SOPHIE Cox’s ‘rollercoaster’ return to Olympic competition ended in defeat yesterday but the Bacup judoka is not quite willing to step away from the tracks.

It was always going to be a tall order for Cox, who took four years out of the sport after competing at the Athens Olympics in 2004, against North Korea’s Kum Ae An, a silver medallist in Beijing four years ago.

So it proved with the 30-year-old being caught by a yuko score with one minute and 45 seconds left which ended their last 64 women’s 52kg match-up.

However Cox maintains she’s eager to make for the time lost during her sabbatical and hinted that she could compete at both the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and at Rio 2016.

She said: “I might be 29 but I still feel 25-26 in judo terms. I will take a couple of months to take a look at things and see how British Judo want to go. I will keep all doors open.

“Judo wise I did not too much at all on my break. When I came back I was fresh again and it was like a whole new lease of life.

“I felt like I had so much more to give after Athens and I think it helped that break. It has been a rollercoaster and I have just been so lucky to have been here and had this experience.

“The Commonwealths are in Glasgow and that’s two years away but if I am still strong enough and fit enough then why not.”

With talented youngsters such as Kelly Edwards also coming through the ranks, Cox also indicated she could move into a mentoring role within British judo.

But the two time European silver medallist admits she departs London 2012 frustrated she was unable to harness the vocal support of the ExCeL arena against her tricky opponent.

She added: “I have found over the last couple of years if I can get through my first fight, then I can go on to do well, so this one was make or break. I just could not get it quite right, it was a tough draw.

“She physically managed to tie me down and whether that is just her style or if she adjusted her tactics I don’t know.

“When I looked at her fights that’s not what I have seen her before so I was not expecting her to come in like that.

“I could hear the crowd and they gave me such a good buzz. It was emotional.

“I have fought on home turf before, one of my first competitions was the World Cup in Birmingham, and that was amazing as well but this was just a whole new level.”