2012 London Olympic Debbie Flood targeting Games

Rower Debbie Flood 30 years old who lives in Henley and she won a silver medal in the woman's quadruple scull. Now she is targeting the 2012 London Olympics after taking a year off from the sport to qualify as a prison officer.

She told BBC Berkshire: "A year out was fantastic and entirely what I required.

"But I want to prove I am capable of the standard needed to make the team so I'm hopeful I can be in the quad."

Flood added: "In my year off, I did perhaps one session every other day rather than the usual three a day.

"This made a big difference. I came back into rowing and thought I was fit and strong but I realised it is all relative to what you need to be for Olympic standards."

Flood, a world champion in 2006 and 2007, has entered various events since returning to full time rowing to improve her performance and fitness.

Flood said, "There was a really big gap between me and the other rowers. In the 2010 I started off World Cup series and came ninth which was a starting place for me. Then I increased my speed throughout the season and trained more and ended up in Lucerne where I made the 'A' final after coming fifth, which was a really nice result for me."

2012 Olympics: West Ham's stadium plans progress as Londoners express high hopes

West Ham United have revealed details of their plans for the Olympic Stadium if they take it over after the 2012 Games and have pledged to retain an athletics track in a newly reconfigured 60,000-capacity arena. The Premier League club are the favourites to win the race to take over the Stadium and their chances will be massively boosted by the news that they are prepared to accommodate a track, which was one of the key promises Sebastian Coe made when he presented London's bid to host the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

The story emanates from West Ham's Olympic Project Director, and he should know. The bid has been made in partnership with Newham Council and proposes an institute for sports science and medicine and a sports museum on the same site. On the face of it, this is the answer the Olympic Park Legacy Company's prayers.

There was good news for the various Olympics organisers yesterday in the form of an YouGov opinion poll conducted in June for London Councils, which says:

Nearly two thirds of Londoners are still pleased that the capital is hosting the 2012 Games despite national economic concerns, according to the results of a YouGov survey released today by London Councils. The survey found that 63 per cent of Londoners are pleased that the Games are taking place in London - although this figure rises to 67 per cent among residents of east London where the majority of events are taking place.