College sport: Young sprinter chases dream of golden glory

By JENNI RUTHERFORD

So far 16-year-old April Brough and triple Olympic gold medallist Marion Jones have one thing in common - they both run very fast.

But if the bubbly, energetic teenager lives up to her own high expectations, they will share more than that.

At the moment, Jones is the world's quickest woman over 100m and 200m. Brough just wants to be.

The American also has an Olympic gold medal in the 100m and 200m events.

Brough's target is the 200m.

The King's College sixth former is in pursuit of a life in the fast lane.

"I want to be the fastest woman in the world," she said, minutes after helping helped her college's senior girls 4x100m relay team break a 21-year-old Auckland secondary school record.

Brough admires Jones' running style and achievements, but the 24-year-old is not her role model. Brough prefers to pave her own path to success.

At present she is on a collision course, knocking off age-group records in double-quick time. But there has been the odd speed bump.

She has not yet been able to claim the national under-20 record for her preferred event, the 200m. The 1990 Commonwealth Games representative, Briar Toop, set a mark that has stood for more than 11 years, though Brough is closing in on it.

At the national track and field championships, she got a whiff of the 23.76s she needed to rewrite the books, running 23.80s.

But it was ruled illegal because of the tail wind on the home straight.

Brough is sure Toop's record's days are numbered.

"I'll break it. I just need the ideal conditions," she said.

Her times have dropped consistently. She has shaved half a second off her 200m time every season for the past three.

Brough is already a veteran of world youth and junior meets. She attended her first world youth competition in Poland at age 14, has since travelled to Hungary and Chile, and often achieves upsets against the Australians on their home turf.

She will compete at the world youth games again this year in Hungary.

At the 2000 world junior championships in Chile, a tougher competition that includes under-20 athletes, Brough became the first New Zealand female to make the 200m semifinal.

At the 2001 Sydney Olympic Youth Festival she proved she had the fastest feet in Australasia over 100m and 200m at under-18 level.

Brough's success comes at the beginning of an athletics renaissance in New Zealand. She joins other young stars, such as middle-distance runner Nick Willis and discus thrower Valerie Adams, who are the new hopes for Commonwealth and Olympic greatness.