Lynn McCafferty, the captain of Great Britain's handball team, already has firmed up her post-Olympic plans, and come up with a tried and trusted rationale.

Post-London, the Scot confirms, she will be stepping down to spend more time with her family.

It's an excuse familiar to many a disgraced politician but the 33-year-old is departing with her reputation at its highest. Having helped transform her team from nothing to somewhere over the past five years, it is time to return to Cumbernauld and become a full-time partner once more.

Five years ago, McCafferty and her husband, Gary, hoped to share a journey to the Games. Both were in the original GB squad that was formed in the wake of London's victorious bid, only one survived the initial year of testing and training undertaken to seek out potential top-class performers. "To be honest, he didn't really enjoy training full-time," McCafferty says of her other half. "He's more into it for fun. It was just hard to consider things logistically when I moved away. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Gary's support. He's played it for a long time and he's still involved in it very actively. He loves that I'm still part of the programme."

Since 2007, his wife has been largely in exile, spending time in the Danish League, handball's version of the Premier League, followed by a long stint over the past year at British Handball's base in London. Absence has made the heart grow fonder. It also sucks.

"We came through it," she says. "There have been a lot of times where I wanted to be home, or I wished he was there. But the big picture has always been clear since the start, right back to August 2006. It was always short-term. It was only six years. It wasn't like being apart for a lifetime."

The journey for Britain's handballers has been almost as fantastical as the end destination. As a group, they were forced to scrimp and save after their funding was slashed three years out from London. Some found the sacrifices too great; the remainder accepted the realities of living on a diet of instant noodles and cheese and toughed it out.

The one-time minnows did enough to earn their spot at the Olympics by proving they would not disgrace themselves among elite company. There have been positive results against the sport's establishment, including a confidence-building encounter with the mighty Norway earlier this year.

Expectations remain modest, but McCafferty admits: "It was good to have that experience, to see how they move the ball and how we might get about them. They're still a massive step ahead of us, but we know now that we can do okay against them."

Now they get their crack at making history. Other rewards remain minimal. One of the few perks has been to carry the Olympic torch during its passage through the Borders. "I did feel a bit embarrassed," she admits. The greatest payback is the opportunity to captain a British handball team on the biggest stage of them all.

With the Games now around the corner, the scale of that accomplishment has hit home. "There are things which are overwhelming when I think about them and that's one," McCafferty states. "When I was younger, I never dreamt about going to an Olympics to play handball. It was a minority sport. I just enjoyed it.

"But to have this . . . it was so far away. It's exciting now. I'm so proud to be part of Team GB. To captain the team, as well, it's just unbelievable."