0:00:02 > 0:00:05This year three extraordinary weightlifting girls have one
0:00:05 > 0:00:06big dream.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09To muscle their way into the biggest competition on earth -
0:00:09 > 0:00:11the London Olympics.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13God, I so want to be part of the 2012 squad.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16- That would mean everything to me. - It's really exciting.
0:00:16 > 0:00:21But to get there they face 12 hard months of heavy training...
0:00:21 > 0:00:23My body's just hurting.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26..and two massive international tests.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29SHOUTING
0:00:29 > 0:00:30INDISTINCT
0:00:30 > 0:00:33This weight is nothing. Just snatch it.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40The girls are attempting to lift up to twice their own body weight.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Can they handle the pressure?
0:00:43 > 0:00:44I don't believe it.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Take the pain?
0:00:48 > 0:00:51And succeed in the battle with their own weight going up and down?
0:00:51 > 0:00:53- Breakfast!- I really want bacon.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Just asking you not to bring McDonalds into the house
0:00:56 > 0:00:59for one daughter while the other one sits there literally starving.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03There's only two places on the Olympic team for womens'
0:01:03 > 0:01:06weightlifting. Who will claim the once in a lifetime prize
0:01:06 > 0:01:09of standing strong for Britain?
0:01:20 > 0:01:21Right, clothes.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Steal some from in here.
0:01:24 > 0:01:2717-year-old Zoe Smith is leaving her home in London to train full
0:01:27 > 0:01:30time as a weightlifter in Leeds.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35Oh God. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37It's going to be quite fun.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Obviously the training is going to be tough but you would be silly
0:01:40 > 0:01:42if you didn't think it was going to be tough basically.
0:01:44 > 0:01:45Bloody hell.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50She's given up her school now so it just seems the right thing.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54She's got one year to go to the Olympics, so if you can't make
0:01:54 > 0:01:57a real go of it now and being given this opportunity to really
0:01:57 > 0:02:00focus on training for a year - I think it's a sacrifice worth making.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04I am slightly nervous. It's just helpful to
0:02:04 > 0:02:06have your parents around I suppose.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Come on, get organised.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15- I'll miss you.- Oh, thanks.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24I started weightlifting when I was 12.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26I was a gymnast like a normal girl once.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30I was always explosive but not particularly graceful.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34- Bye.- Have a good trip up, won't you?
0:02:36 > 0:02:39The line they used to get me into weightlifting from gymnastics
0:02:39 > 0:02:43was, "You're very powerful but you're never going to be
0:02:43 > 0:02:47"an Olympic gymnast, but you just might be good at weightlifting."
0:02:47 > 0:02:51You don't really need a lot of grace in weightlifting do you?
0:02:51 > 0:02:53So this is the perfect sport for me.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00After winning bronze at the Commonwealth Games
0:03:00 > 0:03:03when she was just 16, Zoe was tipped as having Olympic potential.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07But then her funding was axed when the sport's governors thought
0:03:07 > 0:03:08she wasn't showing enough commitment,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10or working hard enough to keep her body weight down.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14But now she's decided to give up her A levels
0:03:14 > 0:03:16and put all her efforts into making the team.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Eventually it got sorted out
0:03:18 > 0:03:20and I decided I was going to come full time
0:03:20 > 0:03:21and show them my commitment.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24God, I so want to be part of the 2012 squad.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26But it's going to be so massive
0:03:26 > 0:03:29because it's going to be like an exclusive team of athletes
0:03:29 > 0:03:32and you're either part of that or you're not.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34To be part of that would be absolutely fantastic.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40Zoe has a hard year ahead at the Olympic Training Centre in Leeds.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44But worrying about how much she can lift isn't her only battle.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48My biggest issue is probably the body weight category problem.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Like boxers, weightlifters are divided into categories
0:03:52 > 0:03:55according to their body weight
0:03:55 > 0:03:58and only compete against athletes of a similar size.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02So being in the right body weight class can make all the difference.
0:04:02 > 0:04:03SHRIEKS
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Zoe is in the category for athletes weighing up to 63 kilograms,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Or 9 stone 12.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12She's a healthy weight but to have the best chance of Olympic
0:04:12 > 0:04:15qualification she's hoping to come down a weight category
0:04:15 > 0:04:19which will mean losing at least 5 kilos.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21I'm in the 63s at the moment
0:04:21 > 0:04:23and I'll b competing at the Worlds at 63,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27but I want to come down to 58, cos that will make me more competitive.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29It's going to be hard to stay strong
0:04:29 > 0:04:32and come down a body weight category.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37It's just so hard to stick to boring food all the time. I like chocolate.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41But I think it's worth the torture basically.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44In Leeds Zoe is moving in with one of her rivals for the Olympic team.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49But 18-year-old Hannah Powell is also her best friend.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Thank you so much.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54'It's still sinking in that the Olympics is next year.'
