Brave swimmer Helen Douthwaite is hoping to overcome heart troubles and make a second bid at Olympic selection.

Helen, from Helmsley, suffers from a rare condition which makes her heart beat too fast, but she is hoping that won't stop her continuing her training.

Over the last year 26-year-old Helen, who specialises in the 100 metre breaststroke, has scooped a number of medals in British Masters swimming contests.

In the British Masters Yorkshire gala held in Sheffield last month she took gold when she swam the 100m in just one minute 13.09 seconds.

"In the British Masters Section I compete against people who are 25 to 29 years old and I am one of the best in that section," said Helen, a pastry chef at the Crown Hotel in Helmsley.

"My ambition is to get my times down enough to compete at a national level. Then I will be competing against people of all ages and I will be in with a chance of entering the selection process for the Olympics."

Helen, who has been swimming since she was a child, almost made it into the selection process when she was younger.

"A couple of years ago I was winning lots of competitions and my trainer was going to put me into the selections for the Olympics. But then I found out I was suffering from this heart condition," she said.

"The condition is known as supra-ventricular tachicardia - it basically means I am too fit for my own good. I am training in pools in Scarborough and Thirsk, but it's proving quite difficult to get there every single night from Helmsley to train."