Mikielee isn’t sure yet which Olympics, but the next Commonwealth Games to be held at the Gold Coast in 2018 seems a reasonable goal for the keen 13-year-old.

She earned her invitation to the two Canadian meets through making the northwest representative team in the state finals in two events: the 100 and 200 metres.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said when told of the opportunity to participate as part of one of two Australian teams competing at Jack Brow Memorial Meet in Kelowna and then the Trevor Craven Memorial Meet in Vancouver.

There was a six-month wait between confirmation of the trip and her eventual departure, along with fellow Glen Innes High School student Tom and her parents Tony and Jodi.

“It was a big commitment, but we knew we might not have this chance again,” Mrs Snow said.

“I’d definitely go back to Canada. The people there are gorgeous.”

The lead time did allow Mikielee to focus her preparation on her sprint events, and she was also selected for the 4x100 metre relay team. She is accustomed to representative level competition, having climbed through the ranks since her days at St Joseph’s Primary School.

Her league tag training helped but she said the personalised training she received from Rose Whan helped to maximise her running potential. Ultimately she was undertaking some form of training five days a week, plus playing league tag on the weekend.

“She didn’t complain at all,” Mrs Snow said.

The effort paid off, with Mikielee finishing second in her 100 metre heat and sixth in the timed final for the 100 metres at the first international meet, and fifth and seventh, respectively, in the 200 metres. Her Australian team came third in the relay, and Mikielee also competed in the long jump, coming sixth.

At the second meet she won her 100 metre heat and came seventh in the final, and again gained sixth in the long jump before injuring her foot.

She said she wasn’t too daunted by the competition.

“It felt like I was competing at Homebush (in the state finals), just with different accents,” she said.

Mikielee said there was great comradery both within the Australian squad and between the competing nations, with competition singlets swapped at the end of the meets.

She is keen to repeat the experience, so the next step is to go on from her next competition at Homebush in September to make the nationals. She hopes to get her personal best for the 100 metre sprint down from 13.66 seconds to under 13 seconds, and is keeping up the training with the help of her dad and starting to take serious steps towards her future in athletics by watching her diet.

Mikielee hopes to pursue sport science professionally, and would love to secure a place at the Australian Institute of Sport. Short-term, though, she is focussing on her next trip to Homebush, and to catching up with her team mates from the Canadian trip.

“It will be like mini reunion,” she said.