The 17-year-old from Walsall, who won two gold medals in Beijing four years' ago, won the 400 metres freestyle title after finishing in a time of 5min 33.34sec.

Simmonds reached the qualification standard for the four events in which she is the current world champion; 50m, 100m, 400m - all freestyle - and the 200m individual medley in Sheffield.

Also performing well just days before the formal announcement of the ParalympicGB squad for London 2012, was Jonathan Fox, who won the men's 400m freestyle, just missing out on breaking his own world record with a time of 4:48.16.

Fox had already picked up the 100m backstroke gold at these Championships, and he came in ahead of Paralympic champion Sam Hynd and Josef Craig, who just missed the qualification standard with his time of 4:54.23.

Susie Rodgers (pictured) also won a gold medal in the 50m butterfly final with a time of 36.01sec, breaking her European record in the process.


Rodgers, who won five European titles at the European Championships last year, will be a strong contender in the pool at the Aquatics Centre in London this summer.

Jessica-Jane Applegate won the 200m freestyle gold after a tight race, beating Bethany Firth of Ireland after making a time of 2:15.23.

Chloe Davies also made the Paralympic qualifying time in the same race with a time of 2:18.76, whilst Gemma Almond broke the British record with her time of 1:12.26 in the 200m individual medley.

Among the men, Paralympics veteran Sascha Kindred claimed two titles at the event, winning the 100m breaststroke and 200m individual medley.

Ben Procter won gold in the 100m freestyle competition, and James Hollis broke the minute barrier in the 100m butterfly final to smash Jody Cundy's 10 year old British record in that race.

There was not quite such good news for 11-time Paralympic champion Dave Roberts, who failed to make the qualifying time in the 50m and 100m freestyle, and Liz Johnson, the defending 100m breaststroke champion from Beijing 2008, also missed the qualifying time in her race.

The pair can still be picked by selectors, but it means they will face a particularly nerve wracking couple of days before the official announcement of the ParalympicsGB team by the British Paralympic Association on Wednesday (April 11).

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