Young sprint sensation Richard Buck is chasing a golden ambition to become the fastest junior in Europe over 400 metres.

The 18-year-old from Pickering rounded off 2004 with a bronze at the Junior Commonwealth Championships and already has his eyes locked on a new prize of gold at the European Juniors in Lithuania in July.

A place in the senior Commonwealth 2006 squad and shaving 1.2 seconds off his 47.00 dead personal best are also on his to-do list.

Last year was a big one for Buck. He finished it the second fastest junior in the country and won the North East Young Sportsperson of the Year award. But he has emerged hungrier than ever and eager to get stuck into his next set of goals.

He said: "I feel I could have done better last year - especially at the world championships where I was disappointed because I was so close to making the final.

"But I needed the experience of a really big competition and it was great to get that.

"My big target for 2005 is to win gold at the Junior European Championships in July in Lithuania.

"I'm also aiming for a place in the 2006 senior Commonwealth Games so I'll have to qualify at the AAAs trials this year.

"In terms of times, I want to get my personal best down to 45.8 seconds.

"It's definitely achievable. I have been doing a lot of weights this year and my strength is really picking up so providing I stay injury free, I think I can get it."

Qualification for the England Commonwealth squad is also within Buck's reach - albeit at a bit of a stretch.

He said: "To qualify for the Commonwealth team as an individual, you have to do 45.6. But if I run a good 45.8 they might take me on faith and I could also make the relay team.

"The good thing is that it is the Commonwealth Games and not a bigger championships like the Olympics or Worlds which should make it slightly easier.

"It's a great way to come into it because it is an England team and not a Great Britain team, so some of the competition will be taken out by that."

One thing not in Buck's plans is an indoor campaign.

He said: "I think I'm going to give the indoor season a miss this winter. I ran four weeks ago and picked up an ankle ligament injury which I'm still recovering from and the concern is that the tight indoor bends could make it worse.

"I actually got the injury a couple of weeks before the Junior Commonwealth Championships but we thought I would be all right because the bends in Melbourne were fairly wide."

But even without an indoor campaign to plan for, Buck is already training in earnest in York and Sheffield to close the gap between reality and his ambitions.

The first big event of the year will be the Yorkshire Championships in May preceded by a series of league matches to hit peak form at the right time.

And to top it all, Buck is studying for his A-levels at Lady Lumley's School in Pickering.

"It's not too hard," said the Nestl Rowntree Athletics Club star.

"It's difficult trying to fit everything in sometimes but I think it's actually really good for me because it means I have to be good at time management. It also offers quite a bit of relief."

Updated: 10:47 Saturday, January 08, 2005