Former British heavyweight Dermot Gascoyne says he'll be roaring on his fellow Sky Sports Living for Sport Mentors.
Ahead of London 2012 we asked a range of personalities to let us know what the Olympics means to them. Dermot Gascoyne - the former British heavyweight - will be roaring on his fellow Sky Sports Living for Sport Athlete Mentors who are competing...
What are your favourite Olympics memories?
Watching Daley Thompson, Seb Coe, Steve Ovett and Alan Wells in various games. I remember how confident Daley appeared to be in his events and that rubbed off on me and I never doubted that he would win gold. The Ovett/Coe rivalry was fantastic as there was an edge to these guys although they both competed for GB. There was certainly no love lost between them and it was great how they both managed to take a gold each at the same Games and not in what most people thought was their strongest event. As for Alan Wells in the Moscow games I remember watching this with my family all screaming at the telly urging him to "come on". A few years later I saw a clip of his wife watching the same race (you can see this on you tube). She looked as if she was about to die and shouted "come on Alan" just about 10 times in 10 seconds - just like we did!
Who would you class as the greatest Olympian of all time?
It's tough to come to an ultimate answer. Cassius Clay and Teófilo Stevenson both have to be in the frame but perhaps surprisingly for many I would have to go for Jesse Owens because the story behind his achievements is so remarkable. Owens worked during the day in a warehouse and overcame the odds by winning FOUR golds in track and field against numerous state-sponsored full-time athletes in a schedule that was purposely designed to place him at a disadvantage. The games were in Berlin 1936 with Hitler present - one can only imagine the pressure and tension that Owens had to deal with and yet he prevailed. I later read numerous articles about Owens and he seemed a humble person. One of my favourite quotes is attributed to him. It reads: "We all have dreams but in order to make those dreams a reality it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort. These things apply to everyday life. You learn not only the sport but things like respect of others, ethics in life, how you are going to live and how to treat your fellow man".
Will you get to see much of the London 2012 action?
I intend to watch as much as I can!
Which events are you most looking forward to?
I am most looking forward to the women's hockey - I bet you weren't expecting that!! To be honest I am not really a hockey fan but I know Alex Danson
(@AlexDanson15) who works alongside me on the
Sky Sports Living for Sport project and I know how hard she has worked to get to 2012. I know how desperate she is for success so I feel emotionally involved in her quest and want her to achieve the golden dream so much. Other athletes on the programme will also be getting my support - Steve Brown, Casey Stoney
(@CaseyStoney), Pete Waterfield
(@PeteWaterfield) and the world's most popular Kiwi Tim Prendergast
(@prendo2012). I hope that even more of my workmates qualify for the Games.
How do you think Team GB will fare?
I hope GB do well not only in terms of medals but also in terms of presenting themselves and their sports in a positive way - they can be the inspiration for the next generation.
What sport would you like to see added to the Olympics?
It would be inline skating as Jenna Downing
(@Jenna_Downing) - one of my colleagues on the
Sky Sports Living for Sport initiative - is the world's best at this event but has no Olympic recognition. However, I would be more interested in taking tennis and golf off the schedule - they really are not seen in their sports as the pinnacle and for that reason they should be removed. For me the Olympics is the greatest show on earth. A gold at the Olympics should be seen as the ultimate achievement.
If you were to enter the Olympics in any sport other than boxing, which event would you choose and why?
I would like to go in the decathlon. I think that the champion decathlete can legitimately call himself the greatest athlete in the world - and that appeals to me!
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