Zhou taking short track to success

While most girls her age are preoccupied with the annual university entrance exam, 17-year-old Zhou Yang has more daunting obstacles to overcome: Lycra-wrapped speed skaters from neighboring South Korea.

Zhou, the new backbone of China's women's short track speed skating team, has already established her dragon-slaying credentials by beating the country's archrivals to claim the coveted world No 1 status in the 1,500m.

Now nothing short of gold at next year's Vancouver Olympics will suffice as she continues her upward trajectory at the sport.