0:04:54 > 0:04:58I try not to get too excited about it
0:04:58 > 0:05:01and just try and focus on what I've got to do to get there,
0:05:01 > 0:05:05but at the same time it is really exciting.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Hannah has been lifting weights since she was 11,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11inspired by her dad and uncle who were both power lifters.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14SHE GRUNTS
0:05:14 > 0:05:18She's quite scary-looking, isn't she?
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Yeah. A bit manly.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26Everyone thinks everyone in weightlifting's like that.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31'People associate weightlifting with screaming.'
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Big men in sweaty, horrible, tight leotards
0:05:35 > 0:05:38and hairy people and that kind of thing.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40'People are quite shocked
0:05:40 > 0:05:42'when I tell them I do weightlifting.'
0:05:42 > 0:05:47I have had to prove myself a few times, cos some people just refuse
0:05:47 > 0:05:50to believe it. I'm only four foot eight and a half.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53'I think weightlifting has given me a better physique,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56'cos if I didn't lift, I think I'd just be dead skinny.'
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Like, weirdly skinny!
0:05:59 > 0:06:02So I think it's given me a bit of definition and shape.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06'I've worked really, really hard for the last seven years.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08'It's never been easy.'
0:06:08 > 0:06:13I've had to kind of build my life around weightlifting.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Not just fit weightlifting in.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Most teenagers my age are going out and partying
0:06:19 > 0:06:22and doing what they want and trying new things.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25But now it's nice to be a potential Olympian.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33Pitched against Hannah and Zoe, 22-year-old Helen Jewell
0:06:33 > 0:06:35is also hoping for a place on the Olympic team.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43She's already established as a strong contender.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46'I've been competing for ten years now.'
0:06:46 > 0:06:49This is the duvet from the Commonwealth Games
0:06:49 > 0:06:50that we brought back.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53That really ignited the flame and has made me
0:06:53 > 0:06:56even more hungry for the Olympics.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58I think I'm quite naturally strong.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01I grew up on a farm in Devon,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03out lifting bales and doing manual work.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Helen started weightlifting while she was at school,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10and stuck with it all the way through university.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Weightlifting kind of fits my mindset.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15I'm able to push my body and, you know, it is an internal drive.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18You've got to really want it.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22In all, I think I've counted about 42.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25I can't believe you've kept all of them.
0:07:25 > 0:07:26HELEN LAUGHS
0:07:26 > 0:07:27Oh, God!
0:07:27 > 0:07:30They're all ancient!
0:07:30 > 0:07:34There's not much use you bringing them all out.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37They all look the same.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- Dad, stop! Don't be stupid. - That's enough now.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42He's getting more, isn't he?
0:07:42 > 0:07:43HELEN LAUGHS
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Oh, my God!
0:07:49 > 0:07:52She's determined that she's going to do it.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Helen's one that if she can, she will.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58MUSIC: "Respect" by Aretha Franklin
0:08:08 > 0:08:11To improve their chances of selection,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14the girls are following a strict training regime.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Twice a day, six days a week
0:08:16 > 0:08:18at The British Weightlifting Centre in Leeds.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22All under the watchful eye of head coach Tamas Feher.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26The strength is absolutely important, and the speed.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30The other part is here, up there.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33It's not just going to the gym.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36It's a quite complex plan.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40Every day, every training counts.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51There are only two spots on the women's Olympic weightlifting team,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54and there are six girls in the running.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59To qualify, the girls have to lift a target weight
0:08:59 > 0:09:02in one of two upcoming competitions.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06We're all competing against each other for the places at London.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08It could literally be anyone at the moment.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Now things are getting more serious.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13I'm one of the people who wants one of those places.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16You know, the pressure's building.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20I think secretly we're all kind of watching each other.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Helen, she's doing really well at the moment.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Zoe's got a really good chance of going.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29At such a young age, to be lifting the weight she is, it's phenomenal.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Hannah's looking really strong.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35I'd be happy for any of us to go, but obviously I'd be more happy
0:09:35 > 0:09:38if I got to go, cos I want to go to the Olympics.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45More punch, come on. Quick! Yep.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Before their Olympic qualifying competitions,
0:09:48 > 0:09:53the girls have their first big test - the World Championships in Paris.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Come on, Hannah.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57I've thought a little bit about what it would be like to compete
0:09:57 > 0:10:01at the Olympics, but I've got nothing at the moment I could compare it to.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Aggressive!
