By Leonard Lim

THE first time she stepped into the Singapore Sports School, Liang Wei was clutching a small bat, and harbouring dreams of being picked for its table tennis team.

The sport was her first love and, having represented Fuchun Primary for several years in the Schools National competition, she was quietly confident of her chances of making the squad.

Thinking there was time to spare that afternoon in August 2005, she joined a friend for an hour at the Sports School's running track, where athletics trials were also going on.

But, by the time she got to the indoor hall, the table tennis trials were long over. Her hopes dashed, the 12-year-old was a wreck for days, until she received a phone call.

'It was the Sports School's athletics academy asking me to go for a second trial,' Liang Wei, who is now 16, recalled. 'My heart jumped, I never expected it.'

She impressed the selectors again, was invited for a third trial and then an interview, before being offered a place.

Since joining the Sports School in 2006, she has won gold medals in the Schools National 100m in the C (2007) and B (2009) Divisions.

And tomorrow, on the opening day of the Asian Youth Games track and field competition, the accidental athlete will line up on the 100m start line at the Bishan Stadium as Singapore's fastest girl in her age group.

It will be her biggest competition but, true to her spunky nature, she remains unfazed. The target is to go under her personal best of 12.50 seconds, set in March at a Singapore Athletic Association All-Comers Meet.

Since 2007, the Secondary 4 student has held the national Under-15 record in the blue-riband event, having bettered by a hundredth of a second the 12.75sec mark set by Mona Kunalan 21 years before.

The tomboyish teenager is next aiming to better Balpreet Kaur's national U-21 mark (12.23).

Her 1.60m height means stride length is a weak point, but her speed comes from her high-stride frequency.

Those who have seen her develop point to her slightly rebellious nature as a key reason for her success.

'She's very gutsy and has a strong competitive fire,' said Jenny Lim, the Sports School's track and field academy general manager.

However, her defiant streak has landed her in trouble - she was once sent home by teachers after arriving in school with purple-highlighted hair.

But her father Jin Wen pointed out that she has since matured.

'She used to be very mischievous. I'm glad she has toned down,' said the 42-year-old hawker.

The family live in a five-room Woodlands flat. Mother Feng Wei, 40, helps her husband out at his stall, while brother Eddie, 17, is studying.

There are, however, still signs of Liang Wei's reluctance to conform to social norms. In contrast to most other teenage girls, her hair is spiked. The left side of her head is shaved and the letters 'LW' are visible above her ears.

'I decided to do something different. I didn't want the same style as everyone else,' she said.

Coach Pedro Acuna's strict nature has helped keep her in check. The pair spend about 13 hours a week together in training, with two rest days.

According to Acuna, to get faster, she needs to keep her head down and quicken her arm swing.

Weekends are usually free, and Liang Wei spends them shopping or watching horror or thriller movies - the last one she caught was Angels and Demons.

She still keeps that table tennis bat from four years ago, and plays the sport recreationally.

But it is sprinting, and a particular Usain Bolt, that have captured her heart.

Would she slow down at the end of a race if she were leading comfortably, like the Jamaican 100m world-record holder did at last year's Beijing Olympics?

'Of course not, I can't afford to,' she shot back.

'Not yet anyway.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.