Darren St Clair's Olympic Dream

No matter what, Darren St Clair will be part of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. A resident of Enfield, Darren is the son of former Saint Lucia football international Henry St Clair, himself the son of former educator and Saint Lucia Medal of Honour (Gold) recipient, Matthew George St Clair. Darren made the made the 800 metre men's final in 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, representing England. At the age of 27, he is hoping to make the Great Britain team for this year's Olympics. Currently training in Phoenix, Arizona, he will almost certainly need to improve on the career-best 1:45.74 he ran in 2010.

Had he been representing Saint Lucia, of course, Darren's journey would have been far more straightforward. To make the British team for the Olympics, he would need to run the A standard of 1:45.60 and finish in the top three at the British trials. With no other 800m runner likely to qualify for Saint Lucia, St Clair would just have neeeded to run 1:46.30 - the B standard - to join high jumpers Levern Spencer and Darvin Edwards in booking his ticket to London.

As is, though, Darren will be involved in the Games regardless of how fast he runs this year. When the Olympic flame comes through the borough of Enfield at 3:15pm on 25 July, just two days before the official Opening Ceremony for London 2012, the tall, bald runner will be one of the official torchearers, along with Jack Otter, a British Army veteran who was severely wounded in 2009 whilst on patrol in Afghanistan.

"Darren has always intended to make it to the Olympic Games and this is an added bonus," his proud dad Henry revealed. "The whole family will be out to cheer him on. We have followed his career all along." According to the elder St Clair, the close-knit family have supported Darren throughout his 15-year athletics career and his twin sister Stacey, a solicitor from Uxbridge, will join mum Caryl and Henry in cheering the 26-year-old on as he runs the 300 metres with the precious flame.

The Olympic torch will travel the length of the UK in a relay made up of torchbearers chosen by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games – an average of 115 torchbearers a day will carry the Olympic flame before it lights the cauldron at the opening ceremony in east London on 27 July.