Hatfield Swimming Club's Caleb Hughes

AFTER enjoying a hard-earned festive break Hatfield junior 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 school football match 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 behind him.

And with the carrot of the British Gas Swimming Championships now looming large on the horizon the Hatfield SC flyer 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.”

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 1,500m freestyle.

While Hughes is aware a decision is in the offing over his preferred distance – stretching from 100m to 1,500m is unheard of in the senior world – he’s in no rush to pigeon hole himself.

“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.”

To celebrate 15 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. Visit www.kel loggs.co.uk/freeswim for more information.