Oxford-based Carolyn Plateau's London 2012 Olympic bid was boosted at the weekend after her coach Andy Beadle received a training master-class from double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes.

Beadle was hand-picked by Dame Kelly to take part in the On Camp with Kelly coach development weekend at Leeds Met Carnegie University.

The scheme has already benefited Oxford City's Hannah England, who narrowly missed out on qualification for the Beijing Olympics.

The 37-year-old was put through his paces in a range of activities, including circuit training and psychological seminars, with Dame Kelly's former physio Alison Rose offering specialist advice.

And Beadle believes his coaching seminar with Dame Kelly will boost apprentice Plateau's bid to compete at next summer's World Championships in Berlin.

He said: "Dame Kelly is a superb figurehead the girls can look up to and I'm delighted to be part of that.

"I know this weekend will benefit Carolyn.

"She has done really well this year, and it's tough to recognise which event she is best at.

"We're going to give her another year of running both the 800m and 1500m, and will then decide which one to take her forward in."

During the indoor season, Plateau won silver medals over 800m at both the Southern Indoor Championships and the British University Indoor Championships.

She was selected in 2005 by Dame Kelly to join her elite middle-distance training squad 'On Camp with Kelly'.

And the latest brainchild of Dame Kelly, an intensive coaching training session for Beadle, will only benefit her young middle-distance starlets.

Holmes said: "We have worked really hard with the athletes and they are being given a lot of knowledge and have hopefully progressed.

"Now we need to ensure that the coaches are in line with what we are telling the young athletes.

"If the coaches don't understand what we are doing then the athletes are not going to benefit and that is what this course is all about.

"The athletes that have been on board this year have all progressed but we are always looking for more from them again next season."

  • DAME Kelly Holmes' mentoring scheme for middle distance runners, On Camp with Kelly, has been supported by Norwich Union since 2004. Find out more at www.joinourteam. com