WILTSHIRE’S Lloyd Wallace gets a taste of the Olympics this weekend – but admits it may be a tough ask to reach the real thing in Sochi in February.

The 18-year-old, from Semley, south of Warminster, competes in Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium – the centrepiece of the 2008 summer Games – in his first World Cup event of the season on Sunday Wallace has been told by the British Olympic Association that he will need a place in the top 16 if he wants to qualify for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

He said: “That is a tough call.There are so many excellent teams with great funding, coaching and training programmes.

“I’ll be there on my own, paying my own way, but I’ve been training hard in the gym and I’ll give it my best shot.”

The University of Bath sports performance student added: “I don’t mind if I don’t qualify for Sochi.

“I am junior for another two years and hopefully by the time the 2018 Winter Olympics come around I’ll be competitive with the winners.”

Wallace will compete in front of a crowd of more than 50,000 on a specially-made hill inside the Olympic stadium, performing the ‘Double-full Full’ somersault he practiced into water in Switzerland and Canada over the summer.

FOR MORE SPORTS NEWS, REPORTS & PICTURES SEE FRIDAY'S WILTSHIRE TIMES AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @WTSport