Mother-of-two Jo Goode believes she can become a golden girl all over again.

The 29-year-old, from Bognor, retired from badminton following the birth of her second child, Molly, after winning a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics.

But Jo launches her comeback with Sydney partner Simon Archer in the low-key surroundings of the qualifying event at the All England Championships at the Indoor Arena at Birmingham tomorrow.

She hopes it will be a first step towards selection for the European Championships in Malmo next month and the Commonwealth Games in Manchester during the summer, where she could bid to repeat her gold medal hat-trick in Kuala Lumpar four years ago.

Jo returned to the top after the birth of her first child, Jack, now four, with European gold and world silver. Now she is busy ensuring another burst of medal-winning performances.

She said: "You could say I'm doing my bit to prove that motherhood isn't the end of sporting ambition. I honestly feel I can get back to gold medal level.

"Some people think mums can't come back and have the same mental sharpness you need to succeed. Some think it is a physical thing. But I've done it before and I can do it again.

"I still feel I've got play left in me and would regret it if I didn't give it another go. What if I'd made the decision to stop after Jack was born! I felt good when I came back first time around and was winning tournaments within four months.

"This time the recovery rate is a bit slower. It could be because of a back problem I have had which would not have been helped by carrying around Molly for nine months. But I am working hard and getting there."

Jo has been concentrating on losing weight.

"I'm quite happy with how my fitness is progressing. But I need to concentrate most on my weight. My fighting weight is about 10 and a half stone and I need to lose a stone. I've started regular running to lose body fat and am doing aerobic exercises. The more weight I lose the more powerful my strokes are and the quicker I am around the court."

She feels combining motherhood and competition is making her more focussed.

"I've got to be incredibly efficient with my time management. I like to spend as much time as possible with my family so I gear my training and practise around them."

She is delighted to be back with Archer, the former Warden Park pupil from Cuckfield, a reunion which she believes came about through fate.

"I quit when I fell pregnant again. Simon had a knee injury around the same time. So we were both out of action for around nine months and when we started up again about the same time we thought it would be a good idea to team up once more."

Jo is as motivated as ever.

"The reason I have come back is simple: I like winning. The tension and excitement that goes into competition gives me a buzz I don't get from anything else."

Jo is looking at the World Championships next year as her long-term badminton goal and said: "I don't know about the next Olympics. It depends on how the next few months ago."