03/04/2012 Sport Nation

Welcome to one are the biggest and most influential cities in the

world, and this year it is also the Olympic city, and we are here to

look at Scotland's Olympic dreams. Yes, we bring you the stories of

the Scottish men and women hoping to become heroes this summer.

Some have travelled to Kenya to train for glory, but can at our

athletes run into the medals? must make sure I get there. If I

can get to the final five will be very happy. In swimming, hopes are

high for one of our most talented teams in years. To be able to take

part in something that will be quite big in history book Great

Britain, it is great to be a part of it. We meet the two Daniels had

been to be the first ever Scots to win gymnastics medals. If you are

not ready, one bad landing can be a major disaster. I cannot explain

how I feel. I am in the gym every day working hard to try to nail it.

He has overcome club fought and cancer. Now one man is growing at

the Olympics. This is my chance to become a champion in the sport and

potentially go to home games and and win a gold medal. It is

definitely a second chance and I am grabbing it with everything. And we

ask what does Gotland think about the Games? Do you feel part of the

biggest show on earth? The London Olympics this year will be a great

event for everybody to enjoy it and spectate from a bar or in person.

As far as London is concerned, it is exciting for them, put the

ripple effect has not reach me yet. But first, he will shine for

Scotland this summer? Who are the stars most likely to bring back

gold medals? Paralympic correspondent, Aung San Suu Kyi,

has been tracking down some of Scotland's biggest contenders. --

our correspondent, Kheredine Idsan. Sadly, none of the games are likely

to feature many a Scottish athletes here, as track-and-field is not one

of our sports at the moment. So we need to think growing. And tennis.

And of course, cycling. Chris Hoy is the Olympic gold medallist. The

Olympic sprint champion. He has won three here and in three different

races. Even good things come in threes, Scotland has a trio of top

contenders for Olympic gold this This would be the end of my Olympic

career and to win another Olympic gold medal, or two or three are

ideally, inventor of a home crowd, it is something not many athletes

get the opportunity to do, never mind win a gold medal but to get to

compete in front of a home crowd. It is a massive jams and would be

everything. Every Olympic Games has been amazing so far but it would be

They do not dig out the medals just because it would be nice to get one.

-- either out the medals. Be genuinely have to learn it on the

date and the display have pawns -- happens on the day but you really

You are playing for your country and that is what makes it that

little bit more special. You play the Davis Cup and stuff in the

tennis and it is a different feeling because you are playing for

18. I'd been out tennis has got very big in the Olympics. I will

try and at the Lee win Wimbledon and the Olympics this year! --

hopefully win. I can cry like Roger. It is just a

shame I cannot play like him! the pain of defeat, the emotion of

having to settle for silver, it is tears of joy that Scotland's stars

now hope to shed from the top of This is the Olympic park where

construction is almost complete and anticipation is enormous that this

could be one of the best Olympic Games ever.

The is that has gone and feels? With just under four months to go,

would you say you have been gripped by an Olympic Games diva? David

McDaid has been finding out. -- fever.

Seven years in the making. More than �11 billion spent on new

infrastructure. The game's of the And the people of the nation's

capital are getting ready. To welcome athletes and fans from all

corners of the globe. It is not long now until London hosts the

biggest show on earth. We're told it is an Olympic Games for the

whole United Kingdom but research indicates that people in Scotland

feel less engaged with London 2012 than those in other parts of the UK.

Clearly there is the challenge of something which is mainly based in

London, engaging the whole country, but my sense is that the whole

country is engaged. You look at the benefits that the Games has brought,

not just to London but across the UK, in terms of business contracts,

the Cultural Olympiad, there are events, at football at Hampden Park,

the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, volunteers come from across the

country. So there is a whole range of things which are not just London

focused. The organisers have made efforts to bring London 2012 around

the British Isles. Last month, Glasgow hosted music nation, part

of the Cultural Olympiad. And the torch relay will take the Olympic

flame within an hour's drive of 95 % of the country. So how do some of

the people along be reached view the London 2012 Olympics?

