KAT DRISCOLL achieved one of the best results of her career as she finished fourth in the final of the World Trampoline Championships in Florida.

Driscoll, who is based in West Rainton and trains with the Apollo Trampoline Club in Washington, was the only British competitor to make the individual final.

And having been part of the British squad that claimed a team world title last year at the World Team Championships, the 28-year-old narrowly missed out on adding an individual medal to her collection as she fell short of a bronze by just 0.395 points.

Nevertheless, the fourth-placed finish was a huge success given that Driscoll has only just returned to full training following ankle surgery earlier in the year.

The injury prevented her from producing her best at the British Championships, where she finished second, but she outclassed her domestic rivals in the qualifying rounds and semi-finals of the Worlds over the weekend.

Her performance in the final was every bit as polished, with her final score of 53.580 representing one of her strongest displays at world level.

“Fourth in the world – super happy with that,” tweeted Driscoll after the event.

China’s Lui Lingling claimed gold, with experienced Canadian Rosannagh MacLennan finishing in second position to win silver.

Belarus Hanna Harchonak won bronze, but Driscoll was only just squeezed off the podium and her performances throughout the weekend augur well for her chances of competing for a medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Having narrowly missed out on the individual final at the 2012 Games in London, the North-Easterner is determined to feature in the medal shake-up in Rio, and while her season has been disrupted by injury, she remains on track to be a major force in two years time.

If she can remain in the world’s top ten, she will guarantee Britain an individual place at the Rio Games, and while the all-round strength of British trampolining has improved significantly over the last few years, this weekend’s result confirms her status as the country’s number one and leaves her extremely well positioned to secure a second Olympic outing.