THE Isle of Wight's Frost twins are opting out of the Island Games in Guernsey this week (June 28-July 4) to concentrate on booking their tickets to Finland next month.

The petite, blonde 19-year-olds, whose striking looks have had sponsors and model agencies flocking after them, have set their sights on 2,000 metres steeplechase success at the European Under-20 Championships in Tampere (July 24-27).

And they are hoping to cement their selection at this weekend's AAA Under-20/23s at Bedford.

Although on this occasion the Sandown-based sisters have placed personal goals ahead of Isle of Wight pride, Kathryn and her identical twin Bryony have stressed that they have no intention of neglecting their Island roots.

Kathryn explained, somewhat apologetically: "We did want to do the Island Games and we will definitely compete in them again in the future, but this is our last year as under-20s and we're hoping to concentrate on the steeplechase in Finland.

"I've already done the Island Games once and Bryony's done them twice, but sometimes things clash. It happened to me two years ago when the Games were held at the same time as the European Juniors in Italy."

Qualification for Finland should be a formality for the former Sandown High students, who are taking a year out of education to concentrate on athletics but hope to go to Loughborough University next year.

Kathryn, the elder of the pair by less than 15 minutes, broke the British record when finishing fourth at Eton two weeks ago in six minutes 50.50 seconds.

Bryony, who tends to get the better of her sister over the shorter distances, also dipped under the 6.55 European Junior qualifying mark, finishing two places adrift of Kathryn in 6.54.27.

A top-two finish at Bedford would rubber-stamp their selection, but the pair are so far ahead of their rivals that it's hard to see anyone threatening their places.

Kathryn explained: "We're the only two to have done the qualifying time so far, so it's looking as if we will go to Finland. At the moment I'm ranked seventh in Europe's under-20s, but both Bryony and I have only run one steeplechase this year, so hopefully we can go quicker."

The steeplechase is still in its infancy as a women's event, but it is due to gain international recognition at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki.

At their current rate of progress, the Frosts could be potential golden girls for the 2008 Beijing Olympics but the inseparable pair, who are coached by Geoff Watkin on the Island, are not yet certain where their future lies.

Kathryn explained: "We still like running a lot of other distances, so we're keeping our options open for the moment. It's possible we may choose different events in the end, but we're still experimenting with the distances we like."

Athletics can be a highly individual and somewhat selfish sport, but there is no sign of any inter-sister rivalry in the Frost household. As Bryony once said: "It's impossible to feel disappointed when you lose to your sister - it's better losing to Kathryn than to a stranger."

Already sponsored by Adidas, the eye-catching Frosties - dubbed the 'Kournikovas of athletics' by the national press - are now being courted by Lucozade.

Last year they reportedly turned down a £1m offer to embark on a dual modelling career, but they still do the occasional photo shoots.

"We do a bit of modelling now and then, but it doesn't take up a lot of our time," Kathryn stressed. "We don't let it interfere with our training and racing. We want to stay focused on athletics."

Other locals to watch out for at Bedford will be Basingstoke & Mid-Hants 400m man Robert Tobin, who is chasing the 46.80 A qualifying standard for the European under-23 Championships in Poland (July 17-20), and 16-year-old Winchester & District newcomer Marimba Odundo-Mendez, who is eyeing a 200m place in the World Youth Championships in Canada (July 9-13).

l Hammer thrower Andy Frost is tipped to strike gold for the Isle of Wight at the Island Games in Guernsey.

The 22-year-old from Sandown, who is no relative of the Frost twins, went fifth in the UK senior rankings with a personal best 67.35m at Eton two weeks ago - just 15cm short of the B qualifying distance for the European Under-23 Championships.

Frost, a student at St Mary's University College in Twickenham, heads a squad of 20 Guernsey-bound track and field athletes from the Isle of Wight.

Team manager Ian Ball said: "I think it'll be one of the biggest surprises of the Games if Andy doesn't get gold in the hammer and I know he really wants to get a shot medal as well."