Married athletes met at the Tokyo 1964 Olympic games

Two athletes who met on a flight to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics have urged this year's competitors to "absorb everything".

Cyclist Hugh Porter and swimmer Anita Lonsbrough, who now live in Wolverhampton, married the next year.

Rome gold medallist Ms Lonsbrough also became the first British female athlete to be a flag bearer.

She said those travelling to Japan for the games which officially start on Friday should make "good memories".

Ms Lonsbrough, who won gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics and was voted Sports Personality of the Year in 1962, finished 7th in the 400m individual medley.

Speaking about being the flag bearer she said: "Suddenly you walk into this vast arena and the noise just hits you.

"I wanted to turn around and run back, but you don't obviously you just march on and it really was a great honour."

Mr Porter, a four time individual pursuit world champion and Commonwealth gold medallist, was eliminated in the quarter finals at Tokyo.

"I'd got a very heavy cold and bronchial chest infection which really is not the thing you want if you're going to try and win an Olympic medal," he said.

However, the games gave them time to get to know each other, they said.

"Hugh, he invited me, last of the the big spenders, to a hot breakfast with him on the last leg," Ms Lonsbrough, originally from Huddersfield, said.

"He told his team manager to move so I could sit next to him."

Mr Porter said he was concerned about the impact the pandemic has had on this year's games, delayed from last year.

"They are going to be housed in a hotel or in a village, they are not going to be able to go out, I don't know how they are going to do their training and all that.

"I just feel so sorry for them because whether or not they'll be able to give it their best shot, I don't know."

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