I knew I could come back...after seeing the Reds beat Barca

KATARINA JOHNSON-THOMPSON EXCLUSIVE

- DANIEL MARSH

BRITISH heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson just loves a fairytale comeback.

And two of her biggest inspirations for that are her beloved Liverpool FC and gymnast Simone Biles.

The Team GB athlete pulled off one of the most incredible returns when she won her second world title following a career-threatening injury.

The 31-year-old is one of six sporting superstars nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year award, which will be handed out in Madrid tomorrow night.

Among the other nominees is Biles, whose decision to walk away from the Tokyo Olympics to protect her mental health resonated heavily with JohnsonThompson, who was struggling herself at the time.

She revealed: "Simone is a big inspiration for me, with what she did in Tokyo.

"I remember being in a really tough place myself, mentally, at the time, and I was in the holding camp in Tokyo, and to watch her and what she did for mental health, was really inspiring.

"I'm a big football fan and I research a lot of people's stories and when I saw that the nominations were coming out, some are so inspiring and so poignant.