大象传媒

In August all eyes will be on Beijing for the 2008 Olympics. But who will be the sporting stars beyond that?

Lloyds TSB is sponsoring a whole host of young athletes who are hoping that they will get the chance to shine at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Five young people from across Leicestershire and Rutland have been picked out as the bank's Local Heroes.

大象传媒 Leicester's Khush Sameja has been meeting them, listen to their stories...

"I've always been a sporty person," he says. "I started at school playing rugby and football and then fell into Athletics. I found I had a talent for it and decided to give it a go."

His training regime is onerous. "I do six training sessions a week. I also have to pay attention to good nutrition. Rest and no partying are also important... all sportspersons need to have a very disciplined life. You need to manipulate every aspect of your life."

Single-mindedness is clearly very important. David says qualifying for the European Championship has been his best achievement.

David's Ambition?

"To get a medal at the London Olympics. I've been preparing for that since I was 14 or 15. Since I've developed as an athlete I really think I can achieve this.

"Every day I push myself to the limit and this will pay dividends."

David is full of praise for the Loughborough University High Performance Arena where he trains. "It's fantastic. The facilities and coaching staff听 make it an amazing place."

Meanwhile, as he freely admits, his main goal, almost obsession, is to get that Gold!

Kelly Holmes with her gold medals

Listen: Laura Samuel

Our second sporting star is long jumper Laura Samuel. Listen to her story...

Her potential was spotted when she was at primary school. "I was sent off to a club and then progressed from there...

"I started training properly when I was 9... but I only started getting to the stage I'm at today a year ago"

Laura trains at Saffron Lane and at Loughborough University. Her training sessions are in the evening so they do not interfere with her college studies.

Next year she is going to Loughborough College to study Sports Science.

Aiming High!

"I only noticed I was good at long jump about a year ago... My family are really encouraging and support me in everything."

Her sporting hero is Kelly Holmes: "She is very dedicated and kept going even when she didn't win."

Not unnaturally she wants to be an Olympian and win a Gold.

"I'm third best in the long jump in the UK in my age group. But I am bottom of that age group so I'm going to work my way up!"

Listen: Kirsty Linnett

Fourteen year-old Kirsty Linnett plays for the under 15's England team and at the Leicester Centre of Excellence and football is her passion. Listen to Kirsty's story...

"I've always been interested in football since I could kick a ball when I was four, she says. But her talent was spotted when she was seven.

"I was playing in the street and a woman down the road ran a local girls' team. She asked me to go along.

"I got involved with the Leicester Academy and then the England Scouts saw me and asked me to the England camp."

Kirsty's Dream

This is all very exciting for Kirsty, but it means a great deal of work. "Fitness is the main thing so I go for lots of runs. I do footwork... It's good to practice."

Kirsty has two more years of schooling to complete. What after that?

"I want to go to America and play football over there. It's the home of women's football."

Like all the others she has very supportive parents who take her to training sessions across the country and watch all her games.

They are very proud of her. Her dad, Dean, says, "The next stage is the under 17's team. There's a long way to go but she's got the potential."

Kirsty is in no doubt about her future. "I want to play for the England women's team - that's my dream."

Listen: Sarah Ann de Kremer

Sarah Ann de Kremer is 17 and one of the country's brightest javelin hopes. Like our other hopefuls she started young. Listen to Sarah's story...

"I've always loved sport. When I was younger I played many sports, especially at school.

"When I was nine my mum spotted an advert in听a local paper for a church hall, athletics session and went along on a Saturday. I really enjoyed it and decided to join.

"A year later I threw a foam, indoor javelin and theoretically hit the other side of the church hall. Since then I have known I have been good at it."

It's in the Genes?

Sarah does a lot of fitness training including medicine ball work as well as throwing.

Peter, her dad, is also her coach. Years ago he was an international athlete. He also used to throw the javelin. "Maybe it's in the genes," he says.

She remembers vividly the English Schools National Championships when she threw a magnificent personal best of 44m and 27cm. She was just 15 years old.

"I've always had a dream to win at the Olympics. I want to be top of the podium," she says.

Her father says, "Make no mistake, it's extremely difficult to get there. But then again she works very hard, she tries her best and she's making improvements.

"If she can stay away from injuries, who knows what might happen!"

Look out for our sporting heroes at the London 2012 Olympics. How many Gold medals will we bring home to Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland?