Every athlete has dreams of representing their country at the Olympic Games, and for Steph Twell, the dream is about to become a reality.

The 18-year-old running sensation was selected this week as part of the Great Britain athletics squad travelling to Beijing this summer, after demonstrating her considerable talent in her last two races.

She confirmed her status as the world’s best junior at 1,500m by taking the gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Poland, and then Twell ran a personal best in the Paris Golden League meeting last week, among a star-studded field.

Twell, a member of the Aldershot, Farnham & District Athletics Club, has been announced as one of three GB athletes running in the 1,500m, and she is so far the quickest of the trio this season, after her fine efforts in Paris.

After receiving her official confirmation of her place this week, the Farnborough resident told the News that it was only just beginning to sink in that she was on the verge of becoming an Olympian.

“It was amazing to discover that I was in the squad,” Twell said. “I have just got the written confirmation as well, so when I actually read it in front of me, I was still a little bit in disbelief.

“It’s been awesome and the realisation that I’m actually going to Beijing is still sinking in. But I feel like I’m on top of cloud nine at the moment.

“I’m so happy and it is a feeling of self-fulfilment. It’s the pinnacle of an athlete’s career and it’s a reward for all the hard-work you put in.

“But it’s only the beginning for me, which is exciting.”

It has been a whirlwind rise to success for Twell who, along with her coach Mick Woods, had always maintained that the focus of this year was to ‘medal’ at the World Juniors. But her fine performances brought her to national attention, particularly when she ran an Olympic ‘A’ qualifying time at the end of last season.

A back injury at the start of this season threatened to upset her charge, but Twell said she was in the best shape of her career to date, and revealed that she had always had an eye on Beijing after competing there in the World Junior Championships back in 2006.

“The intention was always to medal at the World Juniors this year, and I have done that and was pleased with my performance,” she said. “That was the priority and it gives you a platform to perform.

“But as soon as I had run the qualifying time last year, that did shift my focus, and I was  thinking about the Games.

“To be honest, from when I was in Beijing in 2006, I got a taste of what it would be like out there. The excitement out there gave me that taste, and it helped me to go on and achieve what I have. I knew what it was about and I wanted to get there for the Olympics.”

She added: “I had a back injury and it wasn’t pleasant, but I feel I’m in the best shape of my life. I kept myself in really good shape, and once I returned it only took a few weeks before I was running fast again. Injuries are part of being an athlete, but I think I dealt with it and came back well.”

Twell admitted that she now felt comfortable in a field of class athletes, and she clearly demonstrated that fact by finishing eighth in Paris last week.

She ran a personal best time of 4mins 05.83secs, up against the likes of reigning world champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal, and that performance confirmed to the selectors that she was ready to take on the world’s best at the Olympics.

“I hadn’t run the qualifying time this season, only last year,” she said. “So I knew I had to race fast in Paris, and we all just thought let’s go for it.

“It was a great race and I was in there with the world champion but I felt really confident. Now I have the quickest time of the three of us going to Beijing.

“I felt at home this time, even though I was standing there next to Jamal. I felt comfortable and I thought that they were here to race me as well as I was to race them.

“In the end, I got what I wanted from the race, and as I get stronger I want to do better in Grand Prix and Golden League events. I want to be a part of world athletics.”

In 2006 Twell travelled to Beijing for the World Junior Championships, so there will be no surprises. She prepared in Macau back then, as she will this summer, so she knows exactly what to expect in the sweltering humidity.

“It will be an advantage knowing about the facilities over there,” she said. “I know where the best places are to run, I know the stadium and I know the hotels.

“I won’t be exposed to something that I haven’t already seen. I have been to a world championships already this season and won, so I’m not under-prepared for this.

“Mine was the last event in Poland {two years ago], so I am also used to having to watch others going down to the track and channelling your energy until it’s your time to run.”

She added: “I’m not worried about the humidity or anything like that. We go to Macau for the preparation camp, which I already have experience of. It’s hot and humid there and when you go to Beijing the air is thinner and cooler. It’s almost refreshing and it’s a bit easier to run in.”

So, after such a dramatic rise, what constitutes a success in Beijing for Twell and Woods?

For so long she has been talked about as one of Britain’s best hopes for London in four years’ time, but she has fought her way into the reckoning already, and now has the chance for a potential shock.

But Twell, who celebrates her 19th birthday just two days before her Beijing heat on August 19, said that she wants to take everything she can from the Olmypic experience.

“For me, I want to get as far as I can in the competition,” she said. “I now have a great opportunity now to get a lot of experience from it.

“I have to treat every race as if it’s my final. All the best athletes will be there and it is a chance to run another fast time and hopefully a PB.

“If I take all the knowledge I can from Beijing, then I know I won’t be overawed by anything when it comes to London.”

Twell was also quick to pay tribute to her long-standing coach and she and Woods have formed a winning partnership since Twell was a promising ten-year-old.

“It’s because of Mick that I am achieving what I am,” she said. “Without his guidance, his passion and his confidence in me as an athlete, I don’t think I would have the belief in what I can achieve.

“It’s a great relationship and the team aspect of what we do is integral. I see him every day, and speak to him every night before a race so I’m clear with what is going to happen.

“He works every day and then comes down to the track in his own time and I’m so grateful for that. Now I can give something back.

“Mick is going to be there when we go out to Macau (at the end of this month), so I will have that guidance with me, and now it is time to get my head down and start focusing on the Games.”

The Olympics begin on August 6, with Twell’s heats  on August 19. Should she make it, the 1,500m final takes place on August 23.