Vale teens given golden chance to meet elite Olympians

Teenagers from the Vale of Glamorgan had an amazing insight into the life of elite athletes earlier this week when they were given the chance to meet some of the Olympic hopefuls from across the world who are training in Wales.

Trinidad and Tobago, Botswana and New Zealand are among 21 countries whose Olympic and Paralympic teams are basing themselves in various parts of Wales for their pre-games training camps, spending valuable time adapting to the UK and making their final preparations for the London 2012 Games.

Pupils from Ysgol Bro Morgannwg and Llantwit Major Comprehensive School were among a small group of school children who were able to meet the teams at a special training session and media day that was being held at the Cardiff International Sports Stadium in Leckwith on Tuesday 17 July.

In between being quizzed by national and international media about their first impressions of Wales and medal hopes for London, the athletes took time out to sign autographs for the children, pose for some memorable photographs and take part in a question and answer session. Also present was Brett Morse, the former Stanwell pupil from Penarth who will be competing for Team GB in the discus.

Delighted with the day, Ysgol Bro Morgannwg’s Head of PE Richard Chidley said: “This was an excellent opportunity for our pupils to see world-class athletes performing really close up. Our school has links with Trinidad and Tobago thanks to a British Council initiative that saw us start to develop relationships with a school over there, so it was great to see and meet some of their athletes.”

Two year nine boys from Llantwit Major Comprehensive School also got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to quiz the track and field stars. Richard Dangerfield and Kieran Gray are working on a school journalism project about the Olympic Games in Wales, and the budding reporters interviewed several of the athletes including Trinidadian sprinter Semoy Hackett, New Zealand Paralympic athlete Holly Robinson, and two athletes who became the world junior champions in their events earlier this month - Botswana 800m runner Nijel Amos and Trinidadian javelin sensation Keshorn Walcott.

Richard was particularly excited to meet Keshorn, as he is a fellow javelin thrower and is the current Welsh number one in the under-15 age group. After a morning spent testing out his journalism skills, Richard said: “In participating in the media session, we were able to gain valuable exclusive interview time to put forward our questions as well as watching media professionals at work. The positivity of the athletes and the media made for a really enjoyable experience.”

Richard added: “We also spoke to young Trinidadian sailor Andrew Lewis who provided us with a really insightful interview by explaining how he has set up a club in his home village that coaches disadvantaged children about the fundamental aspects of sailing, teaching them determination, sportsmanship and respect. Similarly, other athletes also agreed that the values of the Olympics inspired their interest in their chosen disciplines from an early age.”

The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Team are basing themselves in the Vale of Glamorgan as they prepare for the London 2012 Games, making them the obvious choice to be your second favourite team to follow this summer. They arrived in Wales last week and will spend just over another week here before moving on to the Olympic Village in London.

You can find out more about the benefits the London 2012 Games are bringing to Wales at www.walesin2012.com, while you can keep up to date with the latest community sports and play news from the Vale of Glamorgan by following @valesportsnews on Twitter.