THE Beijing Games hadn't even started when David Florence's friends and family started talking about the London Olympics in 2012. A matter of days after the Aberdonian won his silver medal at the Shunyi Canoe Park, the same people are pestering him, wondering where and when the tickets will go on sale.
Such has been the scale of excitement generated by the glories and golds of this Great Britain team but the fans are not the only ones anxious to share in the spectacular show when it lands on UK soil.
"I think London is going to be a massive draw
to an awful lot of people and certainly myself," said the canoe slalom medallist. "With London on the horizon, it's a very big incentive to do another four years of very hard work and I think that's the case for a lot of people. I know of people who probably would have retired after Beijing but because the next one is a home games they are going to keep going and that will keep the strength in the team. We will also have youngsters coming through from the 2012 ambition programme and we can expect to be even stronger because of that."
"I think that to be in the position where we are looking ahead to London and going into those Games now as a very strong team I don't see how that can be anything but good," he added, dismissing the suggestion the GB squad may have peaked too soon and are now there to be shot down by others.
"I would rather be sat on the start line thinking 'I know I have won a medal before, so I know I am of that standard' than be 'oh well I have been last in every race so far, so, no pressure'," he explained. "There is a winning attitude in Team GB and there is going to be pressure but if we had come away from these Games having done terribly then the pressure would have been on us to buck our ideas up for London.
"London will be brilliant. As soon as it was announced London would get the games all my friends told me they would be coming to see me. I was still training for Beijing and didn't even have London on my mind then but now it is nice to think about that. I'm not even home from these Games and they want to know about tickets for the next one."
Having experienced his first Olympics, he admits he understands the excitement. Having medalled in the first few days of the schedule, he was able to soak up the vast array of sport on offer in Beijing.
"I enjoyed getting my medal but then having the opportunity to support Team GB for the rest of the Games," he said. "I was out watching Tim Brabants get his gold the other day in the flatwater canoeing and he had been supporting me earlier in the Games so it has been great.
"I went to see some of the track cycling and saw Chris (Hoy] and Victoria (Pendleton] and Jason Kenny and the team pursuit. I was at the 100m final as well, a nice collection of memories."
The full article contains 551 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
