Lee McConnell (born October 9, 1978) is a Scottish athlete who competes in the 400 metres. She attended Holyrood R.C. Secondary School in Glasgow before graduating from Loughborough University in 2000 with a degree in Sports Science. She won the Scottish 200 metre champion in 2002, and 2005. She also won the 400 metres in 2001. In 2002 she also won the AAAs 400 metre championships, she also won an Individual Bronze medal at the 2002 European championships, then added a Commonwealth Silver in the 400 in that same season.

Lee McConnell is looking forward to the sofas in Beijing. The washing machines will be welcome, too. She has seen photographs and, as athletes’ villages go, China’s comes close to luxury.

“It might sound like a strange thing to be excited about, but sometimes there are just hard seats at the athletes’ village and I can’t sit on them for long because my back gets stiff,” the 400m runner explains.

Read the full article in the Sunday Times Online (www.timesonline.co.uk)