0:10:03 > 0:10:07Don't rush. Hold on. Come on!
0:10:07 > 0:10:10I'm being sent to the Worlds
0:10:10 > 0:10:14because I need to have an understanding of what it's like
0:10:14 > 0:10:16to compete on a platform at that level.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23A bit rushed, but it's fine.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31With nine months to the Olympics, Helen has suffered a serious setback
0:10:31 > 0:10:35and will miss the chance to prove herself at the World Championships.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41- Have you been here before?- No, just to see Dr Potter last week.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44- Just the initial consultation?- Yeah.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49Helen suffered an injury in training and needs surgery on her shoulder.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51I've torn one of the muscles in my shoulder.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54It's not actually attached, apparently.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Everything just happened so quickly.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I had the scans and then the doctor told me the report.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03I was just like, "No!"
0:11:03 > 0:11:06It's not ideal, to say the least.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09I'm trying to keep smiling.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15After the operation, Helen will have to embark on an intensive course
0:11:15 > 0:11:18of physical rehab before she can even think about
0:11:18 > 0:11:20lifting weights again.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23'I suppose with me having the injury, it might make the other girls
0:11:23 > 0:11:27'feel like, "Wow, I've got a really good chance here.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30'"My chances have just improved."
0:11:30 > 0:11:32'But I'm not going to give up easily.'
0:11:32 > 0:11:35But Helen's doctor isn't so optimistic.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38What she's doing even with a healthy shoulder is difficult enough,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41but to do the same after major shoulder surgery
0:11:41 > 0:11:44is going to be a tall order for Helen.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47BEEPING
0:11:49 > 0:11:51With Helen out of the picture,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Zoe and Hannah have a better chance to shine
0:11:53 > 0:11:55at the World Championships in Paris.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00It'll be the biggest competition I'll have ever done in my life.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03- It will be for any of us, I think.- Yeah.
0:12:03 > 0:12:04I'm quite excited.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08We usually cook separate stuff now, cos we're on diets,
0:12:08 > 0:12:09but we're being lazy tonight.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Just cooking one thing.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Zoe is still battling to lose weight,
0:12:14 > 0:12:17so she'll be competing in the 63kg category.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20That's enough for me.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23While Zoe's attempting to shed pounds,
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Hannah's desperate to do the opposite.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29The biggest challenge I face for me personally is putting on body weight.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32I think I've put enough butter on it.
0:12:32 > 0:12:33At just six stone and 12 pounds,
0:12:33 > 0:12:37she is one of the smallest girls in the lightest weight class.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41'I know if I was five kilos heavier, I'd be so much stronger.'
0:12:41 > 0:12:44I really, desperately need to go up to 48.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48'If I didn't lift, my body would happily sit around 40 kilos.'
0:12:48 > 0:12:52So to force my body to weigh 48 kilos is very difficult.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Eight kilos is over a stone.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56I'll eat another.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Probably just the same sized meal before I go to bed later.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Imagine if you hit 48 kilos and didn't stop.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07- Yeah.- Just kept going. - You just ballooned!
0:13:07 > 0:13:09LAUGHTER
0:13:14 > 0:13:16We're in Paris!
0:13:25 > 0:13:28The World Championships is the closest the girls will get
0:13:28 > 0:13:31to Olympic-style competition before 2012.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38For Zoe and Hannah, it's their first time competing
0:13:38 > 0:13:42at such a high level alongside the best lifters in the world.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44If they're going to make the Olympic team,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47they need to show they can perform under pressure.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51It's huge.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55I mean, there's over 700 athletes and there's lifters here
0:13:55 > 0:13:59I've watched on YouTube for the last few years and stuff
0:13:59 > 0:14:01that are really good.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05It's kind of like seeing celebrities for me, walking around.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07I'm starting to get a little bit nervous.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Every now and then, I start to get butterflies
0:14:10 > 0:14:12and stuff thinking about competing.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16But good butterflies.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18I'm quite confident ahead of it.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21I just thought about it and it's just another competition, really.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25I shouldn't get too worried about it, even though it's a World Champs.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31TANNOY: Smith, Zoe. Great Britain.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Zoe's chance to prove she's capable
0:14:34 > 0:14:38of handling Olympic-style competition is about to begin.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Her mum has come to Paris to give her a boost.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47Come on, Zoe.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Team coach Tamas is in charge of Zoe's tactics,
0:14:50 > 0:14:55getting her psyched up and ready to compete.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57OK. 45, please.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05The warm-up for the competition is quite tense.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07You've got people staring you down.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09You know when you see animals
0:15:09 > 0:15:13puffing their chests out and stuff?
