Two-time Paralympian sprinter Ali Smith expresses her hopes for "magic" at the Commonwealth Games as she returns to competitive athletics following two miscarriages.

The 37-year-old Englishwoman, who has previously secured silver medals at the Paralympics, finished fourth in the T37/38 100m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. In an interview with BBC Radio Surrey, she shared the pressure she felt to return to training and the physical toll her miscarriages have taken on her body.

Smith, who lives with multiple sclerosis, remarked, "It's been a difficult build-up, but it feels like a home Games and I'm going to have lots of people supporting me."

Over the past year, Smith and her husband Mike Woodison faced the emotional turmoil of expecting a baby twice, noting, "It's scary to think I was [pregnant] and now I'm not, and it's really difficult to get back on the start line."

Competing for Guildford and Godalming Athletics Club, she emphasized the need for better support for sportswomen recovering from traumatic experiences like miscarriage. Smith stated, "There's lots of information for people returning from pregnancy, but there isn't anything for people returning from miscarriage."

She reflected on her attempts to return quickly, acknowledging the physical challenges she faced:

I'm trying to put my body through [more] stress and it's just been through the stress of miscarriages. It just needed a rest and I had no-one to guide or help me.