Olympics this year will be a great event for everybody to enjoy and to

spectate, from a bar or in person. -- from afar. We will be getting

really excited. I do not think many people will relate to the Olympics,

being so far away. I think it will be one of the big things in my life.

It is very interesting. It is just so far away that it does not feel

like we are connected. I do not like it. I will not be going. On a

watch it on TV. The issue is being British but it is nothing to get

excited about. As far as London is concerned, it is exciting for them,

but the ripple effects has not reach me yet. It is good Brindisi

Great Britain crossing the line first, or second all that. -- when

you see Great Britain. Some of those opinions may explain the

ticket sales for the football matches due to be held here, at

Hampden Park. They will go back on sale later this month. And of the

�6 billion Olympic contracts, has Scotland fare? We will see tens of

millions of pounds flowing into Scrooges businesses, and that is

good news. We would always which Paul Moore and certainly there are

still opportunities out there between now and the games and we

are encouraging our members to bid for as many contracts as possible.

I want you to design a torch for the Olympics. But the demographic

organisers want to engage more than any other is the young. At this

primary school Ian Paisley Bay are more excited than most. I am a bit

annoyed because I will be in Florida so I might not get his seat

on the TV. How excited are you out of ten? About an eight. I even like

the Olympics more than my birthday and Christmas. This is our torch

and we have red, white and blue army to represent the Union Jack.

The is for the Olympics so we have the Olympic rings. Every one of the

stripes represents the torch our use of friendship, peace and unity.

At any Olympics, athletics is the blue Riband event. It is the major

draw at any games. The last spot to win gold on the track was Alan

Wells way back in 1980. In fact, Scots Olympic athletes who are

becoming something of a rare breed. I set out to find out why.

From debt tracks in Kenya... To the best facilities in Bath. Two Scots

athletes with the same Olympic dreams. And this is the ultimate

prize. Scotland's last Olympic gold medallist, Alan Wells. But that was

32 years ago. Since then, Scots achieving in the Olympics have been

few and far between. Probably the most important thing is to have

professional coaches. That is very important. Ketches that can

motivate. Ketches that understand the system, how to bring an athlete

forward to world class. So I travelled to bat to meet Eilidh

Child, who has quit her job back home to train with a carriage with

immense experience at the University of Bath. Malcolm Arnold

is a legend in UK Athletics coaching but he says Scottish

athletics is now a conspicuous absence on the world stage. It is

not helped by the recent departure of not one but two Scotland had

cringes. E it is a constant thought, what has happened to Scottish

athletics? There has been a fair amount of turmoil among the leaders

of the sport at the last two or three years, which is not good for

the participants. Athletes and coaches need some body too trusting.

There does not seem to be too much trust. Training alongside the

Eilidh Child is the world's champion winning Dai Greene, and

Natasha Danvers. Everyone is so down-to-earth and humble. They are

just normal people, although they have done extraordinary Earth --

extraordinary things in their sport. You think, he is they have done

that then why can't I do as well as they have done? A big aimed for me

would be to get into that final. Malcolm and I think that would be a

realistic aim but it would also be challenging and tough. Everybody

always says when you get to the final anything could happen. I will

have to win each rank like it is my final to make sure I get there but

if I can get to that final I will be very happy. From bat to Kenya,

and Steph Twell, recovering well from a devastating leg-break at the

start of last year. And in this training camp, there is the added

bonus of training alongside Mo Farah, amongst others. It is

amazing to be alongside such great athletes. I am here amongst

athletes are planning to go to the Olympics training alongside them

and it is great to be socialising with them and sparing our

experiences. You have trails down to the track, or you can go a bit

further out and went for miles and miles along gorges red dirt tracks,

which are really good under foot. You can explore all these different

rails. It is quite a big gymnasium and at certain times of the day it

can get really busy. We do exercises to control posture. It is

really important especially towards the end of race. Now we are in the

lounge, where we like to chill. spend a lot of time here, speaking

to my wife and daughter on Skype. Be is a good opportunity for us to

come here after a trainee and put the telly on and watch a bit of

football. The motivation of London around the corner, all the hard

work that might kedge and I put in is finally coming to fruition so

for me it is about picking up where I left off and just believing that

I have had injuries in the past and I have dealt with them so I will

come back from this one as well. That is the building where we think

we will see some Scottish medals this summer. It is the Aquatics

Centre. We cannot get in because some athletes are training their.

