Hunt hoarse

Watching the BBC this morning they questioned Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt regarding the uptake of sports in schools and he started by apologising for the hoarseness of his voice as he'd been cheering on (UK gold-winner) Andy Murray.

Ting went the connections in my head. Didn't he say something very similar last week on GMTV that he was hoarse due to shouting on (UK gold-winner)  Sir Chris Hoy (or at least some cyclist)?

Is this a new tactic? When being interviewed in a negative situation start with a name-drop of a recent UK gold winner? Can anyone provide further examples?