Patterson looking to overseas

Rising high jump star Eleanor Patterson is planning to finally gain more overseas competition experience in the leadup to the Rio Olympics.

Patterson 19, is spearheading Australia's next generation of emerging track and field stars and just last week won the "One to Watch" gong at the Women in Sport awards.

She won gold medals at the 2013 world youth championships and 2014 Commonwealth Games and this year became Australia's youngest ever qualifier for a senior world championships final.

Those three competitions are the only major overseas meets the youngster from Leongatha in Victoria has so far contested.

She has gained almost as much publicity for her refusal to accept the full funding she is entitled to from Athletics Australia as she has for her excellent competition results.

Patterson has already achieved the qualifying standard for the 2016 Olympics and is considering broadening her overseas experience after the domestic eason ends early next year.

She is still planning her 2016 schedule but hinted she would look at doing some more competitions abroad.

"It was a bit harder (going overseas in the past) because I was pretty young and still at school," Patterson told AAP,

"I'll definitely work towards doing more overseas comps and being able to be overseas more."

Still very much on a learning curve, she took plenty out of the world championships in Beijing, where she finished eighth, but wasn't happy with her performance despite her age and shortage of high-level international experience.

"I definitely learnt a lot and I would have liked to have done better, but it's definItely fuelled me to improve," Patterson said.

"That was the first time I'd jumped against all those girls.

"There's always improvement with everything - no individual is perfect.

"Why I love what I do is because I just love to improve and work hard.

"I'm very much looking forward to Rio next year and just training hard to prepare and it's going to come around very quickly, no doubt."