Heather Fell, Olympic silver medallist, writes about her life in the media and sports world.

Swimming has always been a significant part of my sporting life. I can't remember learning to swim and rarely had more than a day out of the water— that was until retiring from modern pentathlon. Admittedly I've never been a morning person, so I knew the sessions at the crack of dawn wouldn't be missed, but I genuinely thought I was addicted to my regular chlorine fix. With no event to train for I've naturally swayed away from swimming and found more sociable and flexible sports to keep me fit. I recently had two very different excuses to make my return to the pool. At an international sports conference, where I was representing the modern pentathlon governing body, there was an opportunity to attend a swim clinic by a current world record holder. I was sold a slightly dampened down agenda and convinced myself it was going to be a fun affair even if it did involve the obligatory early morning start. It turned into rather a hard session but despite the shock to the system I thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so I couldn't turn down my next invite for a dip, this time at the other end of the performance spectrum. I've always been a strong advocate for children learning to swim — it is such a valuable skill even if just for safety. Having taught the primary school age group in the past I know how important confidence in the water is. So what better time to learn then before you can even crawl? The session with my eleven month-old niece was not as strenuous as the aforementioned, but I was equally impressed with her swimming skills. She's already mastered opening her eyes underwater, something I still struggle with. It might not officially count as swimming, but she's off to a good start.