0:15:13 > 0:15:15It's kind of a human version of that, really.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22You need to be really psyched up.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27You just feel nervous, especially for your first attempt.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29You've got butterflies like mad,
0:15:29 > 0:15:30It's just a mad feeling in your stomach.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37You're the next one.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Be angry, mad and calm at the same time.
0:15:41 > 0:15:42Mad and calm.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Very focused.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Come on, Zoe.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49It's yours. Come on!
0:15:54 > 0:15:59Zoe's first attempt is a lift of 85 kilos.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01That's over 13 stone.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11APPLAUSE
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Very well.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17From here on, the weights get heavier and heavier.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21Maximum focus. Second go, OK?
0:16:24 > 0:16:25APPLAUSE
0:16:25 > 0:16:30This is the key. It's yours, come on.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33CHEERING
0:16:35 > 0:16:37APPLAUSE
0:16:38 > 0:16:40On her final lift,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Zoe's trying to lift more than she's ever achieved in competition.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51CHEERING
0:16:51 > 0:16:54- Good work.- Thank you so much. - Congratulations.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59And it's over!
0:16:59 > 0:17:03It's a personal best for Zoe - a lift of 112kg.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06That's well over 17 and a half stone.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13I've been worrying about this for weeks really.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16To have it out of the way and done well, it's like...
0:17:16 > 0:17:19I couldn't have asked for more of myself.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23- Darling!- Mumski! - So, so proud of you.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26- Do you want your treat?- I do.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30Before the competition, you just feel so sick and like, "Why have I come?
0:17:30 > 0:17:32"Do I really want to be here?"
0:17:32 > 0:17:34But once you have a great result like that,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36you realise it's all worthwhile.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Yeah, she knows me too well.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Not all of the three hopefuls are experiencing
0:17:43 > 0:17:47the bright lights of international competition.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50I'm back home in Devon,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52at my parent's house.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56Everyone else is in Paris, which is where I should have been.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58I'm gutted that I can't be there.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01'I've been watching the weightlifting on TV,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04'the others competing out there and keeping up with their results.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07'I'm just really jealous.'
0:18:07 > 0:18:10I'm meant to be a weightlifter, lifting weights.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12At the moment, I can't even lift an empty bar
0:18:12 > 0:18:17and I'm struggling with the weakest coloured theraband.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20Struggling to even get my arms
0:18:20 > 0:18:22over my head with it.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25It's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster,
0:18:25 > 0:18:26playing with your mind.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28'Is my shoulder ever going to be right?
0:18:28 > 0:18:31'Will I ever be able to lift again?'
0:18:31 > 0:18:35It is going to be a big ask to qualify for London.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37'It's devastating, but I am very dedicated
0:18:37 > 0:18:39'and I'm not going to give up that easily.'
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Nothing's impossible.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44There's always some hope.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53It's Hannah's turn to find out
0:18:53 > 0:18:56if she can take the pressure at the World Championships.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00One more.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03It's just a fine line between getting a lift and failing it.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06'All that training and hard work,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08'in literally a few seconds at a time.'
0:19:08 > 0:19:11There are two kinds of lift in competition.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13The first is called the snatch,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16where the weight is lifted in one movement.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Yeah. Very good..
0:19:19 > 0:19:24Hannah has three attempts at the snatch to lift as much as she can.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28Be like a beast on the stage.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35APPLAUSE
0:19:35 > 0:19:36Hah!
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Lift up.
0:19:42 > 0:19:43Go!
0:19:45 > 0:19:47APPLAUSE
0:19:47 > 0:19:50OK, six is fine.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Hannah's equalled her personal best in the snatch.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Now she's got three attempts at a different of lift -
0:19:59 > 0:20:01the clean and jerk.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04It has two movements, and heavier weights.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Explosive, Hannah. Rise high.