Team GB swimming help their Olympic trials there last month and five

Scots qualified. Here is Kheredine With its space-age design, the

Olympic aquatic session -- centre looks pretty impressive from the

outside. But it is even better when you get poolside. The aquatic

centre is where the cream of Scottish swimming hopes to achieve

a lifetime's ambition and win an Olympic medal in the poll. To find

the last Scot to achieve that, you have to go back a few years.

It was Olympic bronze for Graeme Smith, Scotland's only medallist at

the 1996 Atlanta Games. How is the class of 2012 shaping up? One star

pupil already has a world- championship silver and is clearly

capable of an Olympic medal. It is in your home territory. You know

that you will have a home crowd behind you. It is really exciting

to be able to take part in something that is going to be a big

part of history for Britain. Managing expectations is also part

of the paternal coaching plan. my experience, it is all down to

what is in your head. I have huge confidence in Hannah's ability. She

is extremely prepared and capable, probably the most professional

athlete I know. I watch many people from around the world, and she's a

pat seers all of them. I am not sure why. -- she so passes.

Hannah's reward for winning the trials, an interview with a silver

medallist who sees history repeating itself. Sharron Davies

finishes in second place! She is doing my events, coached by her

father, and I was coached by my father. I know exactly what is

going through her head. Her chances are good. Anything can happen once

you're in the final. It will be a hard race, as it always is. It is

not going to come easy, but she is one of the toughest that I know.

Adhere is another tough cookie. -- and here is.

He is working to make the step up from Commonwealth champion two

Olympic contender. When you are in the final, anything can happen. I'm

not going to say that I will get the gold medal because it will be

very hard, but at the last Olympics, I was just a spectator. I made two

finals, so this time, I will really be competitive and hopefully come

away with one. I love the way he swims. He has been trained in very

well. -- training very well. I think he is a superstar and he is a

lovely guy. I would love to see and do well. If he does his best, he

has a shot. The medals will be very hard to come by. It is tough when

you're just 17. Craig Benson was second. 60.7, he has made it.

have just set a new Scottish record. I have as well! I did not even

realise. Wow, that is a massive achievement. Craig Spence and

surprised everyone by qualifying for the Olympics. -- Craig Benson.

Including a gold medallist in his event, he was looking at him in the

long term. I believe he is good. He should be in games after Rio, at

his age. If he is achieving those events in between, that is good.

the moment, all eyes on London. With 17,500 spectators inside the

aquatic Centre, expect performances of a lifetime.

The focus here has been on the household names, from whom we have

already heard. But in gymnastics, we are confident of bringing back

medals to Scotland. I have heard from two men called Daniel, old

going into the lion's den. This is Daniel Purves, in 2010 he won

bronze at both the European and world championships. Last year, he

was world No. 1. All this in a sport that is tougher than it looks.

Even the best in the world must practise until they drop. Don't be

fooled by his accent. His mother is from Dundee. If you have already,

one bad landing and that could be in major disaster, so you have to

be focused. When we are training, we do three routines every day. It

is the third routine that is hard. Once you get off the pommel horse,

you cannot feel your arms. You have to rest before the next routine.

Day-in, day-out, you are pushing it. That is why gymnastics is artistic.

