They are three sportsmen who could walk down any street here without attracting much, if any, attention whatsoever. That could all change come Sunday.

Over the past weeks and months, as the launch of the Olympics grew nearer, I found it difficult to muster any enthusiasm for it.

Negative news reports about China's human rights record and sports riddled with doping scandals had blunted any enthusiasm tI might have had. That was until I watched a documentary on the BBC about the efforts being put in by a group of rowers from the North West.

'From the Bann to Beijing' was aired last Wednesday night and had me riveted at the effort and sacrifices three men from Coleraine put in to achieving their goal of reaching the Olympics this summer.

BBC Sport Northern Ireland's Season Ticket told the remarkable story of the last 18months in the lives of oarsmen Alan Campbell, Richard Chambers and Richard Archibald.

The candid personal diary footage that the men recorded gave a startling insight into what it takes to make the grade at Olympic level.

The training, for a start, was ridiculous. In one clip Alan Campbell was filmed doing a serious session on Portrush beach. To finish off, he then ran up and down a massive sand dune...twenty times. Did I mention it was Christmas morning? When most of us were stuffing ourselves on a breakfast consisting mainly of Ferrero Rocher (well, in the McDaid home anyway) he was torturing his legs in the cold sands of the north coast.

The men only took one-day off a month as they prepared for one of the toughest endurance tests in sport. They willingly gave up the prospect of nights on the town with their mates and dodgy kebabs on the way home. Their dedication to succeed is both admirable and inspiring.

Alan Campbell has been competing in the single scull event for Great Britain, and the two Richards will race against each other in the Lightweight fours - Chambers for Great Britain and Archibald for Ireland.

It's been a longtime since we have had someone from up north competing for medals at the Olympics. The last I can think of was Wayne McCullough in Barcelona in 1992. I have vague memories of watching him fight whilst holidaying in Butlins. I couldn't really appreciate what he was going through - I was only ten - but now that athletes from my age group are out there, I can only stand back in admiration and awe.

Campbell has succeeded in landing a place in Sunday's final, despite missing six weeks of training recently due to having an operation on an injured knee.

After Wednesday's heat, which got him through, he said: "I am ecstatic. Realistically, any one of us can win it (the Gold). I have an outside chance, the underdog's chance. But it is always better to be the underdog."

Archibald (for Ireland) and Chambers (for GB) went head to head yesterday in the semi-finals of the lightweight men's coxless fours for a place in Sunday's final.