Southend's international sprint star Sarah Wilhelmy was hoping to make up for lost time when she jetted off to warm-weather training today.

Wilhelmy -- the British 100m champion -- flew off to San Francisco for six weeks of intensive sprinting work with coach Mike McFarlane.

Thetalented 22-year-old hopes the trip will be a boost to her Commonwealth Games and European Championship ambitions.

But the injury-jinxed athlete also wants to shrug off the after-effects of a hip complaint which has set back her season's preparations by several weeks.

"My training has been interrupted a little bit and the trip to America should help," revealed the Southend AC star.

"My coach will be out there and the recovery will be easier in the warm weather."

"But hopefully after six or seven weeks in the warm I'll be back to where I was before the injury."

Her long-term ambition remains the 2004 Olympics. But she admitted she was hopeful of making her mark on this summer's big two events.

"Although the whole idea of this year is to treat it as a stepping stone to 2004, I want to make the 100m final at the Commonwealth Games and go on to the European Championships," she said.

Published Tuesday, March 26, 2002