WRESTLING: BOLTON’S Dominique Kay believes her London 2012 dream is being threatened by an influx of foreign talent – but the wrestler is keeping her fingers crossed her British Bulldog spirit will still see her make the trip to the capital.

The 18-year-old former Bolton Community College pupil has been down on her luck of late and a neck injury earlier this year curtailed her progress and saw her miss out on some vital Great Britain training camps.

Kay is back on the mats now but is playing catch-up and her cause is not helped by British Wrestling chiefs who are paying for Eastern Europeans to switch allegiances to Great Britain and ensure success at London 2012.

Yana Stadnik and Olga Butkevich – European junior champions who competed for Ukraine in 2005 and 2006 respectively – are just two members of the so-called ‘foreign legion’ who receive grants from a dedicated National Lottery fund. And Kay admits the recent trend is making her feel left out in the cold.

“I have to be realistic about London 2012 now and it is going to be really hard for me to get to the Games,” said Kay. “I have been out with an injury for a couple of months, which has meant I have missed a couple of GB camps but I am back competing now and training hard and feeling good.

“All I can do is work as hard as I can to be in the best shape I can but I know it is going to be difficult to compete at London because in the last few years there have been a fair few people from Ukraine coming into the programme.

“They are really good fighters and so that is going to make it so difficult to get into the team ahead of them and that is a shame.”

The Commonwealth Games in October are more realistic for Kay and while the Bolton Olympic Wrestling Club member is refusing to look beyond a trip to Delhi, London may yet be calling should she enjoy an Indian summer.

“I think about London a lot but it is just going to be very difficult,” she added. “I am thinking about the Commonwealth Games now later in the year and hopefully I can be selected for that and then go there and do well.”

Lloyds TSB is providing awards of £1,000 to over 270 emerging young sportspeople identified each year across Britain, in the run up to London 2012 and beyond. Visit Lloydstsb.com/Localheroes.