Published: Thursday, 28th August, 2008 16:00
Past heroes keep flag flying high
By Annabel Williams
Comments (0)
Print Article
Raising our game: Community members and past Olympians got together to hoist a flag high in Reading, echoing similar ceremonies across the country.
Pic by: Jon Mikol
PAST Olympians helped mark the UK’s status as the next host of the games by hoisting a flag high in Reading.
A ceremony took place at Palmer Park Sports Stadium in Reading on Sunday and also involved Reading Mayor Cllr Peter Beard, councillors and well-wishers.
Among the former sports men and women was Tilehurst’s Simone Jacobs, who competed in games between 1984-96, winning a bronze medal in the 4x100m relay in the 1984 event in Los Angeles.
Miss Jacobs, who started out at Reading Athletics Club and now works with young people as an early prevention link worker for West Berkshire Council, said: “I’d advise anyone training for London 2012 to keep focused.
“That’s something people find difficult when they get injured, you have to find a good balance between your strength and your training.
“When you’re training six days a week it can be tough, but you have to stay focused, stay strong.”
Lucy Perrett competed in the 1980 Moscow Olympics in the K1 kayaking class, and again in the K2 and K4 classes in Los Angeles.
Miss Perrett, who lives in Bracknell, said: “Competing in the games is partly nerve-wracking, partly something special, something you never forget.
“I would tell anyone hoping to compete in 2012 that four years is a long time. There are going to be lots of ups and downs between now and then and so it helps to focus on things in between.
"I think events like the flag raising today bring people together, it’s good to see people who have competed in the Olympics before because it shows it’s achievable.”
Also at the ceremony was Chris Phillips, who competed in the 1988 Paralympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, winning gold in the 25m butterfly race.
Chris, who has Downs Syndrome, hopes to bag more gold medals when he competes in the World Championships in Portugal in November.
Beverley Callender, who was known as Beverley Goddard when she won bronze in Moscow in the 4x100m and again in Los Angeles, was also on hand to help Cllr Beard read a list of Britain’s Beijing medal winners.
A Chinese dragon presented Cllr Beard with the Olympic flag, made up of brothers Josh, 12, and seven-year-old Harrison Yates, and siblings Benjamin, aged nine, and seven-year-old Oliver Clark, who were chosen on the day from youngsters playing in nearby Palmer Park for the ceremony.
There were also celebrations in Wokingham where deputy mayor Cllr Barrie Patman raised the Olympic Flag at the council’s Shute End offices, joined by Team GB trampolinists Katie, Liam and Ross Abrahams from Wokingham and gymnasts Shaun Gregory and Louisa Bellis, also from Wokingham.
Sports development manager Beverley Thompson said: “In the Wokingham borough we have a number of Olympic hopefuls and many of our athletes are in the national squads in their chosen fields.
“Many of them would love to star in the games in four years’ time and I would be delighted to see some of them picking up Olympic medals in front of a home crowd.
“The games are happening close to the Wokingham borough and I know there is much support for them locally.”
Further Details
