Athletes hail Lilleshall training facilities
Wednesday 22nd September 2010, 1:05PM BST.
Top British athletes have given the thumbs up to new multi-million pound Shropshire facilities designed to give them the edge for the London 2012 Games.
A number of the country’s top Olympic hopefuls were at Lilleshall National Sports Centre today to try out the £3.5 million equipment upgrade.
Lilleshall will be a base for athletes during the Games and is already the country’s top training centre for archery, gymnastics and hockey.
County archer Alison Williamson, 38, from Much Wenlock, is one of the athletes training at the centre and she said the new facilities had already made a huge difference.
She said: “I’ve been coming to Lilleshall for more than 30 years and I love it here.
“We’ve seen the difference already and there are very few places like this anywhere in the world.”
And gymnast Beth Tweddle, who is based at Lilleshall, said the new gymnastic equipment would help the squad. She said: “It’s great. It was already our training base and it’s the best place in the country.
“We’ve got things like the TVs and cameras so that if there is something wrong with our technique we can have a look at it straight away.”
Two new floodlit artificial hockey pitches have also been opened a, one of which will be for community games.
Minister for Sport and the Olympics Hugh Robertson MP said: “The new facilities at Lilleshall will help our archers, hockey players and gymnasts have the best possible preparation in the run up to 2012.
“There is a fine line between getting on the podium and missing out on a medal. However, Lilleshall will also be opened up for community use and that will help us leave a legacy from hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
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