Teddington becomes training ground for Olympians
Even though the 2012 London Olympics will be centred mostly at the other side of London, the games will also be having an impact here in TW11.
Bushy Park regulars may be familiar with established long distance Somali-British runner Mo Farah who trains regularly there. He will be aiming for medals in the 3,000 and 5,000m races. Locally-managed Usain Bolt is predicting that the London Olympics will coincide with the peak of his career and his existing records will fall.
Olympian rowers will also be training on the Thames at the Royal Canoe Club including bronze medal winner Tim Brabants who says “It is hard to resist the incentive of competing at a home Olympics in front of home support. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity..it’s going to be tough, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge of getting back down on the water in Teddington.”
Teddington’s Jo Pavey is resuming her running career after a break to become a mum, by aiming to run her first marathon this November in New York. Another distance runner who trains in Bushy Park, she hopes to compete at this distance at the London Olympics.
The 2012 Olympics logo for Richmond Borough has been unveiled as a combination of the controversial 2012 logo along with two Richmond Park deer and the borough name. This is available as a pin badge at the Richmond Visitor Centre – local residents who wish to show their support for the Olympics and our borough can pick these up for free.
The South African Olympic team will be training at St Mary’s College and the Lensbury Club – two of the four Olympic pre-training camp venues in the borough. St Mary’s University College has been awarded a £500,000 grant to extend its £8m sport centre project and ensure Olympic-standard sports facilities will exist in time for the games for this purpose, benefiting students and increasing sport participation long after the games travel onwards towards Brazil.
Teddington Pool is also applying for accreditation to be able to provide training facilities for paralympians which will include specialist staff training, wider gangways and specialised gym equipment.
