Simmonds refuses to set targets

Simmonds helped GB win gold at the European Championships

Lincolnshire swimmer Lizzie Simmonds has played down expectations of her for the Beijing Olympics.

Simmonds will swim in both the 100m and 200m backstroke in China after collecting gold and silver medals at major championships this year.

But the 17-year-old told BBC Radio Lincolnshire: "I don't see the point in aiming towards a certain position because people come out of nowhere."

"All I can aim for is to be ranked as high as I can get," she added.

"As long as I have done my best and stuck to my race plan that is the best I can hope for."

The teenager won a silver medal in the 200 metres backstroke at the World Short Course Championships in Manchester earlier this month breaking the previous world record in the process.

The Lincoln Vulcans swimmer also won gold at the European Championships as part of the medley relay team.