Could get to the 2028 LA Olympics? MailOnline writer tries new ‘performance tests’, involving tennis ball throws, 20M sprints and planks, designed to help ‘sporty’ people with zero experience become medal winners

The Paris Olympic flame has been extinguished for barely a fortnight and sights are already firmly set on Los Angeles in four years’ time. 

A new campaign launched by UK Sport this week, Find Your Greatness, aims to unearth hidden Olympic talent – putting people on the path to the podium via a simple online fitness test. 

Any UK nationals who are ‘active and sporty’ between the ages of 16-24 are being encouraged to have a go at the tests, via findyourgreatness.co.uk, in the hope that it could lead them to getting a medal in an Olympic or Paralympic Sport in California in 2028, or even Brisbane in 2032.  

Could you be Keely good? The future Olympian test – which is open to 16 to 24-year-olds – and involves recording scores after a series of simple activities and then uploading them online is designed to help find a new generation of talent (Pictured: Team GB’s Keely Hodgkinson winning the 800m final in Paris this summer)

MailOnline’s Poppy Gibson took the test in her local park…with surprising results

There’s a wide range of disciplines in the offing – from BMX freestyle to weightlifting and shooting – and all para sports, and if you make it through the initial test with flying colours, then regional tests take place in October. 

Ex Team GB rower, Dame Katherine Grainger, Chair of UK Sport, said the idea behind Find Your Greatness is to tap into potential that’s not yet been discovered. 

She said: ‘I can’t wait to see the talent that we unearth throughout this campaign, and to follow them on their journey to greatness. 

‘There’s so much potential out there, we hope people have the drive and confidence to put themselves forward to see just how far they can go.’

How to put yourself through the tests? There’s a downloadable sheet which guides you through each activity, alongside a basic kit list, which includes things like a stopwatch (smartphones have them), tape measure (or a measuring app) and some equipment, including tennis balls, bean bags and a hula hoop. 

After a warm up, the activities include a standing long jump, plank, 1Km time trial, 20m sprint, pick up and throw and target ball – results are then graded. 

After recording how you get on, you can then enter them online before 14th October – and wait for that phone call (or not) to head to the regional rounds. 

So, how did our writer, Poppy Atkinson Gibson, 24, fare when faced with the first stage Olympic fitness test? Should Keely Hodgkinson be worried? We sent her to a local park, with the kit required to find out…

THE 20 METRE SPRINT

POPPY’S TIME: 4.5 seconds

How hard can it be? 20metres at speed – the first challenge tackled – was surprisingly difficult, said Poppy

Usain Bolt still holds the 100m World Record, which he set at 9.58 seconds in 2009

‘I thought this can’t be that difficult – it’s only 20m, and Usain Bolt had to 100m, right? I was actually quite surprised by how much effort such a short distance took to sprint – I think because I don’t do regular quick sprints. 

‘It was a good one to start with though; it got the endorphins going and I did really enjoy it. I clocked up a time of 4.5 seconds, which I was quite impressed with – and then I remembered Bolt’s 100m World Record time is 9.58 seconds, set in 2009 and still in tact, which puts things slightly into perspective. 

‘Would I have been faster with pro starting blocks? I’m sure…but I enjoyed it and was quietly impressed with my time.’

THE LONG JUMP 

POPPY’S DISTANCE: 1.7metres (Grade 1)

‘Next up, the long jump. It was from a standing start but I felt like I was flying through the air when I jumped and had high hopes. Alas, I was pretty disappointed with my distance – 1.7metres really doesn’t look very far on a tape measure! 

‘I would definitely have preferred to do it like the Olympians do and have a run-up – it felt like more of a challenge without that momentum. 

THE TENNIS BALL THROW 

POPPY’S DISTANCE: 1.1metres 

Poppy pictured lobbing a tennis ball as far as she could; the tests are designed to get sporty people to consider trying to excel in events they might not have tried before

‘Another event I ended up feeling disappointed with! Not that I was ever a great shot putter at school but when I saw my distance I was pretty shocked. 

‘I think when there’s a measuring tape and you’re not just messing around with friends or family, you take it much more seriously and it seemed a lot harder.’

THE TARGET PRACTICE 

POPPY’S RESULT: 9/10 

Target practice proved to be one of our MailOnline writers biggest wins, with 9/10

‘The target – a patch on the grass – was only three metres away but I was impressed with how well I managed to do this activity. 

‘I used the exact same throw as I’d used in the previous activity but managed to get it a lot further and on target this time. This one raised my spirits, and left me feeling maybe I’ll rank a bit higher.’ 

THE 1KM RUN 

POPPY’S TIME: 7m 40 (Grade 1)

‘On paper this seemed really easy and I thought I’d smash this one out in a couple of minutes – having no context of what a normal time would be. It ended up being one of the most difficult challenges. I’m not someone who runs regularly, I don’t do 5Ks or anything like that – and I’d forgotten how far 1K is. 

‘Watching the metres tick down as slowly as they did felt demoralising – but when I hit the finish line, I got that runner’s high and felt like I’d achieved something. It made me think I could get faster and that perhaps I’ll take up running more seriously as a result. I (eventually) loved this challenge.’  

THE PLANK 

POPPY’S HOLD TIME: 1m 19 (Grade 4)

Steely: Poppy pictured holding the plank; she said afterwards that she was surprised by how long, well over a minute, she managed to hold the position 

No pain, no gain: The tests did leave her aching a little afterwards though

‘This is the strength test – and I blew my own expectations out of the water. I was able to hold it for 1 minute and 19 seconds. I definitely felt it afterwards – my core and ribs were sore. 

‘I had no idea that I could do that before and will probably incorporate it into my exercise regime going forward. 

POPPY’S VERDICT – I’m not LA 2028-bound…but I had great fun doing it! 

Endorphins yes, a place at LA 2028? Less likely, but Poppy said taking the tests was great fun and could motivate those who score highly to go for gold

‘I think taking the Find Your Greatness test made me realise that with practise I could definitely get better at all these things – it brought me out of my comfort zone too.  

‘Mostly though it was fun, I felt silly doing them but not in a self-conscious way. Even when I wasn’t very good at it, having it measured made me feel more competitive. It made me come away wanting to try again but with different techniques.

‘If you’re sporty already, I can see it would put you on a path to wanting to be competitive and branch out to try things you wouldn’t normally do. 

The hope is that these tests will find potential Olympians – I don’t think I’ll be on the podium in LA 2028… but I did get a big rush of endorphins doing them, and trying more diverse activities will make my own work-outs more fulfilling.’