You might have noticed a pretty big sporting competition happening right now, staged three quarters of a way around the world in Japan, we at Nottingham Sport have been digging and trawling and hoping, that one of our own might bring back some silverware, bronzeware or even goldware home.

We’ve not forgotten about what’s happening in Tokyo, just biding our time to report, for when that moment comes, and it will, where we announce a local medallist to add to those already legends that have done so before, think Rebecca Adlington OBE as the best ever-from these parts… A two time gold winner and four time podium poser across two Olympics putting the town of Mansfield on the swimming map.

Others like Keyworth Gymnast Sam Oldham who scored bronze in 2012, Cyclist Bryan Steel who won silver in 2000 and bronze in 2004, West Bridgford born Helen Richardson-Walsh who won gold in 2016 after a bronze medal in 2012 with the GB Hockey team and Cotgrave born badminton star Nathan Robertson who partnered Gail Emms to win mixed-doubles silver in 2004… These name are often forgotten despite their magnificent achievements, but not by us who regard these locally made athletes as legends as iconic as Robin Hood and those Merry Men of his.

Others have studied and cut their cloth in Nottingham too, the likes of Tim Baillie, Tim Brabants, Campbell Walsh, Etienne Stott and David Florence, Olympic medal winning canoeists all from the University of Nottingham, all having used the first class facilities at Holme Pierrepoint and the National Watersports Centre during their apprenticeship towards Olympic glory. Four time gold winning table tennis star Deng Yaping from China with a master’s degree at Nottingham. Robert Clift, part of that famous 1988 Olympic men’s gold winning hockey team in Seoul, Welsh born but educated at Nottingham University, having played for Nottingham Hockey Club too. There’s so many more who we can name…

But of this years school, the class of 2021… Who do we have and what are our hopes for glory?

Whilst so far the best of the medallists we can tediously link to ours is Uttoxeter born swimming sensation Adam Peaty now based in Loughborough who’s a Nottingham Forest fan… Quite a few including triathlete Alex Yee have studied, trained, worked-out at and come through the world class facilities at Loughborough University but although that maybe close to town, it is unfortunately outside our jurisdiction. LE11.

Two Notts stars have however provided us gleaming opportunity to shout their names from the rooftops of NG over the next 24 hours at least.

Mansfield born swimmer (yes another one), Molly Renshaw, goes in the final of the women’s 200m breaststroke tomorrow having finished third in her semi-final heat. But with an even bigger chance of podium position glory is Emma Wilson, the daughter of an Olympic sailor and one that is now ‘guaranteed’ a medal in the RS:X women’s windsurf event, Wilson born in Nottingham, but hailing out of Dorset from an early age, is currently in second spot, out of reach from fourth so the 22 year old will come away with bronze at least on Saturday after the final event.

Of others, Newark-on-Trent born Hockey star Adam Dixon is captaining GB men to the Quarter Finals and after a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands overnight and stated earlier today “It was a tough game, it’s always tough against the Dutch – they’re one of the best teams in the world for a reason. Going 2-0 down, it would have been easy to roll over and give up but that’s not what we’re about. That’s not what we’ve been working for across the last five years. It was great to see the reaction that we gave.”

Dixon said “Had it been another day, had we had a few more minutes left on the clock we might have pipped them. I honestly sense that we’re still getting stronger as a team; we weren’t flagging in the last stages of the game. We’ll have to go well against Belgium but I think we’re well up for the challenge and off the back of today’s performance we’re absolutely buzzing and can’t wait to get going.”

You can watch out for Adam who plays regularly for Beeston Hockey Club along with former Nottingham University graduates Tom Sorsby and James Gall in GB action as they take on Belgium in their final group game tomorrow (Friday 30^th) at 1:15pm BST.

Want more local Olympians to watch out for? Like Dixon, women’s Hockey star Shola McCallin is Newark born and part of the GB team that is hopeful of getting out of its group to qualify for the latter stages of the competition. They play Ireland on Saturday where a win should see them through to the last eight. Nottingham born weightlifter Emily Campbell starts her event on Monday 2nd August whilst long distance runner jess Piasecki (a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University) is very much a part of the athletics team with medals on the agenda. Jess runs in the Marathon on Saturday 7th August at the Sapporo Odori Park.

*Main image @britishswimming Selston born Molly Renshaw is in the 200m Breaststroke final.