Golden chance: Tessa Sanderson in action during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta

IT has always been a mystery why Tessa Sanderson has never been afforded greater recognition, not only for her athletic achievements – she was the first British black woman ever to win Olympic gold – but for what she continues to contribute to the nation's sporting heritage. Those who complain that retired sports heroes rarely put anything back into the game should look no further than Newham, right in London's Olympic heartland, where the feisty-as-ever Sanderson is putting the same effort that saw her heave her way to the Olympic podium 25 years ago into helping ensure that London 2012 has a true legacy.

There she is now running an academy for potential young stars of 2012 and beyond, something she has built up over the last three years off her own bat with the enthusiastic backing of a far-sighted local council but precious little from the Government, Boris Johnson or the Lottery. To say she has worked wonders is something of an understatement. There are now 70 "pupils" at the Newham Academy to which Tessa has enticed a dozen coaches covering most of the Olympic and Paralympic sports, with a further 60 young athletes on the waiting list for track and field alone.

You certainly would not confuse Sanderson with Simon Cowell, but her remarkable Newham project has the hallmark of a veritable sporting X-Factor. She calls it: "A model for young people to take up sports all over the UK. We want to be sure we are cheering on British athletes in 2012 and beyond. I want to see the best of my athletes competing and beating the best in the world."

Some examples of the progress that has been made in recruiting local kids include a 19-year-old 110 metres hurdler, Emmanuel Okpokiri, coached by Tony Jarrett, who is on course for the Commonwealth Youth Games and, according to Sanderson "has the potential that could see him there in 2012 but more likely for 2016". Then there's a 10.8 second sprinter, Rashid Kakoza, coached by Julian Golding, and a remarkable trio of fencers. all from different ethnic backgrounds. They are now known as the Newham Swords and have just deposed a rather posh rival team from Kensington and Chelsea as champions in the London Youth Games, bringing a whole new connotation to the word "fencing" in the East End.

Sanderson has done this by breaking down barriers and knocking on the doors of organisations such as the ExCel Centre, 2012 partners CLM, and the Football League to extract a few bob, plus ploughing money from her own speaking engagements into the communal pot. "There is so much talent in the East End. I am just pleased that we now have the wherewithal to unearth some of it." But digging up those nuggets has not been easy. "We have had to go into schools to convince headteachers, telling them we were searching for a star, tap up the local leisure centres to get free use of their facilities and talk to hospitals into getting their medicos and physios on board. No-one else has the uniqueness we have here. I know we have the right set-up from the number of kids we have knocking on the door wanting to come in, I just need more funding. If we don't catch medals in 2012, we will in 2016. All I want is people to say 'listen Tess, we want to help you' because this is a damn fine project."

To help raise cash this year she organised a 10km race in Newham which went through the Olympic Park. There were 1200 runners. TV presenter Jim Rosenthal helped host the day after earlier apologising for jokingly referring to her as a "spear chucker", which piqued the PC stormtroopers far more than it did her. "Jim's no racist," she snorts. "He's a pal, a great guy. We laughed about it."

However, when later she encountered Ron Atkinson on the TV show Celebrity Wife Swap, it was no laughing matter. They clashed heatedly over his notorious "lazy nigger" gaffe which cost him his football analyst's role. "Yes, dear old Ron," she recalls. "We had an interesting week and it got a bit shirty at times. I don't think he really meant any harm, it was just unfortunate but I made the point that it did hurt a lot of people. Actually I don't think he's a racist either but I do know a few people who are."

The Jamaica-born Sanderson, who came to Britain when she was six, has risen above the prejudice she says dogged her while she was growing up in Wolverhampton. However she put that behind her to win gold in 1984 Los Angeles Olympics in the javelin, and is now determined to give as many young athletes as possible the chance to fulfil their potential and compete at future Olympic Games.