0:20:06 > 0:20:07Come on!
0:20:07 > 0:20:11Hannah's attempting 79 kilos.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13That's 12 stone and six pounds.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16Come on. Heels.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Ohhh!
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Unlucky.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27- It was lazy. Be very aggressive.- Agh!
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Come on. Come on, Hannah.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Hannah must get her final lift to avoid being disqualified.
0:20:38 > 0:20:39Calm down.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43She's got just two minutes to compose herself.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Take some deep breaths.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46Calm down.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49This weight is a piece of cake.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52No. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Calm down.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT/APPLAUSE
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Don't rush!
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Heels.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Oh, I don't believe this.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28SHE SOBS
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Come on.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49It happens. Learn from it, OK?
0:21:51 > 0:21:52Come on.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Hannah's got six months to turn things around
0:21:57 > 0:22:00if she's to qualify for the Olympics.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04I'm sad butt this is the way to learn. It's a hard way.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06SHE SOBS
0:22:06 > 0:22:10It's better to do it here instead of London.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14It's the World Championships and I bombed out, so....
0:22:16 > 0:22:19It's just, just, like, utter disappointment,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22like I've let myself down.
0:22:22 > 0:22:23SHE SIGHS
0:22:23 > 0:22:26I've lifted that weight hundreds and hundreds of times,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28in training and in competition.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31It's not that I don't think my body's capable of it,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33I think it's my head, like, my confidence.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36If anything's going to let me down, it'll be that.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43After her result at the World Championships,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Zoe's back in London, visiting her old school.
0:22:48 > 0:22:49SHE WHISPERS
0:22:49 > 0:22:51That's my old locker.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53That was my locker.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55She's been invited to speak to students about
0:22:55 > 0:22:58her new life as a full-time athlete.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01It's hard to think what I'd be doing now if I hadn't become a weightlifter.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04In fact, I'd probably still be here in uniform, actually.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07I'm glad I found it. It's changed my life for the better, I think.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11It's been nine months since Zoe decided to give up her A-levels
0:23:11 > 0:23:13and concentrate on training.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15It's a bit strange, really.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19I used to walk down this corridor every day.
0:23:19 > 0:23:20I do have some good memories of here.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Also bad memories of here, like spending my lunch in there.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Because of the time I had off for competitions and stuff,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28I was always quite behind with work.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30It's pretty miserable.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34I think I've made a good decision, dropping out while I was ahead.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38I think I miss the people more than I miss the actual school.
0:23:38 > 0:23:39Soph.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41SOPH GASPS/ZOE LAUGHS
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Hello. How are you, my dear?
0:23:44 > 0:23:45Oh, my God!
0:23:45 > 0:23:48- Have you had any offers from unis yet?- I've not sent it off.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50- Have you not?- Well, no. It's getting sent off today.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53That's my personal statement and it's so shit,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55but it's apparently good.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57- But I think it's shit. - It looks good.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59You haven't changed!
0:23:59 > 0:24:01No, I haven't!
0:24:01 > 0:24:05It's weird how much my life has changed, compared to theirs,
0:24:05 > 0:24:10cos they were all busy with UCAS and personal statements and stuff.
0:24:10 > 0:24:11And...
0:24:11 > 0:24:16the kind of problems in my life are completely different to theirs now.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20It surprised me how hard it is to live away from home at this age.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23I didn't even think about it that much when I decided I was going to do it.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27I was like, "Yeah, yeah. It'll be fine. I'll just go home every now and then,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30"and I'll get to live with Hannah and it'll all be great,"
0:24:30 > 0:24:31but, erm, yeah, the reality of it
0:24:31 > 0:24:35isn't the same as what I thought it would be, basically.
0:24:35 > 0:24:36It's a lot harder.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41- Do you need a tissue or anything? - No.- No? OK.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45A lot of people think that now Zoe's in Leeds,
0:24:45 > 0:24:47at her sort of special training camp,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51they have this idea that she has people who prepare her meals,
0:24:51 > 0:24:55you know, and take all those kind of problems away from her.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59But they've not actually put anything in place to physically help her.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03I mean, I'm hoping that she's going to be able to stick with it
0:25:03 > 0:25:05and they're going to support her to stick with it.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08So if she's staying in Leeds, I'm really hoping that you're
0:25:08 > 0:25:12going to be knuckling down to the really hard training.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15You say that like I'm the worst person in the world.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19No, I don't mean that but, I mean, you say yourself you're not lazy-lazy
0:25:19 > 0:25:23but training - I think you've always found training an effort.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27She was only saying this morning about another athlete,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29"Oh, you know, they're just so driven,"
0:25:29 > 0:25:32and I said, "Wouldn't you like to be like that?"
