London 2012 Olympics: Set goals and stick to them, Michelle Obama tells kids

Being an Olympian is not just about winning gold medals and setting records, Michelle Obama said yesterday, as she urged youngsters to stay healthy and believe in themselves.

Olympic athletes are not simply born, but work hard for their success and refuse to give up, the US First Lady said.

Speaking at a Let’s Move! event at the US Ambassador’s residence at Winfield House, Regents Park, Mrs Obama also paid tribute to US military families stationed in the UK, telling them: “We are incredibly proud of you.”

About 1,000 US and British children took part in yesterday’s activities, joining in with sports such as basketball, tennis and football, and meeting US and UK athletes before gathering to hear the First Lady speak.

A casually dressed Mrs Obama jogged past rows of excited schoolchildren on to the stage, accompanied by the University of Florida Gator Marching Band who were playing their “fight song”.

After telling the crowd she was “so excited” to be there, she turned to the US athletes behind her, who between them have won dozens of Olympic medals, and said: “You’re not born an Olympian, right?”

She told the youngsters: “In fact, many of them started out just like you, just playing. What they did do is they stuck with it. When they got tired and frustrated or fell short, they didn’t give up.”

Mrs Obama told the children she wanted to recognise “a very special group of folk”, the military families who are stationed at US bases in the UK.

Among the sporting greats at the event were footballer David Beckham and US multiple Olympic champion Carl Lewis.