Harpenden rising star looking to continue 2011 form (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Harpenden's rising star Caleb Hughes hoping to regain 2011 form after injury

1:25pm Monday 16th January 2012 in Local Sport

After enjoying a hard-earned festive break, Harpenden swimmer Caleb Hughes insists the wheels are firmly in motion to make 2012 his best year yet.

Hughes was a relative revelation last year, bagging himself six ASA National Youth Championship medals before backing that up with four more at the UK School Games.

However, an untimely broken arm sustained at the back end of 2011 in a football match at his school, King’s in Harpenden, saw the year end on a downer.

A Christmas break of sorts featuring four days off in and around a solid body of winter training has left freestyle specialist Hughes confident his injury setback is a thing of the past.

And with the carrot of the British Gas Swimming Championships now looming large on the horizon, Hughes believes he’s in good shape to continue his all-conquering 2011 into 2012.

The senior national showdown, which will be held at the Olympic Aquatics Centre in London, doubles up as a qualifier for the European Junior Championships and Hughes doesn’t plan on wasting the opportunity.

“I had a few days off over Christmas but I was training most of the time and I will be training hard for the next five or six weeks before I taper down for the senior national championships,” said Hughes - one of Kellogg’s’ Champions of Tomorrow.

“I am feeling pretty good now and the injury I had with the broken arm is not a problem for me now, everything is going well.

“All I am concentrating on is making sure my training keeps going well so that I am in good shape for the nationals because I’d love to get selected for the European juniors.

“I have represented England before but never Great Britain so it would be great to get picked for that.

“I haven’t been to the Aquatics Centre before either. I have seen it on TV but to be able to swim in there is going to be great.”

Hughes’ multiple successes on the national stage last year mean that he has already qualified his spots for the British Championships in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 1500m freestyle.

And while Hughes is well aware a decision is in the offing over his preferred distance going forward - stretching from 100m to 1500m is unheard of in the senior world - he’s in no rush to pigeon hole himself ahead of March.

“I like all my events but I know I am going to have to choose at some point,” he added.

“I see myself as a middle-distance swimmer but I have probably got my best chance of being picked for the European juniors in the 100m so I know I have got to make a decision at some point but not at this time.”

To celebrate fifteen years of support for British Swimming, Kellogg’s is offering a ‘Free Kids Swim’ on 30 million packs of cereal to encourage families to take the plunge together. Collect a voucher on pack and take it down to your local participating pool. For more information, visit www.kelloggs.co.uk/freeswim