0:25:32 > 0:25:36I mean, so far, Zoe's managed to achieve what she's achieves
0:25:36 > 0:25:38just taking it quite casually, in her own way.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40Just chuck it in.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45So I would like to think that she could step up to another level but obviously without...
0:25:45 > 0:25:46Leave it darling, I'll do it.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48..without hurting herself.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50But then I suppose that's just me being her mum,
0:25:50 > 0:25:54whereas the coaches would think, "Oh, a bit of pain - no pain, no gain."
0:25:54 > 0:25:56THEY CHUCKLE
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Back in Leeds, Helen isn't giving up on her hopes of competing at the Olympics.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08My shoulder's really good.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12I'm not really getting any pain or discomfort with it when I'm lifting,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14so I'm just building back up.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19She's returned to full-time training after three months' intensive rehab.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21# My system's in mint condition
0:26:21 > 0:26:24# The power's up on my transistors
0:26:24 > 0:26:26# Working fine, no glitches
0:26:26 > 0:26:28# Plug me in and flip some switches
0:26:28 > 0:26:31# Pull up in dragging position Pop the hatch and hit ignition
0:26:31 > 0:26:33# B-B-Burn up, baby
0:26:33 > 0:26:36# Ready for demolition. #
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Maybe the operation was just a blessing in disguise, you know.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43It's given my body a chance to rest and now I can come back stronger.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Helen is usually the first in the door
0:26:46 > 0:26:51and is probably the last out fairly consistently.
0:26:51 > 0:26:52She's incredibly disciplined,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56she's enthusiastic about her training, well motivated.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Her week's planned out in detail, big lists of to-do's.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03Several times, we've said, "Hel, just take a backward step.
0:27:03 > 0:27:04"Go home, go to bed, sleep."
0:27:04 > 0:27:07I'm just building back up and hopeful that, you know,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11things will just keep improving and I can get back on the platform.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18After the disappointment of the World Championships,
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Hannah is also throwing herself into training.
0:27:20 > 0:27:21Don't rush it.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27But the intense schedule is proving physically punishing.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31This week has been really difficult.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34I've struggled quite a lot.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38This ripped first, doing pulls,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41and that was quite deep and was just hanging off.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44And then this one went about five minutes after.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49On Monday morning, I was struggling,
0:27:49 > 0:27:53so by the time I got to Wednesday afternoon, six sessions later,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56I was absolutely knackered.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00My body just couldn't take it any more.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02My shoulder and my neck had all flared up
0:28:02 > 0:28:05and it was starting to hurt down my arm again.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09I'm pushing my body more now than it's ever been pushed before,
0:28:09 > 0:28:14so the pain and the tiredness and everything's just a consequence of that.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18And it's just something that's part of the training now,
0:28:18 > 0:28:21so I'll just have to man up and deal with it.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25But Hannah's found support in a fellow athlete.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Hannah Powell, how are you feeling?
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Well, let me just tell you.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36It is 28 minutes past three on a Saturday night and I was asleep,
0:28:36 > 0:28:38until drunken Gaz...
0:28:38 > 0:28:41- Showamma!- ..burst through the door.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43Little bit of food. Just clean them.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48I do have a boyfriend at the moment, and that's Gaz,
0:28:48 > 0:28:51and he is another weightlifter.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53SHE GIGGLES
0:28:55 > 0:28:59'Gaz is, like, a happy-go-lucky kind of person.'
0:28:59 > 0:29:04It's nice to be with someone that's kind of in the same situation as me,
0:29:04 > 0:29:09cos I think most normal people would find it difficult to understand
0:29:09 > 0:29:12the kind of life that I live at the moment as a full-time athlete.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15Guys are like, "Are you joking?"
0:29:15 > 0:29:18They can normally tell that you do some kind of sport
0:29:18 > 0:29:21by your appearance and your physical attributes.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25And then they ask you what you do and it's like, "Oh, God!
0:29:25 > 0:29:28"Do I tell them? Do I not?"
