Page last updated at 13:32 GMT, Tuesday, October 2 2012

 Local Athletes Past and Present

Here in Eastleigh we have much to celebrate in terms of local sporting achievement, past and present.

On this page you will find information about past Olympians who have ties to the Eastleigh area, as well as present athletes who are excelling in their sport.

Past Local Athletes

Tommy Green, born  30 March 1894, from Eastleigh
Sport: Racewalking

As a young boy Tommy had rickets, which left him unable to walk until he was 5 years old.

During first world war Tommy was sent to France as part of the british expeditionary force. He was wounded on 3 separate occasions and earned several medals before being sent home after a severe gas attack which damaged his lungs.

After the war, Tommy settled in eastleigh and married his wife, Rose, in 1924 and held a variety of jobs before being employed in the wheel shop at the Eastleigh railway works.

Tommy was a keen boxer and long distance runner, and won his first race from Worthing to Brighton in 1962 at the age of 32. As a member of Belgrave Harriers Athletics Club he won the London to Brighton race 4 times and both the Manchester to Blackpool and the Nottingham to Birmingham races 6 times.

His biggest success came in the 50km walk at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic games, where Tommy  won gold by finishing 7 minutes faster than his closest competitors! Tommy was 38 years and 126 days old when this victory took place, placing him as the oldest ever champion.

On 22 September 1945, Tommy helped to promote and took part in the victory walk to celebrate victory in Europe and Japan after the second world war. The course went from Eastleigh, through Southampton to Lyndhurst and back, and saw Tommy gain 17th place out of 146 competitors.  

He died on 29 March 1975 having dedicated his retirement to encouraging others to take up sport.

Did you know? 'Tommy Green Walk' in Eastleigh is appropriately named after Tommy and serves as a small reminder of his place in the town’s history.

Present Local Athletes and Olympic/Paralympic Hopefuls

Dani King, from Hamble
Sport: Track and Road Endurance Cycling
Club: Horizon Fitness Racing Team and Team GB

Dani attended Hamble Infant, Junior and Secondary schools and studied at Barton Peveril 6th Form College.  She is also a former county level breaststroke swimmer with Hamble Aquatics.

Dani discovered cycling after skipping a math lesson in 2005 whilst at Hamble Community Sports College to ride bikes on a school visit from British Cycling’s Talent Team.  Her first coach was a man called Ade Butt who is a fireman and lives in Hamble - he used to train the Chapel Tristars Club

Achievements:

Part of the GBR squad for the World Cup Team Pursuit in Manchester - finished 5th overall, January 2011.  Won gold as part of the women's pursuit team at the World Championships in Holland. Won a bronze medal in the women's scratch race at the World Championships, March 2011. Achieved podium position in the Dottignes grand prix in Belgium, April 2011. Rode for Horizon fitness in 3 races in Luxembourg; 1st race= team came 5th. 2nd race= Dani was the 3rd placed rider for GB and in the last race the 2nd placed GB rider, May 2011. Dani rode in 3 races for Horizon fitness between 10th and 12th June. Dani won both the tour series in stoke and the UK women's series race at Capernwray, along with a 2nd place finish at the Grand Prix series in Ogham, June 2011.

For further details, visit her website.

David Smith, from Eastleigh
Sport: Boccia
Club: Great Britain Boccia squad

David started at the age of 6, at the Disability Sport Events Junior Games in Stoke Mandeville and at Cedar School in Southampton. He then went to Treloar School in Alton at the age of 11 which is where he met his long term coach and mentor. He trains with the GB Boccia squad training 14 hours a week in Swansea.  He was BBC South's Disabled Sportsman of the Year 2007.  His coaches are Barry Bowden and Sarah Nolan.

Achievements:
Won gold as part of the Mixed Team BC1-2 at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. World Champion in the singles and team events at the Canada World Cup, 2007. 14th in singles and 3rd in the team event at the Brazil World Championships, 2006. 8th in singles and 2nd in the team events at the Portugal European Championships, 2005. Ranked 3rd in the WORLD in the individual rankings and 2nd in the team rankings.  Disability Sport Events National Champion, 2003. National Champion, 2005/06/07/08. British Champion, 2003/05/06/07/08. 

Laura Edwards, from Hounslow
Sport: Gymnast
Club: Dynamo School of Gymnastics, Hamble

Laura trains at Dynamo School of Gymnastics in Hamble 30 hours per week.  She is currently aiming for a place in the team that will gain GB a qualifying place in the London Olympics In 2012.  Her coaches are Keith Richardson and Debbie Richardson of Dynamo school of Gymnastics.

Achievements:

She was selected for the England team to compete in the Commonwealth games in Delhi and the team took silver. She made floor and beam finals 4^th. She was also selected for Team GB at the 2011 world champions in Tokyo.

Adam Knott from Chandler's Ford

Sport: Goalball

Adam was the recent winner of Eastleigh's Disability Sports Person of the Year 2012 and has been succesfully selected for the 2012 Paralympics Team GB Goalball team. Adam's dad was watching BBC Breakfast and they had a piece on looking for new talent to train for potentially Paralympic sports.  They were looking for tall, athletic, disabled people.  His application obviously caught their interest, and was asked to attend a Talent Assessment day at Brunel University where he tried Goalball, Judo and Blind Football.  Adam was asked back for judo, but I had fallen in love with goalball, and when he got the call back for that as well his choice was an easy one.  

Alex Danson, trained at Trojans Hockey Club, Eastleigh

Sport: Hockey

Alex was born in Southampton but trained at Trojans Hockey Club in Eastleigh 14 - 19 years old. Alex is a field hockey forward, who has remained a member of the England and Great Britain women's field hockey team since making her England debut in October 2001 against Germany. Alex recently was part of teh GB team who took silver at the 2012 World Championships and will be a key player in Team GB's pursuit of a gold medal in London 2012. 

Rosie Medlock, from Eastleigh
Sport: Diving
Club: Southampton Diving Academy

Rose was awarded 'Junior Sportswoman of the Year' at the Eastleigh Sport and Physical Activity Alliance Awards 2010.   Her coach is Lindsey Fraser (Olympic Coach to Peter Waterfield Olympic Silver medallist) and she trains at The Quays in Southampton 15 hours a week.  She attends Thornden School in Chandlers Ford.  Her long term goal is to be selected for Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Achievements:

European Junior Champion (platform) at European Diving Championships, Helsinki, July 2010) and qualified for World Junior Diving Championships (14th place), Arizona, (September 2010).

British Junior Elite Champion (platform) at GB Elite Junior Diving Championships, June 2010) and British Junior Champion (platform) at GB Senior Diving Championships, June 2010).

Kay Shafford, from Southampton

Sport: Biathle

Club: Eastleigh Swimming Club and Southampton Athletics Club

Kay was awarded 'Senior Sportsperson of the Year Award' at the Eastleigh Sport and Physical Activity Alliance Awards 2010

She joined Eastleigh Swimming Club when she was 6 years old and joined Southampton Athletic Club in 2004 with a view to improving her running.  She competed in her first Biathle in 2006, which is a continuous run swim run event with the swim usually in the sea.

Achievements:

Ranked 6th in the world. 3rd at the Biathle World Championships in Dubai, UAE, 2010 and team World Champions, also winning the gold medal for the World Tour. 9th at the World Championships in Monaco, 2009.

4th at the British Biathle Championships in Salford Quays, 2010. 2nd at the Biathle World Tour and GB Series 3 in Weymouth, 2010. 1st at the GB Biathle Series 2 in Portland, 2010. 2nd at the GB Biathle series 1 in Millfield, 2010. Won the GB Biathle Series in 2007.