Emily Seebohm is one of Australia's bright prospects on backstroke in Beijing, provided she gets through trials - but the pressure on the 15-year-old is not being stepped up just because it happens to be Olympic year.

Honouring an agreement with the swimmer's parents, coach Matt Brown continues to restrict Seebohm's training to eight sessions a week. He said: 'I have kept true to my promise with her and her family that she was doing seven to eight [sessions] heading into trials last year and pretty much the same this year,' Brown told Tom Wald at AP.

"e;She is sticking on about eight. You hear about kids not doing school when they are really good swimmers when they get to the age of 15. But you have to have balance and we are working towards that. My philosophy is, 'let's get the very best out of you while you are there'. Then when you are not [training], get out of there and do something else and unwind and recharge emotionally, because that is the killer, not the physical.'

Seebohm, of course, will still be a serious threat if she continues to enjoy the form and progress we witnessed in 2007. She was a member of the winning Dolphins medley relay in a world record at Melbourne 2007, where she just missed a medal over 100m backstroke.