Australia’s best male gymnast Philippe Rizzo has made a strong comeback from injury in his return to international competition.

The AIS gymnast won a silver medal in his favoured high bar discipline at last month's World Cup final in Madrid.

With a score of 15.825 he finished just behind The Netherlands' Epke Zonderland (16.175).

The former world champion has been recovering from snapped an achilles tendon in late 2007 which forced him to miss the Beijing Olympics.

He is buoyed by his comeback to competition and his improvement in form.

‘It was an encouraging performance, especially given the quality of gymnasts who competed,’ Rizzo said.

‘For me, it was another important step forward following my long lay-off with injury.’

12 months of rehabilitation at the AIS in Canberra have proved a success with Rizzo performing well at the World Cup.

He also won a bronze medal in the high bar at an event in Germany.

He looks forward to better luck and an injury-free run in 2009.