0:29:28 > 0:29:31They usually say, like, "You look too feminine to be a weightlifter,"
0:29:31 > 0:29:35obviously cos their idea of a weightlifter is not feminine.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38Guys that aren't really confident in themselves
0:29:38 > 0:29:42could be intimidated by the fact that I'm a weightlifter and stuff,
0:29:42 > 0:29:47but...anyone that I'd want to associate myself with wouldn't really care.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58I feel a bit like a film star.
0:29:58 > 0:29:59Wish I looked like one!
0:30:01 > 0:30:04- I'm counting on you.- No pressure!
0:30:06 > 0:30:09Zoe's in London, juggling an increasingly busy schedule
0:30:09 > 0:30:12of media engagements, alongside her training.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18Standby.
0:30:18 > 0:30:19Action, Zoe.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23She's got an agent and has been spending less and less time
0:30:23 > 0:30:26at the weightlifting centre in Leeds.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Just eyeballing, OK. Just before competition.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34Nice Zoe's gone.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38Bad Zoe's arriving.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46I couldn't stop giggling cos you know, like...
0:30:46 > 0:30:50Have you seen the video for LMFAO's I'm Sexy And I Know It?
0:30:50 > 0:30:53There's this bit where he's, like, working out
0:30:53 > 0:30:56using this tiny little dumbbell thing and I felt like that guy.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01It's coming in big chunks now of media stuff.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04It's quite nice to have another side of it, though, cos I suppose
0:31:04 > 0:31:06just training all the time could get a bit boring,
0:31:06 > 0:31:08but this kind of mixes it up a bit.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11Tamas and people are just concerned that
0:31:11 > 0:31:13if I do all this kind of media stuff,
0:31:13 > 0:31:16my training's going to go out the window, which I do understand but,
0:31:16 > 0:31:19at the same time, I think doing the press is important because,
0:31:19 > 0:31:22(1) I enjoy it, and it's nice to have a bit of attention, isn't it?
0:31:22 > 0:31:27And (2) Say, by some miracle, I was to win gold medals all round,
0:31:27 > 0:31:31you could end up getting sponsorship deals left, right and centre,
0:31:31 > 0:31:33and you could just be made for life, really.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36You've kind of got to focus on all aspects.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39I'm getting smile lines now as well, I think.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52With her training back on track,
0:31:52 > 0:31:56Helen is dedicated to the pursuit of an Olympic place.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Like Zoe, she's decided to come down a weight category.
0:31:59 > 0:32:0240 grams of muesli.
0:32:02 > 0:32:03Perfection.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05SHE LAUGHS
0:32:05 > 0:32:09So, yeah, it's just about being very pernickety.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14I'm pretty good at guessing nuts right.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16I reckon this is about 20 grams.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22- Oh, exactly! How good is that? - SHE LAUGHS
0:32:23 > 0:32:28As well as a strict diet, she's burning extra calories by taking power walks each morning,
0:32:28 > 0:32:31before hitting the gym for up to six hours.
0:32:31 > 0:32:32It's hard work.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36I mean, because, obviously, I don't carry that much
0:32:36 > 0:32:39body fat as well, to drop a couple of kilos...
0:32:39 > 0:32:42It's just one of those things. It's part and parcel of the sport.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45Good job that I can be self-disciplined and stop myself,
0:32:45 > 0:32:47SHE LAUGHS
0:32:47 > 0:32:49do whatever it takes to make it.
0:32:54 > 0:33:00- Could I have a latte, please, and is that a coffee muffin?- Yep.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02- Could I have one of those as well, please?- Yeah, sure.
0:33:02 > 0:33:03Thank you.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06Hannah's still desperately trying to put on weight
0:33:06 > 0:33:10to make herself stronger, but she's got a new strategy.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12Seeing as my nutritionist said,
0:33:12 > 0:33:16"Basically, if you need to get extra calories in a day,
0:33:16 > 0:33:20"I don't mind you having a chocolate bar or a cake to do so.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22"So help yourself, really."
0:33:22 > 0:33:24I was like, "Yes!"
0:33:24 > 0:33:27Cos before, I was still trying to be kind of healthy.
0:33:27 > 0:33:28It seems to be working.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31Zoe and Helen are both trying to keep their weight down.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35It's amazing, like, how easily I lose weight,
0:33:35 > 0:33:36but how hard it is to put it on,
0:33:36 > 0:33:40and everyone else seems to have the opposite problem.
