Still only 20, Gale revealed last week that he had lost his way last year and was at a loss to understand why he was performing well below his best.

But Gale is now reaping not only just a winter of hard work with coach Denis Doyle, but also having fallen back in love the sport as he won his second major championships medal, going one better than the bronze he picked up at the 2017 European U20 Championships.

So the only frustration for Gale at the weekend was that he had missed a good chance of lifting the title after the competition ended in a jump-off between him and Maksim Nedasekau of Belarus.

“To be honest, I hadn’t paid enough attention to the competition so didn’t realise we were heading for a jump-off,” said Gale.

“That is something I should have been aware of and I’ll have to learn from that for the future.”

So while Gale wound down after failing 2.29m, Nedasekau was still in competition-mode after going close to 2.31m, which then resulted in both men attempting 2.29m to decide the outcome of the gold.

“I wasn’t the favourite to win and I wasn’t the favourite for silver, so to come in and get another season’s best was a good day,” said Gale, whose 2.27m took him joint top of the UK rankings with Chris Baker.

“I am just happy to be back jumping like I know I can. I hold myself up to very high standards, and to push forwards, I know I have to be competing with guys like Maksim.

"It is encouraging that on Sunday we are the closest we have ever been.”

It was Gale’s fourth major championships, having finished ninth at the World Juniors in 2016, third at the 2017 European Juniors and then eighth on his senior international debut for England at the Commonwealth Games last year.

His return to from has earned him an invite to the prestigious Muller Anniversary Games, incorporating the IAAF Diamond League, in London this weekend.

“It is a great opportunity for me to step up against the very best high jumpers in the world,” said Gale.

“Also, I have to start thinking that I am senior athlete now. Sweden was my last international competition as an U23, and from now on, I am against the senior guys so there can be no excuses that I am still young.”