2. Girls4Gold is a joint initiative between UK sport, the English Institute of sport with the 6 targeted Olympic sports (cycling, bob skeleton, canoeing, modern pentathlon, rowing and sailing). What is Girls4Gold?

3. Girls4Gold aim: To discover exceptional female talent who are capable of achieving medal success in London 2010 and more. It is the single most extensive female sporting talent recruitment drive to ever be carried out in Great Britain.

4. To apply… Must be female Aged between 17-25 Competing in any sport at county/regional level Fit Strong Mentally tough Competitive

5. Female athletes who have achieved medal success: Shelley Rudman: a former track hurdler, who won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in bob skeleton, less than four years after trying the sport for the first time aged 21.

6. Annie Vernon and Anna Bebington: rowing medallists at the 2008 Olympic Games, five years after being selected through a talent identification scheme (The GB Rowing team’s World Class Start Programme, sponsored by Siemens) aged 20 and 19.

7. Rebecca Romero: a former medal winning Olympic rower who transferred to the sport of track cycling aged 26 and became Olympic Champion in 2008, less than three years after taking up the sport.