Tom James targets Olympic success to inspire future athletes

With a year to go until the London 2012 Olympic Games, Sport Wales is highlighting Wales' brightest athletes and coaches vying for contention to inspire the next generation of athletes to get hooked on sport.

Tom James, 27, is arguably North Wales' highest profile athlete of the moment having won a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics four years ago in the Men's Coxless Four.

After a two year break, to recuperate and concentrate on other commitments, James has returned to full training and announced himself back on the competitive circuit in style. Because James was part of a men's coxless four team that won gold at the recent Lucerne World Cup.

All roads now lead to London, and James is busy gearing up for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete on home soil, in front of his many Welsh and British fans.

Tom James said: "We've reached a significant milestone now that we're within a year to go until the London 2012 Olympics. It's countdown time for myself and all the other GB athletes who are looking forward to competing on home soil. This is going to be really special Games, with the full support of the nation spurring us on.

"After all the preparation, since Beijing, I'm really excited to be on the final stretch now and all my focus is going to be on making sure that I'm totally prepared to deliver. I'm always grateful for the support I receive from everyone back home in North Wales and hopefully more future Welsh athletes will be inspired by these Games."

After years of anticipation, since London won the bid to host the Olympic Games way back in 2005, the waiting is nearly over. Monday 25 July marked exactly a year to go until the first event of London 2012 kicks off with the women's football at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium and Wednesday 27 July coincided with the Opening Ceremony at Olympic Park.

Britain's first Olympic Games since 1948 has already begun to capture the nation's imagination and Sport Wales is hoping that the legacy of that excitement will inspire more people, especially youngsters, to take part in sport.

Sport Wales Regional Manager for North Wales, Graham Williams, said: "It's vitally important that we highlight the successes of our best elite athletes from the area, like Tom, to encourage more children and young people to get hooked on sport for life.

"With us reaching the year to go mark for London 2012 this is a golden opportunity to inspire, not just hundreds more, but thousands more people to take part in sport. Hopefully Tom can replicate his success in Beijing and we want to build on that feel-good factor to inspire a nation of champions here in Wales."