Aileen Reid hoping for a happier London story in 2013

Triathlete Aileen Reid has unfinished business in London - and she aims to tie up the loose ends later this year.

The Derry competitor had gone to the 2012 Olympics with a top 10 finish in her sights, but finished bloodied, tearful and down in 43rd place after crashing on the first lap of the cycle session.

Nine months on, the recently-married 30-year-old is chasing fresh goals with a new coach, a radically changed training regime and renewed confidence.

She hopes the result will be there for all to see in September when the 2013 ITU World Series climaxes with the Grand Final in the English capital.

Aileen Reid was injured when she came off her bike in the Olympics

Reid has just spent five months in Australia in a team training environment, a move which she believes is already paying off in the ITU series.

After races in Auckland, San Diego and Yokohama, she sits ninth and is happy with how things are going.

"Last year I was having great races, but bum races too," said Reid.

"You know, I might finish second in Madrid but then 34th in Hamburg and that was not good enough in my eyes.

"I have changed things. If that means not getting a podium this year, but consistently finishing in the top 10 to 15, that is what I want and we are doing OK so far."

Reid knows that many regard the Olympics and the be all and end all - and Rio 2016 is most definitely in her sights - but she will not let those Games dominate her thoughts.

"I am a professional athlete and I cannot wait for every four years to come around," she said.

"I can be in 10 races in a year and I need to do well because I need to make money out of them.

"The World Series is really important to me and I would really like to be in the top 10 by the end, and the Grand Final this year is in London so I have some demons to lay.

"It would be nice to go back to London and achieve something good."

Next year, the triathlon returns to the Commonwealth Games in Glashow after being left out of the programme for Delhi in 2014.

"It is going to be exciting to be on a Northern Ireland team - it is something I have not done before," said Reid.

"As well as the individual competition, there is a team relay so we could have four athletes from Northern Ireland in a mixed relay competing for a medal