Athletics: Coach tips big future for teenager

Tauranga Girls' College Year 12 student Brooke Somerfield has the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in her sights.

She may rock up to Tauranga Ramblers training with her mother in a run-around sporting learner plates, but that does not mean Brooke Somerfield does not know her way to or around the Tauranga Domain track.

The 17-year-old is tipped by New Zealand's leading sprint coach Kerry Hill as a chance to wear the silver fern at the senior level in more than one event.

"I think she is on target to maybe win the New Zealand Secondary Schools' long jump and a place in the sprints by the end of next year," Hill said.

"She is a hang of a hard trainer and I think she has Commonwealth Games potential in the jumps and the relays because she will work hard enough for it."

"The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games is a great opportunity for us ... it is basically like a home games."

Brooke, who finished fourth last year at nationals as a Year 11 in the senior girls 200m, is beginning a winter strength and conditioning block with an eye towards December's secondary school nationals and the club nationals in early-April, 2015.

Some of her main competition, including former Tauranga Girls' College athlete Amy Robinson, have moved on but the various records remain as measuring sticks.

Brooke's best jump of 5.57m is 2cm better than Robinson's school mark set on the school athletics day, while her personal bests of 12.3sec and 25.4sec in the 100 and 200 metres are impressive for someone with another year left at secondary school.

Although disappointed by her performance at the recent 2014 Oceania Athletics Championships held at the BCI Stadium in Avarua, Rarotonga despite picking up silver in the under-20 long jump and gold in the 4x100m under-20 women's relay, she was philosophical and unwilling to blame an injury which hampered her preparation.

"I didn't go as well as I'd expected to but I did come away with a couple of medals."