HOCKEY star Jennie Bimson has spent the last 14 years chasing one goal in the sport - Olympic gold.

Ever since the Bromsgrove-born player picked up a stick at school aged 13 she has wanted to reach the pinnacle of the game.

And now, with two Commonwealth Games silver medals under her belt, she is within touching distance of making that dream a reality.

The 27-year-old, who lives in Loughborough, is currently part of the Great Britain squad working towards the 2004 Olympics in Athens and last Sunday flew out to Australia to begin training ahead of the Champions Trophy later this month.

Jennie, who trains twice a day, said: "The one big target is the gold medal, that's why I put myself through pain every day. But I can't get too focused on it because it's a year away. I set short term goals."

One thing she and her GB colleagues must do first is qualify, although Jennie, originally from Stoke Heath, is not entertaining thoughts of failure.

"I am pretty sure we will qualify," she said. "If we don't then that will be the end of everything."

Jennie is also part of the England set up and won her first cap in 1997 and she has won silver medals at the last two Commonwealth Games.

The past 12 months have been extremely busy for the midfielder who has travelled around the world twice representing her country, including the USA and Argentina. She has also kept an internet diary for worldclasshockey.co.uk.

Among some of her other commitments have been the GB Academy Challenge in Cardiff, a test series in South Africa, the KT Cup in Korea and achieving fourth with England at the European Nations Cup in Barcelona.

Most recently, she was part of the GB side that lost 4-2 to Argentina in the final of the Tri-Nations in Buenos Aries.

But Jennie admits the sport she loves sometimes keeps her from her family life.

During a trip to the USA in October, she wrote in her website diary: "I had my heart broken on the phone today. My nearly three-year-old nephew Oliver asked if I was coming to his birthday party.

"When I told him I couldn't he burst out crying asking why? I felt so awful. I love what I do with travelling around, but it hits home when you miss family occasions."