At just 15, she is leaping her way to athletic prominence ? but Arantxa King has her feet firmly planted on the ground.

Despite her recent dizzying success at state and national level in the USA, the Bermuda-born jumping sensation is clearly not one to be awed by attention and all the accolades that accompany her achievements.

Part of it is possibly because ? in the throes of high-school life and undecided about her academic as well as athletic future ? she views her adventures in the sandpit and on the track, to some extent, as ?just having fun?.

Yes, she enjoys winning ? who doesn?t ? but that?s not the be all and end all of the Medford High School sophomore?s world. There are more important things like the fact that, though she has grown up in the razzle-dazzle of the USA, she is fiercely loyal to her country Bermuda.

Thus when the chance came to represent this Atlantic outpost, this child of a Bermudian mother and Vincentian father signed on to showcase her sprinting talent.

Last year?s Carifta Games held here at the National Sports Centre was her first taste of what it would be like competing for the country of her birth ? and she loved it, returning to the USA with a mile-relay bronze medal.

This year, she moved up two spots on the podium with gold in the Under-17 Girls long jump in Tobago and, for as long as she indulges in any athletic pursuits, this Island can rest assured the red, white and blue she wears will be Bermuda?s colours and not those of the USA.

?I was given the opportunity to compete for Bermuda and it?s more special to me because it?s where I was born and somewhere I can always go back to,? explained the young athlete with a quiet resolve.

?Even though I live in America I still always consider Bermuda my home. It?s where my mother?s family is from.?

While fans here have only witnessed Arantxa?s running ? and she is pretty good at that too ? it?s her prowess in the long jump, and more recently the triple jump, that?s really hitting the headlines on these shores as well as in her Boston area neighbourhood.

A few weekends ago she shattered the old Massachusetts high-school landmark of 19 feet, 5.75 inches in the long jump.

The state champion?s winning leap of 19 feet, 11.75 inches (approximately 6.08 metres) not only erased the state mark but also the former New England record; a feat even more impressive given the fact that she was nursing a hamstring injury. She was also the 100-metre runner-up with a time of 12.24 seconds.

However, it was at the Nike Outdoor (High Schools) Nationals on June 18-19 in North Carolina that the teenager caused a serious buzz on debut.

Not only did Arantxa win her pet event, the long jump, but she also claimed top billing in the triple jump; an event to which she is a relative newcomer.

She set a new Bermuda junior and senior record with her second-best leap of 12.64 metres at the meet which is regarded as the unofficial high-schools championships. Unfortunately, her winning effort of 12.75 metres could not be entered in the recordbooks since it carried a wind measurement above the allowable limit of 2.0 metres per second ? Zindzi Swan eclipsed her Bermudian team-mate?s senior mark two days later with a jump of 12.72 metres.

Regardless, Arantxa?s triple-jump performance was astounding considering she had only competed in the event three times before with her best mark being less than 11.60 metres. By the end of the Nike competition, five of her six jumps were beyond 12 metres. Many of those in attendance were stunned, not least of all the athlete herself.

?I was really surprised because I was very nervous going into it. I was just trying to make the pit because I had only done it three times before and I had used the 28-foot board (to take off from the runway) and then I saw they were using were 32 and 36-foot boards,? she recalled, speaking to .

?I was used to taking off from a lot shorter distance so I had to remeasure my run and jumps.

?At first I didn?t know my jumps were that good because they were measuring in metres so I was like ?I guess I?m doing okay?. Then when they announced my first jump I was really surprised.?

Her long-jump victory, too, was a shock as Arantxa clinched gold on her final attempt.

?By my last jump I was just happy to have gotten among the top six so I decided to go for it and it was my winning jump.?

Accomplishing so much in the triple jump has prompted the tall teen to reconsider her position on that event.

?I did it for fun before. I didn?t really take it seriously but I think if I practise and do it more I should get better and my technique should improve.?

The Medford, Massachusetts resident will represent Bermuda at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Marrakech, Morocco, early next month and then at the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in Windsor, Canada from July 28-31.

In Morocco, she will contest the 100 metres and long jump. She will not compete in the triple jump as entries had long been closed when she excelled at the Nike classic. At the Pan Ams, though, she will do both jumps.

As college recruits begin jostling for her signature, Arantxa ? while committed to the sport ? still revels in her versatility and, as such, will juggle running and jumping for as long as feasible.

?Probably I will eventually have to make a choice but right now I still like to run and I want to get certain times in the 100 metres,? she admitted, adding that she has not relinquished ambitions in the 200 and 400 metres either.

?I don?t usually stick to one thing. This year I tried the 200 and 400 at small meets but not really seriously. I like keeping my options open.?

Last season, she set a New England 55-metre dash record of 7.19 seconds and then clocked 7.14 in the All-State Championships ? among the dozen-fastest school times across the USA.

?I haven?t seen anyone better in New England,? her Medford High School coach Jack Dempsey had said back then.

?There might be someone out there who hasn?t stepped forward yet, but I don?t think so. I can?t believe how she handles the pressure ? maybe because she?s so young she doesn?t know any better.

?She?s just a natural talent. It?s kind of amazing everything has happened so fast. I?m stunned by what she?s doing.

?Arantxa?s personality is amazing. She?s so calm, nothing bothers her. You never know what?s at the end of the road in terms of potential.?

For now she has two primary goals which her various international engagements should afford her ample opportunity to focus on.

?One is to get a 20-foot jump in long jump and in the 100 metres I want to try and break 12 seconds. That?s really hard for the 100 metres because since I was hurt for the whole indoor season I was taking the 100 easy. It wasn?t until a couple weeks ago I started to push harder so I don?t know how that will go,? revealed Arantxa, alluding to her hamstring troubles which first surfaced last season.

?I still have scar tissue so once in a while, if I push really hard, I feel it. I try to be careful and do a lot of stretching.?

While her long-term aspirations are not as well defined, there is that overall sentiment ?of going as far as I can?...Commonwealth Games, World Championships, Olympics, who knows.

What?s certain is that whatever her path, Bermuda will always be right there with her.