Canberra runner Leanne Pompeani determined to qualify for World Cross Country Championships

A star junior soccer player, the athlete long had her sights on representing her country.

As fate would have it, Pompeani is looking to secure her place in a different Australian team to compete at a World Championships on home soil.

Instead of soccer, the 26-year-old has her eye on a berth at next month's Cross Country World Championships in Bathurst.

Pompeani will contest the Australian trials at Stromlo on January 15. with six athletes to be selected in the team.

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It's a different dream to the one she envisaged as a child, but it's just as special.

"Since I ran at the last World Cross Country Championships in Denmark I've been wanting to make the next one. When they announced Australia was hosting, then I really wanted to make the team," Pompeani said.

"When it got postponed due to COVID I was worried it would end up getting canned completely. Now it's on, it feels like it's coming around very quickly. It doesn't feel like long ago I started thinking about wanting to make the team.

"Being at home, I don't know if it will ever be in Australia again, I really want to make the team so my friends and family can watch in person."

Pompeani spent her teenage years in the ACT Academy of Sport and playing soccer in the Canberra Women's Premier League.

While she starred on the pitch, athletics coach Des Proctor could always see a long-distance runner in the making.

One session a week with Proctor eventually turned into two and slowly athletics became Pompeani's No.1 sport.

"I picked her out of my PE class when she was 14. She didn't decide to be a runner until she was 18. Sometimes you get lucky in who you see as teachers. I'm excited for her, she should have an interesting future," Proctor said.

Pompeani broke through for her first senior Australian title in December, winning the 10,000m race on the track.

The victory set the stage for a bumper year with the Cross Country World Championships followed by a Track and Field World Championships in Budapest.

From there, the 2024 Paris Olympics are just around the corner and Pompeani is determined to continue ticking off career goals.

"In the past it wasn't a realistic goal but this year I've realised if I go all in, I do have a chance of making these teams. Even more so now, winning the 10,000, hopefully it has given me some good ranking points," she said.

"I'd love to make the team for Budapest for the 10,000m and then the Olympics in 2024 is a huge goal. Whether that be the 10,000m or the marathon, I don't know yet."

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