Student Sophie Heath is hoping to give Jamaican runner Usain Bolt a hug after landing a top role in the London 2012 Olympics.
Sophie, 20, of Staffordshire University, was picked from 50,000 hopefuls to be part of the ceremony operations team at the Games.
The BA (Hons) Event Management student said: “To be part of the Olympics in the UK is a fantastic opportunity and I am delighted that I will be part of it as the memories will last a lifetime.
“I am desperate to get on the track and give Usain Bolt a squeeze, whether I catch him is another matter.”
Lecturer Gerard Ryan, from the university’s business school, has also landed a role at the Olympics.
Gerard will be training Olympic volunteers in the run up to the Games and will then be Event Services Team Leader at the North Greenwich Arena.
He said: “My earliest memories of the Olympics is the great rivalry between the Great British middle distance runners Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe, which split the nation. I remain in the Ovett camp!
“To be one of those selected to deliver the training is an honour, and the knowledge I can bring back from the Games will help develop a legacy for our current and future BA (Hons) Events Management students.”
Film and Animation student Emma Tyson, who is a lifeguard at Stafford Leisure Centre, has a role as a lifeguard at the Olympic Aquatics Centre.
She said: “I know everybody will say it, but it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and to be part of the history of the Olympics in the UK is something very special.”
Journalism student Ross Gregory will also be a lifeguard at the Aquatics Centre.