GOLD medallist Tessa Sanderson has called on Britain to capitalise on the Olympic fever sweeping the country by encouraging more youngsters to take up sport.


The 56-year-old Woodford Green based javelin star won her gold at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, one of six Olympiads which she competed in.


She has been making the short journey to Stratford to work for Jamaican TV during the 2012 Games and has been inspired by what she has seen.


“It’s been  fantastic and the achievements of the Team GB athletes have surpassed everyone’s expectations,” she said.


“But we have to ensure that we capitalise on the wave of enthusiasm for sport that is sweeping the country right now.


“My greatest wish is that kids get to use these wonderful arenas and that they are not just left as white elephants after the Games.”


Tessa, who has lived in Redbridge since 1988, married judo star Densign White in 2010 and has lived in Woodford Green for the past three years.


She runs her own charitable organisation, the Tessa Sanderson Foundation and Academy, in east London which promotes sport among young people in the capital.


“We are doing a lot of work  with kids outside of school and we are trying to do more with disabled kids,” she explained.


“But we need to do more in our schools to promote sport.


“That means getting more sport on the school curriculum and ensuring that our teachers receive the training to deliver results at the highest level.”


Last month the Guardian published research by the Amateur Swimming Association revealing two out of three children in Redbridge leave primary school unable to swim a length.


Mrs Sanderson-White said: “We need to go back to the drawing board and look at ways to improve on statistics like that.


“We have got to work on what is being achieved now and not just sit back and wait for things to happen.”


She says her highlights of the London Games have been watching Mo Farah win the 10,000 metre final and the men’s 100 metre final which Usain Bolt won.


“It’s nice wandering around the Olympic village and being in the stadium because it brings back so many memories,” she explained.


"But I don’t sit there wishing I was competing, because we have a new generation of wonderful athletes and this is their time.”

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