POTENTIAL Olympic heroes of 2012 and 2016 are currently lost in the obscurity of the national championships and tournaments around the country with very few standing out at the top of their field. But it gets a lot easier to spot talent when the would-be Olympian has won the national title in his age group for three consecutive years and has represented England at international tournaments. Nuneaton’s Rhys Walker is the young badminton player taking the courts by storm and has been hotly tipped to represent England as soon as his age allows him to. At just 16, the youngster has conquered all who have crossed him in national tournaments over the last three years and is now being nurtured by the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership for the 2012 Games. The organisation helps young sporting talent to reach their full potential through funding and the continual search for new opportunities for them to develop their talent. Rhys has had to work very hard to get to where he is now and is already showing the maturity and positive attitude necessary to become a top athlete. “You need to be self-motivated and realise you have to give up a lot of things to open up opportunities and achieve your goals,” said Rhys. “You need to be disciplined and determined and you can’t rely on other people not performing – you have got to go out and do it yourself.” It is this mature attitude that could lead the Higham Lane School pupil to emulate other great local stars such as Marlon Devonish, Steve Williams and David Moorcroft, the latter of whom is not only a former 5,000m world record holder, but also lead ambassador for the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership for the 2012 Games. And David has spoken highly of the young badminton players’ talent. He said: “Rhys’ achievements to date have been outstanding and he can act as a real inspiration to other youngsters in Coventry and Warwickshire with sporting aspirations of their own. “The 2012 Games is fast approaching and I hope they will capture the imagination of as many youngsters in the region as possible in order to help Coventry and Warwickshire continue its proud tradition of promoting a sporting culture and producing world class athletes.” Working with someone with the pedigree and experience as David has served as an inspiration to Rhys. He said: “When I look at people like David Moorcroft it gives me hope because they have come from my area and competed at the top level, which means I can do the same. “It gives me inspiration and confidence, and it strengthens my desire to achieve my goals and I hope that if I make it one day I can do the same for others. My goals are to compete for GB and hopefully become the best in the world in my age group. “My greatest achievement to date is probably winning the national singles title three times in a row because I believe no other junior player has ever done that.” Despite his continued success, Rhys fears that the 2012 Games in London may arrive just too early for him but is certainly hoping to join up with the Great Britain team for the 2016 games. To find out more about Rhys Walker and his rapidly growing reputation, visit www.rhyswalker.com | 
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