JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- South African sprinter Evette de Klerk has turned down a $900,000 sponsorship offer by a British talent scout to run in Britain.
The 18-year-old student clocked 22.76 seconds for the 200 meters at a track meet last week, setting an all-Africa record and the fastest time in the world this year.
De Klerk did not name the talent scout who made the sponsorship offer or the company involved.
'I feel I am too young to compete overseas at present,' said de Klerk who is engaged to be married next year.
'My roots are in South Africa and I'm happy with what I'm doing here. At the moment I'm well content to compete on South African athletics tracks,' she said.
Zola Budd, the former South African middle distance runner, took British citizenship earlier this month in an attempt to run for Britain in this year's Olympic Games.
