Little respite for Ireland's European Champion. No sooner had she taken her first gold medal from around her neck than more controversy surrounded Michelle Smith de Bruin. A "no-show" for the official press conference in Seville, after yesterday's medal ceremony and dope-testing procedure, has landed her in some hot water.

Smith de Bruin could be in deep trouble, according to the president of the European Swimming League, Bartolo Consolo.

"We will investigate the situation. We have rules that say that she should attend a press conference and if she doesn't, then she might be disqualified for the rest of the competition," he said. "However, it is the ultimate sanction and we need to discuss the matter."

A meeting will be held this morning to discuss the issue and the Irish management is likely to fight the issue as far as possible.

"We are not going to panic. We have heard nothing about this, but if officials want to meet us we will be happy to discuss the situation," said Pat O'Donovan, the Irish squad manager.

The mandatory press conference was introduced in swimming in 1995 after German swimmer Franziska van Almsick snubbed the media after a race. Since then all medal-winning swimmers have had to attend as a matter of rule. It is in the interest of the sport that it serves up its stars to the media.

The press conference had ended in confusion. While waiting for Smith de Bruin to arrive in the designated area, a rowdy posse of swimmers burst in the back door.

The young Ukrainian, Yana Kochkova had just been asked a question and all we could hear was the shrieks of an all-boys swimming convention at the back of the room.

Kochkova had been asked what she thought of swimming against the Olympic champion Michelle Smith de Bruin. We couldn't hear a word. It transpires that she just shrugged her shoulders and smiled. No sound at all.

A small media gang bushwhacked Smith de Bruin coming out of doping control. There were some spikey questions, too.

"It must be offensive Michelle . . . all this talk of doping and stuff," asked a Danish guy.

"I don't listen to it," she replied. "I had two (tests) last week and one today, so . . ."

"Do you think they are picking on you then?" cut across an English journalist.

"Well if you are three-times Olympic champion and number one in the world rankings, then you will be tested as much if not more than anyone else in the world rankings and I think I have been this year since the Olympics."

"Are you disappointed with the opportunities outside of swimming that have arrived since Atlanta?" prodded someone else.

"No. Swimming is my life. That's what I do. That's what I love. I have been doing it since I was nine. That's why I'm here.

"The one thing I have coming out of the 400 IM today is that I'm also very proud of what I've done. If you look at a lot of the Olympic champions from last year, they've found it very difficult to come back a year later - even in the World Athletic Championships you could see it.

"I've come here. I've come through a rough year. I've come back and done the times I did last year and I'm European Champion again. I'm proud that I can do that."

"Have you ever got to the stage where you say to yourself: do I need this anymore. Given what went on in Atlanta and given that you are damned if you do and damned if you don't," asked a British journalist.

"No I don't agree. I'm not damned if I do or damned if I don't. I've never felt that I've wanted to quit swimming. I took a couple of months off and did a lot of other things after the Olympics. But swimming is something I've done since I was nine," repeated Smith de Bruin.

Damned frustrating that all this press conference stuff has now blown up in her face. But the race itself was comfortable.

"I don't know if it will be five races of the same, but it felt good. I was delighted with the win. I really had to fight for it, but that makes it all the more satisfying. We had planned tactically how to swim the race and everything went to plan.

"I really had to work on the breaststroke and when I saw her [the young Ukrainian, Yana Kochkova] there on the freestyle, I knew I really had to fight for it if I wanted to win the gold medal. Because I knew she wanted it. She's young and she wanted to beat the Olympic champion and I didn't want to give up the title."

And today is just the beginning.