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ATHENS 2004 - In the True Spirit of the Games
British Army Soldiers Bid For Olympic Glory

 The ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games Emblem

Six soldiers from the British Army will compete in three different sports at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. The soldiers will represent Great Britain and three foreign and commonwealth countries: Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone. They will compete in athletics, hockey and rowing. The Games start on 13 August and finish on 29 August 2004.

   
Pte Musa Audu
 Private Musa Audu (Nigeria) - 4 x 400m Relay – 3 (CS) Regt Royal Logistic Corps

Qualification for the Olympics makes 23-year-old Private Audu Nigeria’s first junior athlete to go to the Games. He previously represented Nigeria in the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games and the 2003 World Athletics Championships in Paris.
   
Pte Seidu Duah
 Private Seidu Duah (Ghana) - 4 x 100m Relay – 3 (CS) Regt Royal Logistic Corps

Ghana’s top junior sprinter, Private Duah was the fastest man in the British Army last season. He has represented his country at two World Junior Championships and at the African Junior Championships.
   
LCpl Thomas
 Lance Corporal Josephus Thomas (Sierra Leone) - 4 x 100m Relay – 2 (CS) Regt Royal Logistic Corps

Lance Corporal Josephus Thomas and his twin brother Joselyn have competed for Sierra Leone at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. Josephus reached the semi–finals in the World Championships in 1998 and at the 1996 Olympics. He and his twin have served in Germany, Bosnia and more recently in Iraq last year.
  Corporal Joselyn Thomas (Sierra Leone) - 4 x 100m Relay – 1 (GS) Regt Royal Logistic Corps

To date, his 100m personal best is 10.2 seconds. His distinguished athletics career includes reaching the Quarter Finals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Extremely proud to be in the British Army, he says, “Anyone can run, but not everyone can be a soldier”.

Captain Guy Fordham (Great Britain) - Hockey – Royal Army Medical Corps

Army doctor Captain Fordham is one of Britain’s most experienced international hockey players with 87 England caps and 71 GB caps. 29-year-old Captain Fordham is currently based at ATR Pirbright. He attended the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Lieutenant Robin Bourne Taylor (Great Britain) Rowing 8’s – Oxford UOTC

A member of the Oxford University Officer Training Corps and the current Oxford University Boat Club President, he intends to go on to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst after graduating to become an Army officer. He was part of the eight that won World Championship bronze in 2003 and has twice been in the victorious University Boat Race crew.
 

Major General Simon Lytle, Director of the Army Sport Control Board, said, “ We are delighted to have six soldiers competing at the Olympics. We wish them the best of luck and firmly believe that their Army training will stand them in good stead”.

Sport and adventure training are a fundamental part of Army life. Soldiers must be alert, physically fit, robust, confident, able to react quickly to the unexpected and able to operate in extreme climates under extreme conditions. Sport at all levels improves such qualities.

In addition to those selected for Athens, there are a number of Army athletes who came extremely close to Olympic qualification. Lance Corporal Kelly Morgan, 23, of the Adjutant General’s Corps, is one of Britain’s top javelin throwers. Although she narrowly missed out on qualification, she will be able to watch her coach, Steve Backley, compete. Lance Corporal Morgan, who took bronze in the 2002 Commonwealth Games, attributes her javelin success to Army discipline and training.

Four soldiers who represent Nigeria in athletics narrowly missed securing places in their country’s Olympic squad. Private Yusuf Abijo of the Royal Logistic Corps was a member of Nigeria’s bronze medal winning 4 x 400m relay team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Meanwhile, Private Nkiruka Iheme, 19, was part of the team that came fifth in the 4 x 100m relay at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Private Anthony Ogbeta, 29, just missed out on qualification for Athens. With a personal best of 10.13 seconds, he was part of the 4 x 100m bronze medal winning team at the World Athletics Championships in 1997 and part of the 4 x 400m relay team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Hammer thrower Private John Osazuwa, 23, of the Royal Logistic Corps threw just short of the qualification distance required for the Olympics. Prior to joining the Army he was a full time professional athlete with the Belgrave Harriers.

With such talent in the ranks, the future of Army sport looks extremely positive.