Spencer set for senior debut

Amy Spencer received her award from Michael Owen

Teenage sprinter Amy Spencer, the BBC's first Young Sports Personality of the Year, will make her senior debut in Cardiff in February.

Spencer, 16, will line up for the 200m in the Norwich Union Trials and AAA Championships as part of her preparations for the summer's World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica.

"Cardiff is an opportunity to compete with top-level runners alongside me, which will hopefully simulate the situation I will be in if I get to the final in the world juniors," said Spencer.

"I'm really looking forward to competing there."

Wigan-born Spencer collected the BBC award in December on the night Manchester United's David Beckham was crowned Sports Personality of the Year.

"It was an absolutely amazing night and I was just honoured to be there," said Spencer, a world under 18 silver medallist at 200m.

"I did get to speak to both David Beckham and Michael Owen - they were both very nice."

But Spencer refused to get carried away after mixing with some of the country's biggest sporting names.

"I'm going to take it as it comes. My education is my priority, so I will just have to see how the workload goes," she said.

"I suppose there are pitfalls, but I don't really see it like that. It's hard to balance everything, but I've got used to it now."

TICKETS for the Norwich Union Trials and AAA Championships at UWIC (University of Wales Institute, Cardiff) on 2nd & 3rd February 2002 are available on the 24 hour Ticketmaster Hotline: [phone] and online at www.ticketmaster.co.uk