Sports Editor Rachel O'Connor meets the Guiseley student who became a national heroine during the Olympic Games when she won a silver medal in the rowing events

OLYMPIC silver medallist Debbie Flood believes that the ideals set down by her parents carried her to success in Athens.

The 24-year-old Guiseley student, who along with crew members Rebecca Romero, Frances Houghton and Alison Mowbray, was just edged out for gold by the Germany in the women's quadruple sculls, has learned a lot from her parents.

Teachers John and Barbara Flood were both keen runners and dad John was a black belt judo exponent who encouraged Debbie to take up sport.

She started competing in fun runs at the age of four, but it was not just this early initiation in to sport that set Debbie apart.

She feels that it is the constant encouragement from her parents and their ethos of always doing your best that has seen her rise to the top of the tree, not just in one sport but in three.

The junior international judo exponent was also a county cross-country runner and track star before she took up rowing.

"My dad has always been my hero," said Debbie. "He has encouraged me in my sport and both my parents have always instilled in me to do my best whatever I was doing, you can't do anymore."

Debbie fell into rowing by accident. As a 17-year-old her time was taken up by studies at St Joseph's College in Bradford, with her judo at the Aireborough and Wharfedale Club and with athletics with Skyrac AC.

She had already had a taste of county and international competition in those two sports when she took up indoor rowing.

John injured his knee and could not continue running to keep fit for his judo so the pair, who had always trained together, moved indoors onto the rowing machines at local fitness centres.

One day John was flicking through some indoor rowing results when he noticed that Debbie was pulling as well as some of the top competitors.

"She was doing really well and so we decided to put her on some rowing courses at Eton and Tideway. Alex Hodges was running the course at Tideway and he spotted Debbie's potential," said John.

It is now well documented that Hodges rang Mark Banks, the junior national coach, who unusually went out of his way to look at the protegee.

Debbie said: "He talked to me and then put me in a training camp. He said I was fit and strong and just needed to get in a boat and learn the technique."

With a smile Debbie said: "Every-one told him he had lost his marbles and asked him who an earth this girl was."

I think they all know now.

Banks had a friend at Bradford Grammar School so Debbie was lent a boat which was housed in their boathouse on the River Aire at Saltaire.

Debbie then used to travel to Hollingworth Lake near Rochdale every weekend for coaching and practice. At other times she made the long journey down to Tideway.

Debbie admits she had to grow up fast in the world of rowing.

"I had wanted to be a vet, but could not do enough study for that with my rowing," she said.

She still harbours an ambition to be a vet, but is currently set to return to Reading University to complete her final year studying physiology and biochemistry.

She took a year out to concentrate on her Olympic preparation and admits that without lottery funding she would never have made it.

She is quick to point out however that her crew members don't get anything like the funding that Sir Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent have enjoyed.

She admitted: "It is still a struggle as only the top men's boat get the big money. It is the lottery grants that keep the rest of us going.

"I had a small lottery grant as a junior and it helped with my constant travel down to London."

Debbie hopes that the better media coverage will bring even more funding into rowing.

"The efforts of Redgrave and Pinsent have put rowing more into the public eye. Rowing now gets lots more media attention.

"The success has also got more youngsters interested and more people are joining boat clubs now. University boat clubs are oversubscribed and lots of schools are starting rowing which is great.

"I have helped my old club Bradford Rowing Club with some work in schools and there are lots of initiatives going which I think is great."

Debbie feels that her level of fitness from judo and athletics certainly helped when she turned to rowing.

"It all helped having the background fitness but the rowing techniques were not as easy as I thought they would be.

"I train three times a day, six or seven days a week averaging around five hours a day."

When asked if that was in all weathers Debbie, with a mischievous look in her eye, said: "That is in all weathers, unless the water is flooding and dangerous and the red boards are up -- then we go as far as we safely dare and turn back before the lockkeeper sees us!"

Debbie trains at the Leander Club in Henley-on-Thames where she is now based.

She is part and parcel of the rowing fraternity and shares her house with three male rowers.

Debbie enjoys cooking and her skills have obviously made her a popular housemate.

"I cook for all the rowers, I live with three rowers and it is such good fun although they are a messy lot," she said.

Debbie firmly believes in getting a good balance in life. She trains a lot, but also likes to relax singing in the local choir or playing her clarinet. She is also involved in the local church activities.

In that thrilling final in Athens Debbie and her crew were being willed home by thousands of Brits - many watching on television.

They were just edged out by the Germans who have won the gold medal ever since the women's event was introduced into the Olympics.

Debbie admits it was the crew's ambition to win gold that got them their medal.

"We knew we were potential gold medallists after our World Cup success where we beat the Germans, but we also knew they would strengthen their crew and we knew it would be close.

"All our goals and ambitions were geared to winning gold. If you do not do that you may come away with nothing. You have to believe it and have got to aim for it."

You sense in some ways that despite their phenomenal achievement these girls were actually disappointed with their silver medals.

They now aim to put things right in four years time in Beijing.

There will of course be changes as one of the girls is retiring and the others will have to go through the selection process with all the other potential Olympians.

Although at times it may have been her singlemindedness that has pushed Debbie to the forefront of the sport - and she does admit to eventually wanting to return to single sculling - she derived a great deal from being part of a team.

"It is a very different thing being in a crew. Working together and everything coming right is an amazing feeling."

Debbie fervently hopes that the Olympics will come to London in 2012.

"That would be awesome, to compete for Great Britain in an Olympics at home," she said.

Debbie got fully caught up in the Olympic ideals of friendship and when her event had finished she took in as many of the sports as possible.

One could tell she had greatly admired the skills of other sportsmen and women.

"I watched as much of the other events as I could, I took in the athletics - even watching Paula Radcliffe suffer - and I went to see Amir Khan in the boxing. I was amazed by the skills of the horses in the dressage. There was just so much to take in."

In the days when so many top sportsmen and women present a sulky image it was refreshing to meet someone so delighted with being a part of the Olympic Games and representing their country.

Debbie went straight from the Olympic Games to compete in the World Student Games in France. As the only rower she was in the single sculls and again won a silver medal.

It was not all joy there for her however as when the students were celebrating at the end of the Games some were dancing on a table whichcollapsed and fell on to Debbie who was nearby.

She ended up with a badly bruised leg and needed attention at Wharfedale General Hospital on her return home.

She was set to enjoy her short break with her parents - who went out to Athens to lend their support - and will do some cross training prior to getting back into full training in preparation for the next World Championships in which she is aiming to better her seventh and two fourth places of previous years.

"I resume my studies in October but until then I will train on a rowing machine lent to me by Concept2. I can't believe how good everyone has been to me."

Debbie feels that she can handle pressure well. "My parents always drilled in to me to just do my best and I have always tried to live by that whatever I do.

"The media hyped us up for Athens after our World Cup success which was great, but we knew that none of us in our boat had won a senior medal.

"To win a medal of any sort at the Olympics was amazing. We watched Paula's (Radcliffe) race and realised medals are not easy to come by. Now we are medallists we are under real pressure."