Olympic memories (August 2008)

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Olympic memories (August 2008)

Some British Olympic heroes - and some BBC sports presenters - reveal their first ever memories of the Games.

Darren Campbell

Gold medal Athens 2004 (4x100m), silver medal Sydney 2000 (200m)

"Carl Lewis winning everything in 1984. Watching him on the podium I remember thinking, 'I want to do that. I want to be on top of the podium, on top of the world'."

Shirley Robertson

Gold medal Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 (sailing)

"Watching David Wilkie in the 1976 Olympics because my parents had just bought a colour TV. That was me glued to the set for the duration."

Matthew Pinsent

Gold medal Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 (rowing)

"I'm from the generation when 1980 and 1984 were my formative Olympics. I can vividly recall Coe versus Ovett in '80 and '84."

Steve Cram

Silver medal Los Angeles 1984 (athletics)

"In 1972 I was seven and went to visit the Munich site before the Games started. That stadium was like seeing a space ship dropped into a city. I went home and watched every day of it because I felt like I'd actually touched the '72 Olympic Games."

Colin Jackson

Silver medal Seoul 1988 (110m hurdles)

"Montreal in 1976. In my house there was a lot of anticipation because of a head-to-head between Caribbean Hasely Crawford and Don Quarrie. When Quarrie lost they were all absolutely devastated."

Sharron Davies

Silver medal Moscow 1980 (swimming)

"Mark Spitz winning seven golds in 1972. I really wanted to go there and do that."

Leon Taylor

Silver medal Athens 2004 (diving)

"I remember watching Daley Thompson whistling as he got his medal in '84.

I said to my dad, 'Why is he whistling?' And he said. 'Because he's stopping himself crying.'

So I said, 'Why's he crying if he's won?' And he said, 'Because it's the Olympic Games and that's the best thing you can ever do as a sportsman.' I knew then I wanted to go to the Olympics."

Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson

11-time Paralympic gold medallist

"Watching Ed Moses win at the 1984 Olympics."

Gabby Logan

BBC sports presenter

"Alan Wells winning gold in the 100m of the 1980 games. That was when I really fell in love with the Olympics."

John Inverdale

BBC sports presenter

"David Coleman in Munich commentating on the terrorist atrocity. I was 14 and transfixed by this unbelievable event and watched David Coleman doing it on his own - all night.

The bags under his eyes got bigger but he was just sensational… Irrespective of what anyone was doing on the track, that tour de force from Coleman was an Olympic gold medal performance."

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