Evergreen De Bruijn eager for Beijing splash

Ageless four-time Olympic champion Inge de Bruijn has Beijing on her mind. And she warned not to write her off again.

The 31-year-old De Bruijn thinks she still has the motivation to train fours more years as she attempts something thought impossible not long ago: win another Olympic medal.

'I still have the passion and at the back of my head I am thinking about Beijing 2008. People were saying when I went to Athens 'aren't you too old, are you going to quit?' and I said no. I still have it in my heart and I am very determined to achieve this goal . I continued to train hard and now I have these four babies,' she said pointing to her gold, silver and two bronze medals won in Athens.

In town to promote a Dutch household electrical appliance range, the swimming great has proven to be one of sport's enduring champions. She said she was confident she would stay in shape for Beijing 2008 as long as she stayed motivated.

'I really think it's important to check goals year by year and step by step. Of course Beijing is at the back of my mind, but you should never look so far ahead. You should set each goal every year one step at a time. That's how you stay focused. Then it's still fun.

'There are many athletes who are older than me and they still won gold medals. Look at Popov [Alexander] and in track and field and soccer players are a lot older too. Age doesn't matter at all. When there's an A final in an Olympic Games, the clock is at zero and everybody has a chance to win.