We try to make it look elegant. That was Daniel Keatings, whose

parentage meant that he could represent Scotland in the Twenties

-- 2006 Commonwealth Games. In 2009, he really arrived on the world

stage, becoming the first Brit to win a medal at the World gymnastics

Championships. That was silver in the all-round competition. 2010

also started well. I became European champion on the pommel

horse. Two days later went back into training, and I snapped a

ligament in my right knee. When I did it, I thought that was going to

be career-ending. But I kept thinking positively and within a

few months, I was back on my feet, training hard. Fully recovered by

the world championships last year, a disastrous performing --

disasters a four month -- a disastrous performance from him

meant that the Olympic event this year was the last chance for the

man to qualify for London. It was nerve-racking. All I could think of

was about the fall had had. I put in a good routine and you could see

the relief on my face once I landed. It is like being at a football

match, the crowd are going behind you. It improves your performance.

With a fully funded full-time training programme with coaches,

nutritionists and doctors, our gymnasts have enjoyed unprecedented

success since the last Olympics. But that is only part of the

explanation. A big factor is team spirit. I think it helps. It gives

you the belief that maybe we can do it. Over the years, British

gymnastics has not been immediately strong at world level. I think the

people behind us will be even more confident because of what we have

achieved. Hopefully it will get better and better. Gymnastics is an

individual sport but it is also a team competition. It is great to

stay together as a team. If we see people doing good routines, it puts

our confidence up and we push off each other. That is why we get good

results. With the GB team happily qualified, the two Daniels have

passed hoping. They expect to become the first Scot to win medals

in gymnastics. It creates pressure. You have to put it to the back of

your mind. I can get my head down and get training. I have done this

100 times in training, so we just need to do it once now. If I get a

good result, I can think about everything afterwards. We are

contenders but we have to keep our feet on the ground and focus. It is

easy to get injured. That can ruin your chances. The way I see it,

every session counts. I were a lot the gold, an Olympic medal in

London, that would be the biggest thing ever. I cannot explain how I

would feel about getting that, and that is why I am working 110% every

day to make the dream become a reality.

It has been quite a journey for another Scottish person travelling

to London this summer. Taking part in paralympic rowing is Dave Smith

from Newtonmore. He has overcome clubfoot and cancer of the spine

but he has a very realistic chance of winning gold.

Dave Smith is rare. He is a current World Champion in adaptor of rowing

but before his involvement in Paralympic sport, he had been well

on the way to the able-bodied 2006 Olympics in an entirely different

sport. I was on the squad for the bobsleigh team leading up to the

Olympics. I was set on going to those games. My body was shutting

down and they did not know what was wrong with me. It looked like I had

been over-training, and I remember going home and, that was it, I had

trained my whole life of those Olympics, and I knew we were not

going to win a medal, but the top 15 might have been good. It was

heartbreaking. While recuperating in Edinburgh, a physiotherapist

told him that he would qualify for the Paralympic squad. I was born

with a disability, club for it. I spent the first three years of my

life learning to walk in special plaster cast, which has left my

left -- right leg fuse that the ankle. I have no flexibility in a

rectangle. -- fused at the ankle. The decision to take up adaptive

rowing saved days's life. If I had not come here, I would never have

found a tumour. It was my physio who discovered it, and decent for

the MRI scan. If I had not made the decision to come here, I dread to

think where I make have been today. -- and sent for the MRI scan. It

could have been a different story. From what I heard, I might not have

been able to move from the neck down. The tumour was in David's

spine. It was successfully removed in 2010 and his recovery has been

so successful that one year later, he was a World Champion and

targeting London. Our boat is a minimal disability boat. We have

two visually impaired athletes and two physically impaired athletes.

We have to balance the male and female relationships within the

team. He went through a difficult patch in the 2010 season. I think

that now we're able to see him come back up and he is so positive about

everything. He is such an amazing person to train with because every

day he makes me laugh about something, just during training. He

left morale. When this came along, it was a second chance and I would

not change anything. It has fallen at just the right time. That is

just amazing. It is a dream come true. My whole twenties was held

back by this, so this has been a real chance for me. I could

potentially go to my home games and hopefully win a gold medal, yeah,

that is what second chances are made of and I'm grabbing it with

everything. Good luck to all the athletes

taking part in London 2012. We will have all the Olympic news

for you across TV, radio and online throughout the Games. Sport Nation