ISRAELI athlete Erez Aisenberg is aiming to take another step to Olympic glory when he competes in the Millenium Waterfronts Triathlon at Salford Quays on Sunday.

The 17-year-old is over here staying with his uncle and aunt in Prestwich on only his second visit to this country.

It will be the first time the Israeli Under-18 champion and Under-20 runner-up has competed in this country, but great things are expected of him.

"Erez wants to compete in the 2008 Olympics," said his uncle, Gerry Greenberg.

"He has two brothers who were also good sportsmen, but Erez is the one everyone thinks will go far."

And Gerry will be extra proud if Erez achieves his aim of representing either England or Wales in the Olympic Games. For Gerry's father hails from Wales, as does the former national newspaper sports journalist.

"Erez is trying for a British passport through his family connections," explained Gerry. "My sister Lydia, Erez's mother, was born in Birmingham and our father is Welsh."

Erez lives on the Mishmar Haemek kibbutz near Haifa and paid his own way over here. He even brought his own £1,000 bike and will be covering 20 kilometres on that, followed by an 800 metres swim in Salford Quays dock and ,finally, a five kilometre run over the Commonwealth Games course in his sprint event.

Erez can't compete at senior level until he is 20. Then the distances will double in his triathlon disciplines.

Obviously, Sydney next month is out of the question and Athens in 2004 has already been ruled out by Erez, even though he will be 21 by then.

"I will only have been competing at senior level for a year by then, so it will still be too soon," said Erez, who is also on the look-out for sponsors to help offset the thousands it costs every year for travel and equipment.

So 2008 is the goal -- and a good performance in Salford on Sunday will go a long way to helping him realise his Olympic dream.