A MAIDA Vale man was among the first to catch a glimpse inside the Olympic Stadium.
Rod Meyers of Elnathan Mews, and visited the east London site with his friend Christian Arroyo on Sunday (July 26), almost exactly three years before sporting heroes will compete there.
He was among 150 winners of the London 2012 Open Weekend competition, which was the first opportunity for members of the public to see inside the 80,000-seater stadium.
The arena will be the focal point for billions of people around the world during the opening ceremony for the London Olympics, which kicks off on the evening of July 27, 2012.
Mr Meyers said he thoroughly enjoyed the visit.
The keen sports fan added: "The stadium was big and exciting and you can see it's progressing very well. I always follow the Olympics and I'm delighted to have the Games come to London."
The visitors saw inside the stadium from the South Stand with Gail Emms, one of the UK's most successful badminton players and silver medallist at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
