Curious children have been given a lesson in what the human body needs to do to win an Olympic gold medal from five-time champion Sir Steve Redgrave.
The rowing legend was on hand for a special science demonstration at east London's St Paul's Way Trust School, where he had delivered free experiment kits. The school was chosen as the only secondary in the country to launch the project by the Wellcome Trust, which is to provide every school in Britain will free science activities linked to the Games.
They explore questions such as whether having longer legs helps people jump further and what happens inside competitors' bodies and minds when they take part in sport.
The kits, which are part of the Wellcome Trust's In the Zone initiative and inspired by the London 2012 Games, are aimed at helping pupils to understand how the human body works.
Sir Steve said: "I didn't have much interest in science at school, but it became really important to me as I got more serious about sport. I owe much of my Olympic success to a scientific understanding of my body.
"The important thing with these experiment kits is that they aren't just for sporty people. The kits are designed for kids of all ages and abilities to get involved, to understand the value of science and the power of their own bodies."
By the end of March, every primary and secondary school plus further education college in the UK should have received their own science and physical education kit.
Two different kits are to be delivered to schools - one for primary and one for secondary - containing a selection of experiments targeted at different age groups.
Clare Matterson, director of Medical Humanities & Engagement at the Wellcome Trust, said: "London 2012 offers a fabulous opportunity to inspire young people in both sport and science.
"We know that children learn better through practical science than from facts and figures so we wanted to give them an opportunity to test their own bodies.
"We hope that In the Zone will ignite a curiosity in young people all around the UK to ask questions and discover new things about the value of science in their everyday lives."