By Julian Shea

Dame Kelly has worked extensively with young athletes

Dame Kelly Holmes is already trying to find the next generation of talent beyond the 2012 Olympics.

The Believe to Achieve scheme, backed by the Youth Sport Trust, aims to make 2012 a springboard for youngsters in all Olympic sports.

"It's targeted at ages 15 to 17, where people have a lot of talent but, if we don't nurture it, we'll miss it for the future," she told BBC Sport.

"You never know who'll make it. If you don't help people you'll get no-one."

The scheme, which covers physical training and life skills, is based on the On Camp with Kelly athletics scheme, in which double Olympic gold medallist Holmes has worked with the country's best young middle distance runners.

"It's not just funding, it's an educational tool about helping junior international sportsmen and women learn what it takes to be the best," she said.

If you're on a talent camp, that doesn't mean you've made it and you're the best

"There are so many ups and downs. People who watch performances only see the good or bad, they don't see what people have to overcome to try and reach their potential.

"It's about things like learning how to fail, rehabilitation, even things like learning how to go abroad and be with people who don't speak the same language as you."

But Holmes is keen to stress that it takes more than just money and the best facilities available to produce results.

"It's about identifying talent and pointing them in the right direction but they still have to perform," she said.

"If you're on a talent camp, that doesn't mean you've made it and you're the best. There's still a long way to go. I know, it took me 20-odd years to reach my dream.

Dame Kelly's double win in Athens was the highlight of her career

"They can only have a long career ahead if they take it on their shoulders."

Fellow Olympians Colin Jackson and Michael Johnson have been outspoken recently in their criticism of the state of British athletics, and Holmes admits it is hard to argue with much of what they say.

But Believe to Achieve aims to ensure that there is a legacy of top-class British talent across all sports, not just athletics, after the showcase of the 2012 Games.

"It's there in black and white. Over the past few years we've not reached the potential of what we would expect from athletics," she said.

"How we improve that is by changing the structure, so having a new chairman and chief executive of UK Athletics, looking at it through new eyes, is a good start.

"A lot of those who were consistent good performers over the years have now retired, and sometimes there's a blip before the next talent comes through.