Eleanor Simmonds has eyes on a third goal

For most teenagers getting up at 5.25am hardly bears contemplation, let alone doing it at the same time as revising for GCSEs and worrying about food and nutrition.

But for palalympic swimmer Eleanor Simmonds, a double gold winner at 2008 Beijing games, it's all in a day's work as she trains for a stab at a third gold medal.

The 16-year-old of Walsall is poised to jet off to Doha in Qatar on Saturday for a two-week, warm weather training camp as she hones her speed and stamina ahead of March trials for the European Championships four months later in Berlin.

And the schoolgirl champion, who first learnt to swim in Walsall Council pools, will be taking her GCSE coursework with her for the trip.

Eleanor, who aged 14 became the youngest recipient of an MBE for her contribution to swimming, said: "I'll be taking my laptop with me for the trip because I can't forget about school while I'm there.

"This is when we start to really focus on training — getting speed work done ahead of trials in March, working on pacing as well.

"But I have to be really organised and not just concentrate on swimming, I will need to get a job after I retire so I need to concentrate on school too."

Compared to people twice her age, Eleanor manages a rigorous routine — getting up at 5.25 for an hour-and-half's training from 6am. After being put through her paces at school in Wales from 8am-3pm, which she attends to use the Olympic standard swimming facilities, it's back to training for another two hours from 3.30-5.30pm.

"Then it's time for my friends, being a normal teenager, homework and sleep — I like to get nine hours in," she added.

But, despite the extra effort and organisation needed, Eleanor loves pursuing her dream. "I watched Nyree Lewis get her gold medal when I was a kid and I looked up to her. Now I see

Michael Phelps and see all his gold medals and his relaxed personality and I think, what a legend.

"These trips are always good fun. There's a lot of focus on training hard and there's a lot of pressure to do well at London 2012 but all the athletes going get on really well.

"After Beijing I thought London was four years away and and there was no need to worry but it's come around so quickly but the trip should be really cool." And Streetly girl Eleanor's jetset lifestyle will see her take some of her GCSEs while on another training camp in Mallorca, Spain, in May, which will be sandwiched between trips to Berlin in early May for a practice competition, and to the German capital again in July for the European Championships themselves.

Mother Val added: "And this time next year, it will be trials for London 2012 so it all comes around so quickly."