Winners with Denise Lewis

..takes raw talent, determination, drive and

Starting off as a young athlete from Wolverhampton, there

There were setbacks that really tested my dedication, but

when I won Olympic gold, I soon realised it had been worth every

There are plenty of sportswomen around

the world who've felt the

Over the next half hour, we'll hear from five

remarkable women as they tell their stories

of setback and triumph - the

Sometimes, just getting to the starting line can be

In a moment, we'll be hearing from one athlete hoping to

change the face of road cycling in the US.

Next, to Vietnam, where a visit to a pool transformed the life of

Getting started is really hard, but once I get on my

More women should be cycling, more African-American women should be

cycling, that's why I put the hours in.

I have the goal to be the first professional female

I started racing when I was 26, which is quite old for someone

I won a state championship, maybe in my third

race in, which is kind of unheard of.

You've got to be focused, determined and have a high

Professional cycling is a predominantly white

Other colours and cultures aren't very well represented.

I think African-American women aren't

cycling because they don't see anyone who looks like them doing it.

I'm going to be the pearl that I couldn't find in the sport.

I owe it to all the girls who look like me

who have the potential to become great.

Anxiety is such a weird thing in that there can be absolutely

nothing wrong and you come up with a million things

When I first started racing, it was hard

to even get myself to the

It's pretty cool in that the bike is both a physical

vehicle and a metaphorical vehicle that can take you where you want to

Cycling has changed my life in so many positive ways.

When I started on this journey to become

professional, I thought it would be a good idea to start a blog because

it could be helpful to all those women I'm trying to reach.

There's something more concrete about things

I wanted to hold myself accountable for the goals I'd

I really like going fast on a bicycle.

I think going fast on a bike is special because you did it, you

Even if I don't become the best in the United

States, I know I can still accomplish my goal of encouraging

and inspiring other women of colour to go for it.

Because maybe they are the one that's supposed to become

For one athlete in Egypt, the freedom to compete comes

But first, India, and one woman reaching dizzying

heights while redefining expectations in her country.

commitment these women have made in the pursuit of success.

And I believe that, in the years to come,

we can expect more records shattered, more races run, and

Good evening. A bit of a mixed bag coming our way this we can put it

has