Sally Gunnell Looking Forward To London 2012

Sally Gunnell raced to Olympic gold in 1992 in Barcelona as she took the 400m hurdles title. But now she is getting being the Pay Your Age scheme for the 2012 London Olympics.

- London 2012 has just released the tickets prices and with it the Pay Your Age scheme so can you tell me a bit about it?

What it does is it allows people to go as a family and be able to afford to go as a family - sometimes there are five or six of us and it can become a really expensive day out.

The Pay Your Age scheme is just means that it's a cheaper way of doing things - if you are under sixteen you literally pay your age so for my three boys they will be paying fourteen pounds, eleven pounds and seven pounds.

For those who are over sixty then you just pay £16 so if you are taking grandparents they just pay £16 or the grandparents can go and take the three youngsters if need be (laughs)

- With these lower ticket prices, particularly for children, what are your hopes for this scheme and getting kids involved with the Olympics?

I just think it's giving people to see an event that is a once in a lifetime experience - I always say that it's the biggest show on earth it really is amazing. It inspires people and it inspires children and I believe that it's something that every child should have an opportunity to do, to see or be part of in some way.

What's so good about these events is you get an opportunity to  go and see some of the events that you probably don't always see it's just as exciting to be in that stadium to see volleyball or triathlon and that can inspire people.

- The 2012 Games are creeping ever closer so as an ex-athlete yourself this is something that you must be excited about? And what do you hope that the Olympics will do for sport in this country?

As an ex-athlete it's a fantastic opportunity I have run at an Olympics and I've been to seen an Olympics and I just think that if you get that opportunity then everyone should do it because it is amazing.

I would love to see as many people inspired as possible, and not just kids, I would love for adults to think actually I want to be active and healthy and lead a much more positive lifestyle and I really do think that these games will do that.

It will be great to think that people will get out there and start going to gyms or running or dancing, whatever it is, but just be more active within their everyday life.

- There has been some criticism surrounding the Games and the cost but how can a home Olympics impact on getting kids into sport - what with obesity on the rise?

Yeah. I think that there has been a lot of negativity talk about it but I think that it has changed recently and I have noticed how people are being much more positive about it and realising that we are going to do this well and we are nearly finished - and that's not just in the London area but I have noticed that around the whole of the UK.

I think what will happen, and how kids will get involved, is there will be projects going on at school, people going through coaching schemes to want to be much more involved in clubs - it would be great to get those clubs ready for when kids want to get involved.

I think it's one of the only ways to combat this obesity is to get kids as active as possible and that comes from inspiring them and giving them opportunities and making sure everything is in place for them.

- And the Olympic stadium was back in the headlines last week what do you think of the decision to give the stadium to West Ham when the Games are over?

I have very much been behind that and I was very much a voice against it being knocked down and turned into just a football stadium and that is because we don't have anywhere where we can hold a world championships - that's never going to happen at Crystal Palace or at Birmingham.

So this is our only chance of doing it and I think that we deserve to have that in track and field and if we can work alongside football then that's brilliant because it will get used to the full and will be a great part of East London.

- How disappointing is it for you as an athlete when football clubs come and say 'we are ripping the track up' or 'it's not suitable for football'? Do you ever feel slightly disappointed and let down when football appears to dominate everything in this country - when perhaps it shouldn't?

I just think that there is a place for both and football is massive, my boys love it and we will always go and watch it, it's very much part of out lives.

But I also think that athletics is a great sport we have got some athletes out there but probably just don't have the money behind us - football has and they are very fortunate to have that but I don't think that that should stop us from having a decent track.

- Athletics is quite exciting at the moment from a British perspective with the like of Jess Ennis and Mo Farrah so who do you think is a serious gold medal contender in eighteen months time?

Well both of those guys really - I think that we did very well last year at the European Championships and there are a lot of people coming into the fore at the right time and the world's this year will be a key competition for them.

I think a great structure has been put in place and I think that we will do really well. However I don't think we should have such high hopes, sometime you think how come cycling get so many gold medals? If track and field can get four medals we have done brilliantly.

We have got some talented people coming up and if you are in a final and you have got a stadium full of union jacks then anything can happen so I believe that out athletes when need be.

- The men's 100m final is going to be the highlight of the athletics programme so what do you think of the Usain Bolt/Tyson Gay rivalry?

(Laughs) I think it's great, you ask my boys what they are looking forward to seeing and it would be the Bolt man, and it's brilliant that we might get to see him here in an Olympics.

Whether the final will have that rivalry or whether he will be out by miles I don't care, the 100m is always very exciting, and it would be great to see some British people in there as well.

- Just how big an impact has Bolt been for the world of athletics?

Enormous. I think he has come along a very critical time for the sport, I know that there have been some real changes worldwide, and we need great characters and world leaders of sport and he is somebody that other sports talk about and he is admired from all camps. He is a great guy!

