Winsley rising star Sophie Williams may have already caught the Olympic bug but she won’t be satisfied until she’s British Fencing’s pin-up girl for the London 2012 Games.

Twelve months ago the 18-year-old was handpicked as part of the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes initiative and was only one of two from 250 chosen to follow Team GB firsthand throughout the Olympics in Beijing.

Williams – who competes in the sabre class – was invited back onto the 2012 driven scheme at the Cardiff launch last week, where she received sporting masterclasses from former British Olympians Iwan Thomas and Katharine Merry.

The Millfield School pupil was also handed another £1,000 cash injection to cover the cost of training and competing nationally and internationally.

And Williams – who battled valiantly through a knee injury to finish 48th at last month’s Junior World Championships in Belfast – admitted she has no plans on being a mere spectator again in three years time.

“Last year I was lucky enough to be one of two Local Heroes who were taken to Beijing and the holding camp in Macau which was just amazing,” said Williams.

“There was nothing more I wanted than to go out there and it definitely inspired me even more to want to get there for London 2012.

“I only found out a few days before that I was going and I was just sitting at home thinking about when I would watch the games on TV and who I would watch.

“Then the next thing I knew I was looking at all the people I had been planning on doing so from across the dining room. “I was at the Junior World Championships a few weeks ago but they didn’t go as I had planned because I injured my knee and so I couldn’t perform as I wanted to.”

Two-time UK School Games champion Williams faces a hectic next few months with the Wiltshire teenager mixing her A-Level exams in maths, chemistry and psychology at Millfield with competition across Europe.

But former British 400m No.1 Merry – who won bronze at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 – has backed Williams to deal with the weight of expectation placed on her in the build up to London 2012.

“It has been a real privilege to come and meet some of these youngsters,” said Merry. “I know there’s going to be a handful which will go on and represent Great Britain at an Olympic Games, whether that is at London 2012 or in 2016.

“The boost and confidence the likes of Sophie will receive after being recognised by this initiative will act as a real spur going forward.

“Meeting like-minded athletes from a variety of sports and hopefully tapping into the knowledge and experience of former Olympians can only benefit them in the years to come.” Lloyds TSB is providing £1,000 to over 250 emerging young sportspeople identified each year across Britain, in the run up to London 2012 and beyond. Visit Lloydstsb.com/Localheroes