GREAT Britain now boasts Olympic athletics, show-jumping, sailing, rowing and cycling champions after successful showings in Athens last month.

In eight years time, we might be able to add tug-of-war medalists to that golden sporting roll of honour and two of the sport's national champions hail from York.

Bishopthorpe's Tim Spakouskas and Glenn Carey, of Huntington, were part of the eight-man Thorne Farmers team that won the 680kilogramme class at the Tug-of-War Federation of Great Britain's National Championships.

With plans to re-introduce the sport to the Olympic programme by 2012, York could play its part in grooming future GB hopefuls.

Former silver-medal winners Spakouskas and Carey helped Thorne beat off the challenge of 11 other teams to strike gold at Warwickshire's Stoneleigh Town and Country Festival.

Both men train twice a week at New Earswick and compete for the Doncaster-based team on Sundays because York is currently without a club since New Earswick Young Farmers disbanded.

But it is hoped that there will be enough interest to form a new club in the city with youngsters harbouring Olympic ambitions more than welcome.

Carey has been taking the strain for 31 years after first competing for pub team Yearsley Grove at the age of 17 and he insists it is time for people to start viewing tug-of-war as a serious sport again.

The former Huntington School pupil said: "I think everybody thinks it's a pub event and everybody gets drunk but we don't drink the night before competitions. We also train twice a week and, as we are classed as lightweights, we have to diet.

"The world's tug-of-war governing body are hoping to regain Olympic status in 2012 and, to do that, you have to have 50 countries registered as federations. There are 36 at the moment. Iran have just set up their own federation and all the Baltic countries are coming on board with Latvia recently setting up their own organisation."

Spakouskas, who went to Boroughbridge School, also believes that tug-of-war in Britain could do with a boost in its public image.

The 28-year-old said: "We go to meetings across the country but they are mainly in the Midlands or down south now. It seems to be dying out in the north these days.

"But it's a tough sport. You have got to be physically strong and fit. It gives you an all-over body workout that exercises your arms, legs and back."

Spakouskas and Carey train together on Tuesday and Thursday nights at New Earswick Sports Club, using a pulley system with weights attached to it.

Anybody interested in forming a new York-based team with the two national stars should call former New Earswick coach Dennis Watson on 769294.

Updated: 10:25 Saturday, September 11, 2004