OLYMPIC Games hopeful Philippa Roles, a Southern driver based at Victoria, has flown to Beijing ready to compete in the discus event having twice achieved the Olympic standard and won the Olympic trials.

Philippa, 30, originally from Wales, has lived in London for many years, and was a duty station manager at Clapham Junction before qualifying as a train driver a year ago. Despite suffering a serious knee injury in the 2004 Olympics and giving up athletics training while learning to drive trains, she was determined to compete again.

“I started asking myself if I wanted to be sitting at home when other athletes were in Beijing, so I started training again,” said Philippa. “But the Olympics and work are not an easy combination, and I have been so tired after my week’s work that I’ve had to take time off from competition.”

This summer she has thrown more than 60 metres three times, and her best throw of 61.4 metres won her the Welsh Championship.

“I’m convinced there’s more to come than 61 metres,” she said. “I want something close to 65 metres. Then I could finish happy!”

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