Swimmer Louise Watkin is bound for Beijing after being selected for her first Paralympic Games.

Louise, 15, from Redhill, will make her debut in China as the third youngest of the 36-strong Great Britain swimming squad.

She made the team as a strong medal hopeful after breaking the 100m freestyle European record for her class in competition in Sheffield.

Louise, who was born in Stockholm, trains in Devon under former Olympic swimmer Robin Brew. To keep herself fit she trains in the gym and is a keen runner.

Her interests used to include ballet, tap dancing, modern dancing and Irish dancing but winning her 25m swimming badge sent her from the ballet studio to the swimming pool. Rising through the world rankings, two years ago she finished fourth at the World Championships in Durban, South Africa.

The event was her first major international competition, where, as well as swimming as an individual finalist, she took a silver medal as part of the 4 x 100m medley relay team.

She has improved her personal best performances since, competing in the 100m freestyle, multi-disability 100m freestyle and multi-disability 50m freestyle events, and setting British records in the 100m and 400m freestyle.

Hailed as a rising star and an example of the British tradition of outstanding women arm amputee swimmers, Louise will be looking to build on her performance at last year's Visa Paralympic World Cup in Manchester.

She said: "I am overjoyed to have been selected for my first Paralympic Games. It really has made all of the hard work worthwhile."

She will be part of a Great Britain swimming team which includes four other first-time Paralympians.

Their medal quests start on September 7 in the events being held over eight days at Beijing's National Aquatics Centre, also known as the Water Cube.

Louise said: "It looks like it will be a really exciting. I know it will be like nothing I have ever been to before but I think I will be able to stay focused and do the best that I can."

Louise was this week competing in the Amateur Swimming Association National Youth Championships at Sheffield, her last competition before she flies out to her holding camp in Macau.

Louise was competing in five events including the 100m breaststroke, 400m freestyle and 200m individual medley.