A year after retiring from competitive swimming, Chelsey Wilson is putting in more training hours than ever before in a bid to make a comeback.

Indeed, it is all happening for Chelsey who was also officially appointed as the Lakelanders Swimming Coach this month having filled the role in a temporary capacity since former coach Arunas De Savickas moved on last year.

The Enniskillen swimmer, who represented her country at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, has had a change of heart after announcing her decision to quit the competitive arena, and after seven months of dedicated training she reckons she is in better shape than ever before as she prepares to enter the pool next month and compete for medals once again.

“I quit for a year and then a guy, Paul Rogers, came down to take us for our level two coaching and we decided together that we would give it another shot, but do it properly this time with more hours,” revealed Chelsey. “I started training again in February. I had been doing ten hours training before and now I am doing twenty, and its made a big difference. I feel better than I ever have. I have a small competition next month so I will be able to see then where I am at. After that there are bigger competitions near the end of the year. I have a few targets set for myself but I don’t really want to say in case it doesn’t happen!” Chelsey finished just outside the top ten in the Commonwealth Games, and two years previously claimed silver and bronze medals in the Junior Commonwealth Games, and alongside her new training regime she is also using her experience and talent to coach swimmers of all abilities from the Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club.

“Its brilliant. I couldn’t ask for anything better,” admitted Chelsey. “Arunas left around this time last year and the club asked me if I would help out, and I said ‘of course’. Then this year in September they gave me the role officially and I love it. It works around my training which suits me really well, because I wouldn’t be able to do a full time job 9 to 5. Our club is quite a young club but the younger ones are doing a lot of galas and there are a lot coming through that will be looking to get to Ulsters and division one in Ireland. I love coaching for competitions and that would be my main love, but I coach the seniors and the juniors and then there are the beginners, so there are people of all standards there. Anyone can come on Saturday morning at 9.00am to the forum and we can see where they are at and they can go from there.”