HE may be on the quest for gold but Anthony Ogogo’s dream of inspiring Suffolk’s next batch of sporting heroes burns just as brightly as his Olympic medal hopes.

The 23-year-old Lowestoft middleweight booked his London 2012 place just under a fortnight ago, courtesy of his silver medal at the European Olympic qualifying tournament in Turkey.

He is now a fistful of fights away from realising his ultimate aim – but equally as important to him is his quest to nurture a new batch of sporting heroes in the county.

“Sleepy Lowestoft has never really produced anyone of note so it is nice to be able to break the mould and one of my biggest wishes is to be the best boxer I can and inspire the next generation of athletes,” said Ogogo

“After the Olympic Games I would love nothing more than to come back with a medal around my neck, preferably a gold one, and then, as a result see all the boxing clubs in the Eastern Counties rammed with youngsters wanting to be like me.

“That is not me being arrogant, that is me wanting to inspire. I am proud to be from Suffolk and I want to bring great nights of sport back to this area.

“I would love to box at Portman Road, Carrow Road or Lowestoft Town’s Crown Meadow ground. I am really passionate about where I am from.”

Ogogo will be competing at the ExCel Arena in his bid to win Olympic gold and admitted the thought of capturing the nation’s imagination was one of the reasons for his dedication.

“I would love to box in a semi-final or final, at prime-time, in front of 20 million viewers on the TV,” he added.

“That makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and that is why I train so hard every time I go to the gym.”

Anthony Ogogo special: See pages 6&7 of your Green’Un supplement today