During a comeback from injury in 2007, Breen dyed her long blond locks brown.

''I hadn't raced, I was coming back from injury: it was all part of being the dark horse. It was all part of the psychological advantage,'' she said.

In March she cut her locks to a shaggy bob but continues to maintain her dramatic dark mane.

Breen is unwilling to discuss her successes and her goals, fearing it could limit her achievements.

As she relaxed at her family home in Kambah yesterday, she attributed her athletic performances to ''a little sprinting talent''.

Breen ran 11.33 seconds over 100m last month in a club meet, making her the fastest woman in Australia this year, beating Olympic silver medallist Sally McLellan's 11.41sec.

Breen ''got serious'' about sprinting after her last Pacific School Games in 2005.

''I came second in [the] 100, broke the record in the heats and was beaten in [the] final,'' she said.

She didn't like the feeling.

At last week's Pacific School Games competition she won the 100m and 200m and was part of the winning 4x100 relay.

''I will run it [100m] in under 11 seconds, but I'm in no rush,'' she said without a hint of irony, alluding to her youth and the possibility of 10 years of competition ahead of her, if she stays injury free.

Breen is motivated by her athletic expiration date.

''It's to make my family proud. I would do anything for my family ... I have the opportunity that my nan and other women didn't have,'' she said. '' I've been given these genetics and it's my job to make the most of them.''

Her 100m time makes her the 10th fastest Australian woman, ahead of Cathy Freeman and Melinda Gainsford-Taylor at the same age.

Breen trains six days a week. Sunday is her training-free day and Mondays involve two hours of trackwork and two hours at the gym.

The decision to cut funding support for sprints and relays means the Olympic hopeful's parents are paying $8000 to $10,000 a year to fund their daughter's dream.

Bev Breen said the family was forsaking family holidays to pay coach Matt Beckenham and for flights to competitions.

Melissa Breen said, ''It's kind of sad that they [Australian Institute of Sport] aren't getting behind the sprinters, but that's not going to stop me from running fast. My family is behind me 100 per cent.

''I'm very lucky to have the opportunities I have but it's hard to not have that support of AIS.''

The dark horse may have to admit she is a golden girl sooner than she thinks.