Scots gold medallist riding crest of a wave with new-found fame

Chief Sports Writer

Friday 10 August 2012

SCOTTISH sports heroine Katherine Grainger has spoken of her new-found celebrity as she basks in the glory of her gold medal-winning performance at the Olympics.

GOLDEN HANDSHAKE: Katherine Grainger meets Pele, who was receiving an honourary degree from Edinburgh University.

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Hugh MacDonald in London

The Edinburgh University graduate has received congratulations from David Beckham, Prince Harry and even won the admiration of the Queen, or rather Dame Helen Mirren, who played her in the film of the same name.

Yesterday, Grainger took a break from the Team GB camp following her triumph in the double sculls with Anna Watkins at Eton Dorney last week, to meet up with another icon – Pele.She attended the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, where the three times World Cup winner was given an honorary degree by the university. Glasgow-born swimmer Michael Jamieson, a silver medallist in the 200 metres who is a member of the university's swimming team, was also there.The award recognised Pele's contribution to humanitarian and environmental causes, as well as his footballing achievements. He is FIFA's joint player of the century and is also the International Olympic Committee's athlete of the century.Grainger, 36, who grew up in Bearsden, Glasgow, missed out on a night out with Beckham after blanking a phone call because the incoming number was withheld. She later realised, to her embarrassment, that it was from the former England captain, who played a key role in bringing the Games to London.She had been promised by Sir Steve Redgrave, the five-time Olympic champion, that his famous friend would take her out if she won gold.Beckham came through on that promise but Grainger was left with a voicemail rather than a dinner date.She said: "It genuinely started off as a joke. Steve was talking about the lighting of the Olympic cauldron and the fact he was going to pass the torch to Beckham."I said: 'You've got to get me a meeting with him sometime'."Redgrave told the rower that Beckham had agreed – on the golden provision of success on the lake at Eton Dorney last week.Grainger said: "After I won it was all still just good fun – and then I got a message on my phone from David Beckham. I'm kicking myself because I didn't take the call. It was an unknown number and I was at a hockey match and sitting in front of a four-piece band and I couldn't have spoken to anyone anyway."Grainger described Prince Harry, who she met at the cycling Velodrome, as "very friendly, very friendly. He is obviously very passionate about sport as well, genuinely loves the fact that he can be here and watching, being part of it."He talked about the cycling but he also talked about my experience."She added: "The nice thing is that the big names who come and watch sport are not there to be seen."They are genuinely there to watch the sport and be part of it. Everyone gets that. "I have a friend who was sat behind Helen Mirren in the athletics and the actress was gushing about how wonderful women's sport was doing."She was someone who really knows what was going on and was really aware of the situation and very interested."

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Scots gold medallist riding crest of a wave with new-found fame

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