Young Welsh sprinters have a great opportunity to follow Commonwealth Games 100metres champion Kim Collins onto the victory podium.

Collins, the former world champion, from St Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean, is backing the SPAR Sprints Initiative to bring through new talent and train at a special sprints centre in Cardiff. The 29-year-old sees the initiative as a great way to identify, nurture and develop the next generation of sprinters.

'I recently heard about the Cardiff SPAR Sprints Centre and I think it's a great way to start kids on the right road.

'They have a lot of energy and they don't always pay attention to the things that matter like eating, sleeping and treating the body right.

'If you want to be successful in sport you have to take care of your body and that's when correct training, eating and sleeping come in.

'The kids on the initiative will definitely get a head start on their opponents because they're being taught how to do things properly.

'It's important to do things right from early on as bad habits are hard to break.

'Youngsters should not expect to make it overnight. They have to be able to be mentally strong because they will be competing against major players.

'I tell them it takes time, so don't expect you're going to come through and work miracles straight away,' added Collins, who won bronze medal at this year's World Championships.

'Britain has the London 2012 Olympics to look forward to and I think this could affect young sprinters in different ways.

'It could work to their advantage because they're on the home team, but could be disadvantageous because they have much more pressure on them to perform.

'However the athletes need to concentrate on achieving their own potential. I want young athletes to be sure of what they want to do.

'I try to encourage them to love what they do and once they love it I can guarantee they will be surprised with the results.'

The first SPAR Sprints Initiative is at the National Indoor Athletic Centre, Cyncoed Road, Cardiff, on Sunday from 10.30am.