IT has been a head-spinning year for Louis Smith.

And not just when he completing the dizzying pommel horse routine which made him a superstar after becoming the first British man to win an individual Olympic gymnastics medal in Beijing this summer.

Since that heady day in August, the 19 year-old Eye youngster has been inundated with media calls ranging from an appearance on A Question Of Sport to being a celebrity guest on Ready, Steady, Cook.

So a year which started for Smith as a virtual unknown outside his sport has ended with him making friends among the great and the good and even picking up the odd recipe or two for good measure along the way.

"It has been an amazing year for me, the best of my life," he said.

"Not so long ago I was struggling to pay for a new gearbox in my car and really struggling to get by.

"Now, after winning the bronze medal in Beijing, I seem to have become a bit of a celebrity and I am loving it. Appearing on A Question of Sport was amazing for me. I used to watch the show as a kid and to be up there with the likes of Phil Tuffnell and Matt Dawson was a lot of fun.

"I also had a great time on Ready, Steady, Cook – Ainsley Harriott is a legend and I had a great time. I am not sure how good I was though.

"We made spicy noodles with duck in plum sauce but I had a fair bit of help so when I try it at home I am not sure it will taste quite as good. But I have promised my mum I will cook it for her, so we will have to see."

And the media calls didn't stop there.

After presenting a MOBO award, Smith also had to deal with the unique pressure of performing live in front of one of the largest TV audiences of the year at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards.

He said: "I have always been well into music so doing the MOBOs was awesome and of course it was a real honour to be asked to perform at the Sports Personality night.

"It was strange though because normally I am performing for a medal but that night it was a different kind of pressure.

"I certainly didn't want to fall off in front of a room full of the biggest sports stars in the UK and of course with all the people watching at home. But the routine went well and it was another highlight of the year for me."

But despite the constant calls for TV appearances and other media junkets, Smith is refusing to have his head turned by all the extra attention.

He said: "Of course I enjoy all the TV work and it also helps me raise the profile of gymnastics for youngsters which is important to me.

"But I am a gymnast, not a TV personality. I want to add a European medal to my collection as it is the only one I don't have so it is work, work, work as usual.

"I am training six days a week to be ready for the championships in Milan in April and then it is the World Championships at the O2 Arena in London later in the year.

"But my main aim is to get to London 2012 and win a gold medal. Then I would consider my legacy to be complete and I will have done my bit to prepare the way for the next generation of British gymnasts."


Falling off gave Smith just the kick up the backside he needed

IF you fall off a horse the best thing to do is get straight back on.

It is a pearl of wisdom local gym golden boy Louis Smith clearly holds dear after winning Olympic bronze on the pommel horse to claim the UK's first-ever individual gymnastics medal.

On that hot summer's day at the National Indoor Arena in Beijing, Smith produced a near-faultless routine to put himself up on the podium and write himself into the sporting history books.

But it was a rather less imperious display which gave him the extra drive to get there in the first place.

He said: "Winning that medal was the highlight of my life and makes all the countless hours of training worthwhile.

"I have sacrificed an awful lot to get where I am today and moments like that are what I have dreamed about.

"But it took falling off the pommel at the European Championships to really drive me on and give me the kick up the backside I needed to win that Olympic medal.

"Earlier in the year I was maybe feeling a little bit invincible and I got caught out which made me determined not to let that happen again at a big competition.

"I went back into the gym and worked my socks off to get better and better and I just focused on the goal of making the squad for Beijing.

"No-one likes to fall off and it is something which has not happened to me often in my career, but I think it definitely served as a wake-up call for what I achieved later on in the year."

And it was not just the Olympic gong which illuminated Smith's year.

Three months after returning from China, Smith was crowned British champion after taking gold in the Masters Final in Dagenham but rather than rest on his laurels, the 19 year-old has his sights firmly set on the future.

He said: "This year was massive for me but I cannot dwell in the past. I have another big year coming up with the European Championships in Milan and then the World Championships in London.

"There should be 20,000 people in there at the O2 Arena and it will be a perfect dress rehearsal for London 2012 which is still a massive target. I have got an Olympic medal now and next time I want gold.

"That is the dream which keeps me going and makes training six days a week all worthwhile – I want to leave a real legacy in my sport and that is the best way I can achieve that."