RECORDS show that eight sports stars have represented Warrington at past Olympic Games but none of them were born in the town.

Warrington Athletics Club’s Chris Vose competed in cross country at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, Belgium, but he was born in St Helens.

Culcheth’s Michelle Probert, later to become Michelle Scutt, gained bronze medal success as part of the 4x400m GB relay team in the 1980 Games in Moscow, but she hailed from Liverpool. Michelle went on to become a semi-finalist in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Warrington Boxing Club’s brothers Ray and George Gilbody, who were born in Southport, both fought at the 1980 Games, while another boxer, Robin Reid, won a bronze medal in Barcelona in 1992 having learned his trade at Warrington Boxing Club, but he was from Runcorn.

Helen Slatter, who moved to Warrington from Devon after competing for Great Britain at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, became Warriors of Warrington Swimming Club’s first Olympian in 1992, before completing her Games hat-trick in Atlanta in 1996.

Slatter was joined in Atlanta by American-born marathon runner Suzanne Rigg, who was a member of Warrington Athletics Club.

Mike Babb, who hailed from Kent but trained at Appleton Rifle Club while living in Cheshire, was the town’s only representative in Athens four years ago and in Sydney in the year 2000.



* Click here for Richard Egington’s blog on his journey to the Olympics, including today’s update on final preparations for racing. Find out why Richard is happy not to be staying in the Olympic Village in Beijing.