As we get closer to the start of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, many people will be thinking back to previous Games and their most memorable Olympic moments. Some of the members of Team B&Q have shared their favourite Olympic memories, all of which have inspired them to sporting success.  Maybe Team B&Q athletes will inspire you to try something new or achieve great things!


“I remember watching Daley Thompson on TV getting his gold in the 1984 Games (Los Angeles).  It was a very memorable moment for me. I asked my dad why he was crying as he had won and my dad said it was because he had just won the Olympic Games and that is every athlete’s dream.  That was the moment I decided I wanted to go to the Olympics!” Leon Taylor


"I was very much a serious young slalom paddler back in 1996 when the Olympic Games took place in Atlanta. However, this was a time when the sport was rarely on TV and information was not easily available on the internet as it is today where one can find loads of videos, athlete profiles and international race results. I had not heard of many of the top paddlers from outside Britain. Andraz Vehovar from Slovenia was one of those paddlers. He had a silky smooth style and charged through his 2nd run to take the silver medal, closely missing out on gold. By the style in which he celebrated at the finish-line, he knew he had put in an awesome performance (he did not know at this point that he had won a medal!). It was the best run I had ever watched - I viewed it many times on video over the next few years!" Campbell Walsh


“I really enjoyed watching the 400m hurdles at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.  Kevin Young won the gold with a new world record and Kriss Akabusi won the bronze with a new British record.  It was a fantastic race!” Ryan Dinham


“On the 4th August 1992, Robert Morgan finished fifth in the 10m platform final (Barcelona Olympic Games, Diving).  The final took place on my birthday and as a child I looked up to Robert.  A few years later I competed against him and it was fantastic.” Blake Aldridge


“My most memorable moment from athletics has to be Michael Johnson’s world record in the 200m at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.  It was one of those ‘wow’ moments.  Michael is truly an athletics god!”  Mark Christie


“My favourite Olympic moment of all time would be a close call between Dame Kelly Holmes winning the two gold medals in Athens or Sir Steve Redgrave winning five gold medals in five consecutive Olympics - both amazing achievements!” Martin Stamper


“At Sydney 2000, one of the greats of fencing Paulo Kolobkov from Russia won his first individual gold, having won a team gold at the age of 18.  He rarely smiles, but on this occasion he couldn’t stop!  He was held in the air by his team mates as he celebrated this amazing achievement.” Jon Willis


“At Athens 2004 there was a female sprinter from Iran who had never used blocks before.  She was staring at them, unsure what to do when an official helped her and showed her how to use them.  It was a fantastic moment and really demonstrates the spirit of the Olympic Games.” Nick Smith


“Steve Parry’s achievement at Athens in 2004 was fantastic.  He scraped into the 200m butterfly final and was not happy with his semi-final performance.  The odds were stacked against him in the final as he had drawn the outside lane.  It was a great race and Steve brought it back to win a bronze medal.  His post race interview always sticks in my mind.  He was asked how he managed to pull the performance out of the bag following the poor semi-final and he put it down to shouting at himself a lot and watching Rocky films – great stuff!” Craig Gibbons