Teen sprinter Eddie Osei-Nketia concedes that public attention may be too much for him, as he bids to make his way in competitive athletics.
After bursting onto the scene last year, the 18-year-old has quickly become one of the most anticipated athletes in New Zealand, winning the Australian national 100m title.
His immense promise was seen again last September, missing out on a semi-final spot at the World Athletics Championships in Doha by just 0.01 seconds against senior sprinters.
However, the son of former New Zealand sprinter Gus Nketia looked far from his best at last night's Potts Classic in Hastings, finishing second in the 100m.
The 18-year-old managed a time of 10.41 seconds to finish behind Hamish Gill (10.40), down on his personal best of 10.19 seconds.
Speaking to media after the race, Osei-Nketia opened up about the lingering effects of the added spotlight.
"The attention on me is a little bit too much of going up to people's expectations," he said.
"The only thing I can do is just do what I can do.
"I think I'm just going to talk to my coach, rather than jumping to conclusions."
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