Fresh from defending her 50-metre freestyle title at the Athens Olympics, Dutch swimmer Inge de Bruijn is now setting her sights on Beijing.

"I still have the passion and at the back of my head I am thinking about Beijing 2008," the star sprinter was quoted as saying in Friday's South China Morning Post.

De Bruijn, who recently turned 31, struck gold in the 50-metre freestyle in Athens, following up on victory in Sydney.

De Bruijn became the first woman to win consecutive sprint titles since the event was added to the Olympic program in 1988, but in other Athens events she had to settle for a silver and two bronzes.

In Sydney, she got three golds and a silver.

"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," de Bruijn told local media.

"There are many athletes who are older than me and they still win gold medals. Age doesn't matter at all," she said.

"My coach has always told me if you keep your body fit, I can be like Lance Armstrong or Michael Jordan," de Bruijn said while visiting Hong Kong to promote a Dutch electrical appliance company.

(China Daily October 9, 2004)