Athletics: Talent Scheme Aims to Unearth 2012 Winners

A nationwide talent trawl was launched yesterday to find the sleeping giants of British sport in time for them to mount the medal podiums of the London 2012 Olympics.

UK Sport, responsible for elite athletes, believes that 90% of the likely British team are already in the "performance pipeline" but it hopes it can discover hidden talent to improve medal prospects in handball, volleyball and rowing.

The scheme, backed by Sir Steve Redgrave, the five-times Olympic rowing champion, and Richard Caborn, the sports minister, is looking for people between 16 and 25 who are over 5ft 11in if they are female and over 6ft 3in if they are male.

Successful applicants will be invited to talent-identification sessions. The application form can be found at www.uksport.gov.uk/talent.

Chelsea Warr, UK Sport's performance consultant, said: "The more people we audition, the more chance we have of finding diamonds. Never again in our lifetimes will there be such an opportunity to get in the history books."

Redgrave said rowing had shown "a lot of evidence these kind of schemes do work". Britain has no successful track record in handball and volleyball but is keen for an injection of new talent.

Attending the launch in Trafalgar Square was Bradley Topps, 18 and 6ft 9in, who started rowing six months ago after being spotted during a testing session at his school, Manchester Grammar. He stresses that height alone is not enough for success. "I have had to change my lifestyle and do not have time to get drunk," he said. "I'm up at 5.45 every morning training, seven days a week."

Anna Bebington, 24 and 6ft, expects to be rowing in Beijing and London. "It is great to be getting people inspired five years from 2012, but they will have to do the hard work as well - the training is 7am to 3pm, six days a week, with a bike ride on Sundays and no holidays."