Meadows backs 2012 stadium share for West Ham

She said: "We're lacking a national stadium for athletics. Crystal Palace has passed its heyday and to take ourselves seriously in athletics we need a national stadium. It would be travesty if it's not kept.

"They could keep the track there and have a football team in. They did it at the Stade de France and I've had the pleasure of running at the Stade de France a couple of times and it's an amazing facility.

"A lot of football clubs say they don't want to share a ground, but the amount of times the stadium would be used for athletics wouldn't interrupt the football season anyway. I don't see a problem with it."

Meadows, 28, competed at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Manchester City moved into that stadium with no athletics legacy, but she thinks London's situation is different.

She said: "In Manchester the track was amazing, but I understood it wasn't viable to keep the stadium for athletics because it wouldn't generate the income. I was an advocate for Man City to move into it. It was a shame but I don't think the stadium was in the right place to attract big crowds but London is."

The Olympic legacy will be felt in human terms too, according to Meadows.

She said: "As a Wigan girl it was fantastic having the Commonwealth Games in Manchester. I was really sceptical when it was awarded. I thought it was going to rain all the time, so why would anyone want to come to Manchester?

"But the organisation was fantastic, not only for the Games but also the legacy. They've got great facilities now and they've still got about 30,000 active volunteers, eight years later.

"It gave the local residents a lot of pride, but London's the capital city and I'm hoping it will bring a lot of pride into the country as a whole."

Meadows is excited about competing in London in 2012, and fancies her chances of winning a medal.

She said: "As an athlete I'm so excited about the London Games. Hopefully it'll be the pinnacle of my career, that fairytale. I'll be 31 just before the Games.

"My husband and coach, Trevor, says the research in my event has been done and you reach your peak between 27 and 31. I kind of seem to be fitting that bill. Last year in Berlin I was 28. I'll be 29 in a few months. London will be in that timeframe when I'll be 31.

"I know there's exceptions to the rules. Kelly Holmes was 34. I don't think I'll still be doing athletics when I'm 34, but in athletics terms she was probably 28 or 29 because she missed so many years of it through injury.

"I'm hoping everything will come into fruition for me at that time. I'm getting excited about it. It's just over two years and if you think what you were doing two years ago, it just feels like yesterday."

Meadows was in London last Friday to help launch the Run To The Beat, the half marathon set to music in Greenwich on September 26. She was glad to be helping promote it.

She said: "This event is really good and I'm glad to be able to play a part in it. I'm a big advocate of people running and trying to stay healthy. I think it's great how many mass participation events we've got now.

"It's an interesting concept, the music half marathon. It would almost, but not quite, get me round a half marathon if I could listen to some live music and recorded music on the way.

"I always say after my athletic career I'd love to do a marathon, but I don't know if I could do the training for it. I wouldn't be very good at it, it would be mass participation that I'd be involved in it, maybe a half marathon."

The end of her career is some way off yet. Next up is the World Indoor Championships in Doha, which start on March 12.

Having set a new UK best in the 800 metres Meadows will be one of the big contenders for the title, particularly after winning bronze in the outdoor championships in Berlin last year. But she was playing down her chances.

She said: "It's something I haven't really thought about a lot, a bit like getting the British record. I know I'm in shape and I'm just concentrating on making sure my preparations are right.

"But I just feel really on top of my game at the moment. It's a great position to be in. I know the Russians always come with two amazing athletes, but I ran against them in Moscow recently and did well.

"I'm not going to put pressure on myself by saying I've got to win the gold. I'd love to back up what I did in Berlin and get myself on the podium again but I haven't given myself the pressure by saying if I don't get on the podium I'm going to be devastated.

"If I walk off the track, knowing I was in shape, did everything I could, made the right decisions, but three people who obviously made better decisions or are in better shape, beat me, then I can't be too upset.

The outdoor season promises further riches with the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games to look forward to. It's the former that Meadows is prioritising.

She said: "I've always said the Europeans have got to come first. It's one of those championships where it's more or less world level anyway.

"Saying that the Commonwealths are pretty good. In my event, you have got the Kenyans and Jamaicans and, whether World Champion Caster Semenya runs or not, so you have got all those girls to face.

"The Europeans have got to be first and foremost on my agenda. It's in July, and I'm normally in decent shape by July. The Commonwealths is in October, it's in India and it's going to be a long season if I do that.

"When you are in shape it's hard just to sit at home and not go to the championships, so I think I'd find it very difficult to say no to going. But the human side of me says it is in October and just a few months later we're in 2011 and that's 12 months before 2012.

"So, let's get the Europeans over. I hope I'm in the situation where I'm good enough to get selected first and foremost. It's so competitive in 800metres in Britain, but that's good. It's propelling us all to keep improving.

"Things could happen before then. You could have a little niggle. You could not be right at the Europeans, so the Commonwealths might be a great competition. We'll get the Europeans over with and then we'll see."

Asics ambassador Jenny Meadows was speaking at the launch of Run To The Beat. Visit runtothebeat.co.uk.