- You are a world and Olympic champion yourself eighteen months out is the Olympics the main focus - despite the fact that there is a world champs in the summer?

Oh very much so. really the last couple years, I really looked at it as a four year cycle so those four years leading up to it were really crucial. Ever decision these guys are making today, such as their training, is all leading up to the Olympics next year.

Yes there is a world championships this year but that can be fitted into your plan. But every thought and trying different techniques and the way that you are training will all be around what happens next August.

- How did you get into athletics yourself?

Just finding something that I was good at from a young age and realising that I had  a natural talent and just being given a lot of good opportunities from my parents, my coach and the people around me.

- Over the next year so many kids will become interested in athletics and sport in general so what advice have you got for those kids who want to get out there and try something new?

I would just say the best thing to do is join a club, find out where your local club is, and that is where the infrastructure will be with great coaches. If you are inspired by track and field or cycling then get to a club near you.

- Beijing put on a great show in 2008 so what do you expect from London 2012?

I think it will be even better, I know I'm biased because it is out home country. I think it will be very different and it would have all of the razzmatazz, everybody is saying that.

But we have some great people behind these games and it's been quite interesting looking behind the scenes now and watching it all coming together and what goes into it is enormous.

I think it will be something that we will be really proud of as a country, we have done a Commonwealth Games before, so I really do think it will be great.

- Finally what's next for you?

Well I'm very involved in 2012 with the Pay Your age scheme and also through the volunteer programme as well - so it's very busy and a very exciting time in my life as well.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw

For interest in the Pay Your Age scheme visit www.tickets.london2012.com

Sally Gunnell raced to Olympic gold in 1992 in Barcelona as she took the 400m hurdles title. But now she is getting being the Pay Your Age scheme for the 2012 London Olympics.

- London 2012 has just released the tickets prices and with it the Pay Your Age scheme so can you tell me a bit about it?

What it does is it allows people to go as a family and be able to afford to go as a family - sometimes there are five or six of us and it can become a really expensive day out.

The Pay Your Age scheme is just means that it's a cheaper way of doing things - if you are under sixteen you literally pay your age so for my three boys they will be paying fourteen pounds, eleven pounds and seven pounds.

For those who are over sixty then you just pay £16 so if you are taking grandparents they just pay £16 or the grandparents can go and take the three youngsters if need be (laughs)

- With these lower ticket prices, particularly for children, what are your hopes for this scheme and getting kids involved with the Olympics?

I just think it's giving people to see an event that is a once in a lifetime experience - I always say that it's the biggest show on earth it really is amazing. It inspires people and it inspires children and I believe that it's something that every child should have an opportunity to do, to see or be part of in some way.

What's so good about these events is you get an opportunity to  go and see some of the events that you probably don't always see it's just as exciting to be in that stadium to see volleyball or triathlon and that can inspire people.

- The 2012 Games are creeping ever closer so as an ex-athlete yourself this is something that you must be excited about? And what do you hope that the Olympics will do for sport in this country?

As an ex-athlete it's a fantastic opportunity I have run at an Olympics and I've been to seen an Olympics and I just think that if you get that opportunity then everyone should do it because it is amazing.

I would love to see as many people inspired as possible, and not just kids, I would love for adults to think actually I want to be active and healthy and lead a much more positive lifestyle and I really do think that these games will do that.

It will be great to think that people will get out there and start going to gyms or running or dancing, whatever it is, but just be more active within their everyday life.

- There has been some criticism surrounding the Games and the cost but how can a home Olympics impact on getting kids into sport - what with obesity on the rise?

Yeah. I think that there has been a lot of negativity talk about it but I think that it has changed recently and I have noticed how people are being much more positive about it and realising that we are going to do this well and we are nearly finished - and that's not just in the London area but I have noticed that around the whole of the UK.

I think what will happen, and how kids will get involved, is there will be projects going on at school, people going through coaching schemes to want to be much more involved in clubs - it would be great to get those clubs ready for when kids want to get involved.

I think it's one of the only ways to combat this obesity is to get kids as active as possible and that comes from inspiring them and giving them opportunities and making sure everything is in place for them.

- And the Olympic stadium was back in the headlines last week what do you think of the decision to give the stadium to West Ham when the Games are over?

I have very much been behind that and I was very much a voice against it being knocked down and turned into just a football stadium and that is because we don't have anywhere where we can hold a world championships - that's never going to happen at Crystal Palace or at Birmingham.

So this is our only chance of doing it and I think that we deserve to have that in track and field and if we can work alongside football then that's brilliant because it will get used to the full and will be a great part of East London.

- How disappointing is it for you as an athlete when football clubs come and say 'we are ripping the track up' or 'it's not suitable for football'? Do you ever feel slightly disappointed and let down when football appears to dominate everything in this country - when perhaps it shouldn't?

I just think that there is a place for both and football is massive, my boys love it and we will always go and watch it, it's very much part of out lives.

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