County duo on elite course

10:33am Friday 19th January 2007

TWO Worcestershire teena-gers were among a group of rising sports stars from across the Midlands who attended the first ever National Talent Orientation Camp.

Rower Zoe Thompson from Kidderminster and triathlete Rhys Davey from Malvern joined around 100 other hand-picked youngsters to spend four days at Loughborough University learning from elite performers including Olym-pic, Paralympic, World and European champions.

Sporting greats including Dame Kelly Holmes gave the 14 to 17-year-olds a unique insight into the world of performance sport, while a marketplace of Higher Education Institutions advised them on the academic opportunities available.

The aim of the camp was to prepare the young athletes from five Olympic sports - cycling, canoeing, sailing, rowing and triathlon - for the many personal, sporting, academic and vocational challenges that lie ahead now and beyond the London Olympics in 2012.

Davey said: "My time at the camp has been fantastic because of the different workshops, meeting the Olympians and more than anything, meeting the good friends I have made.

"My dream is to reach the stars. I don't know yet whether the stars will be winning Olympic golds or an Olympic medal, making the team or winning the national championships. Whatever they turn out to be, I know I am determined to reach them."

Thompson: "I was selected by Kelly Holmes as a person who shone' for good leadership skills, helping out in challenging situations and voicing opinions.

"This in turn helped me in confidence, as it proved to me that these skills are useful in sport. I have been amazed, motivated and inspired to achieve my goal."

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