Going for Gold

In the countdown to London's 2010 Olympic Games, BHM profiles three of our brightest young hopefuls going for gold......

Leon Rattigan - Freestyle Wrestling

What Was Your Inspiration To Take Up Your Sport?
My coach saw my physique and knew I could be a good wrestler. He told me to give it a go and I have been wrestling ever since.

What are your interests outside of sport? I like to read, watch films at the cinema and spend time with friends and family.

In your mind, what's the most memorable moment of past Olympics/Paralympics?
For me it was when I was in the stadium at Beijing 2008 Olympics and the USA 55kg wrestler won the gold medal. It told me it doesn't matter where you are from in the world it's how hard you work.

What three words best describe you?
Honest, hard-working, determined

Who should light the flame for London 2012?
It should be Kelly Holmes, but if it was a non-British athlete I would have to go with Usain Bolt.

Ros Mason - Basketball

What was your inspiration to take up your sport?
Like many sports that I tried, I found I really enjoyed basketball and adjusted to the new skills with ease.

What are your interests outside of sport?
I enjoy relaxing with a good book, watching Family Guy, chilling with old school friends and hanging out in the city.

In your mind, what's the most memorable moment of past Olympics/Paralympics?
Seoul 1998 or any race which late Florence Griffith-Joyner ran in the 100m, as a youngster I dreamt I would run for our GB athletics team.

Three Words best describe you?
Quiet, committed, strong.

Who should light the flame for London 2012?
Dame Kelly Holmes, Colin Jackson, Denise Lewis or maybe all three.

Anyika Onuora - Athelete

What was your inspiration to take up your sport?
I was a fan of athletics so I was encouraged to take up track and field through my P.E. school teacher.

What are your interests outside of sport?
I like to spend a lot of time reading, especially when I am travelling and I also do some coaching with children in teaching them about the sport and sprinting. I'm also a huge fan of Liverpool FC as well as the LA Lakers.

In your mind, what's the most memorable moment of past Olympics/Paralympics?
Watching Christine Ohuruogu win Olympic Gold in Beijing 2008

. What three words best describe you?
Competitive, powerful, crazy.

Who should light the flame for London 2012?
Christine Ohuruogu.

Olympic Facts

The Official Olympic Flag was created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1914, the Olympic flag contains five interconnected rings on a white background. The five rings symbolise the five significant continents and are interconnected to symbolise the friendship to be gained from these international competitions. The rings, from left to right, are blue, yellow, black, green, and red. The colors were chosen because at least one of them appeared on the flag of every country in the world. The Olympic flag was first flown during the 1920 Olympic Games.

The Motto
In 1921, Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, borrowed a Latin phrase from his friend, Father Henri Didon, for the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius ("Swifter, Higher, Stronger").

The Creed
The Olympic Creed reads: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

The Flame
The Olympic flame is a practice continued from the ancient Olympic Games. In Olympia (Greece), a flame was ignited by the sun and then kept burning until the closing of the Olympic Games. The flame first appeared in the modern Olympics at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. The flame represents a number of things, including purity and the endeavor for perfection.

Real Gold Medals
The last Olympic gold medals that were made entirely out of gold were awarded in 1912.

Opening Ceremony Procession Order
During the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the procession of athletes is always led by the Greek team, followed by all the other teams in alphabetical order (in the language of the hosting country), except for the last team which is always the team of the hosting country.

A City, not a Country
When choosing locations for the Olympic Games, the IOC specifically gives the honor of holding the Games to a city rather than a country.

The First Marathon
In 490 BCE, Pheidippides, a Greek soldier, ran from Marathon to Athens (about 25 miles) to inform the Athenians the outcome of the battle with invading Persians. The distance was filled with hills and other obstacles; thus Pheidippides arrived in Athens exhausted and with bleeding feet. After telling the townspeople of the Greeks' success in the battle, Pheidippides fell to the ground dead. In 1896, at the first modern Olympic Games, a race of approximately the same length was held in commemoration of Pheidippides.