FORMER Olympian Kirsty Wade has told how her former school and athletics club set her on the road to Commonwealth glory. The Llandrindod Wells raised athlete won the 800 metres at the 1982 Commonwealth Games and the 800 and 1,500m double four years later in Edinburgh, the last time the games were held in Scotland. The 51-year-old however told the Brecon & Radnor Express her success started at Llandrindod High School and training with Brecon Athletics Club. The former British 800 metre record holder said: "I didn't do anything until I was 11, and then Tess Davies, the PE teacher at school, suggested that I join Brecon Athletics Club. "It was great fun, we didn't do a lot of really serious training, which is just perfect. It's a good sport for children who are quite active because you do a bit of long jump, a bit of shot putt, a bit or hurdles and cross country running, we did everything. It was like a really active, physical hobby almost but it had a really good social life as well." Kirsty, who returned to Llandrindod last month to run part of the Queen's Baton Relay's route to July's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, said winning local competitions helped build her confidence, ultimately leading to selection to represent Great Britain at Olympic and World Championships and Commonwealth glory with Wales. "It's like steps on a ladder so when you're in Llandod and you go to Brecon you want to win the Powys championships at cross country or be the fastest in the 800. And then you go to the Welsh schools and you think, 'ooh I've won the Welsh schools' and then you get selected for the Welsh internationals and you think 'ooh it would be really good to win the UK nationals, Women's AAA. "So it sort of escalates, it doesn't go in a straight line some years you're absolutely rubbish then you think 'aah this is not for me, I'm never going to be any good' and then you sort of get back on a ladder or you don't, lots of people don't. It just depends really. Age of 15, 16 it's not always very easy to keep focused." As a 14-year-old, in 1976, Kirsty ran the fastest 800m time by any Welsh athlete that year, which she admits is still a special memory. "I was never very confident as a performer right throughout my career, I never took a lot of confidence from things like that I just used to think I was OK to get on and just train if I could. "That year was a really special year for me because it was the first time I can remember quite vividly some of the races I ran that year, which considering how long ago they were, is pretty incredible. "But the following year I don't think I ran so well, so that was me back thinking I was rubbish. I never always thought, I am definitely going to be at the Olympics, I'm going to be the person that wins the Commonwealth Games. I'm afraid I wasn't that sort of child at all. I was a bit more wishy-washy probably." Get this week's Brecon & Radnor Express for a full interview in which Kirsty discusses how drugs and the former Eastern Block cast a dark shadow over her time competing at the pinnacle of international athletics. Also see this week's edition for Kirsty's warning to Powys County Council over cutting support to local sports clubs. Buy The Brecon & Radnor Express - available now