0:33:43 > 0:33:44Things have changed for Zoe.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Living away from home at such a young age,
0:33:47 > 0:33:51and trying to balance her media commitments with training, has become difficult.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55So the sport's governing body have found a solution.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57She's moved back to London for good
0:33:57 > 0:34:00and is training at her old gym with local coach Andy Callard.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05If I'm honest, I kind of like the atmosphere down here a bit more.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08Yeah, training's actually going really well.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10After the intense regime in Leeds,
0:34:10 > 0:34:12Andy has a new approach to training Zoe.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15Well, she was training twice a day, I think,
0:34:15 > 0:34:20six days a week at Leeds, plus the commitments with the dieticians,
0:34:20 > 0:34:24the physios and the other sort of sports science which goes along with it.
0:34:24 > 0:34:29Here, we've tried to sort of cut most of that stuff out, basically.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32What we're doing here is keeping the time in the gym to a minimum.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36She's in the gym for maybe an hour and a half, two hours maximum,
0:34:36 > 0:34:37five, six days a week.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41I thought it was a bad decision for her to give up her A-levels
0:34:41 > 0:34:42and to train full-time.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44You know, I think that was, is madness.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47Big effort now, Zoe. It's a bit heavier now.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49Come on, you've got to put some effort into it.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52'I think she needs to go to the gym, lift weights, train hard,
0:34:52 > 0:34:57'go home, go shopping, go to the cinema, do normal things, relax,'
0:34:57 > 0:35:02so we're going for the quality rather than the quantity-type attitude towards training.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06Dip and punch. Push! Ah, that's much better. That was good.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08ZOE CHUCKLES
0:35:08 > 0:35:10I'm so tired now. My legs feel like death.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13I'm feeling quite strong, though, which is good.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15I'm hoping that this formula will work.
0:35:17 > 0:35:18We'll see soon.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28The girls are about to get their first shot at Olympic qualification.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37The European Championships is one of two competitions
0:35:37 > 0:35:40where they have a chance of achieving the Olympic standard.
0:35:40 > 0:35:46I need to do 150 total at the Europeans, nothing less.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49I'm more determined than I've ever been.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52There's no room for mistakes now.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55There's no room for wasted lifts, no wasted attempts,
0:35:55 > 0:35:56no, "Oh, I've missed that.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59"Never mind, I'll get it next time or next competition."
0:35:59 > 0:36:03I don't want to look back in a year's time or in six months' time
0:36:03 > 0:36:06and think, "Oh, I could have done more to get there."
0:36:08 > 0:36:09It's the day before Zoe
0:36:09 > 0:36:12flies to Turkey for the European Championships.
0:36:12 > 0:36:13I really want bacon.
0:36:15 > 0:36:16Have we got any bacon?
0:36:16 > 0:36:18Can I eat tonight?
0:36:20 > 0:36:21I would advise you not to.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25Zoe's still nearly three kilos over the limit
0:36:25 > 0:36:28for the new weight class she is now committed to.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31With Olympic qualification at stake,
0:36:31 > 0:36:34the team nutritionist has sent Zoe strict instructions.
0:36:34 > 0:36:35Mmm(!)
0:36:35 > 0:36:38"Today and tomorrow, I want you to drink five litres of water.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40"You'll be going to the toilet a lot,
0:36:40 > 0:36:42"but then the day before you compete,
0:36:42 > 0:36:44"the hormones that hold onto the water are so low
0:36:44 > 0:36:46"that when you stop drinking at 1pm,
0:36:46 > 0:36:50"you'll keep going to the toilet and wake up the next morning
0:36:50 > 0:36:53"a couple of kilos lighter than you were at 1pm the day before."
0:36:54 > 0:36:56This is the stressful part.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00She's just so frightened, you know, especially this time round,
0:37:00 > 0:37:03that she's not actually going to get the chance to compete,
0:37:03 > 0:37:04if the weight's not right.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09And it sounds sort of dramatic but, really and truly,
0:37:09 > 0:37:13not making the weight would be the most serious, almost, offence that she could do.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17It's the one thing that's supposed to be under her control.
0:37:17 > 0:37:18So if she were to fail,
0:37:18 > 0:37:22I mean, you could say it might be the end of the Olympics for her.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24So it is, really, as much pressure as that.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26300mls to go.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30Zoe's been turning the cupboards inside out looking.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33"You must have something that I can't eat," you know.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35But I've been trying to keep it to the bare minimum,
0:37:35 > 0:37:37but when there's the rest of the family...
0:37:37 > 0:37:40You know, we don't all want to eat the same sorts of things as Zoe.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43Like today, I don't want to be drinking gallons of water.
0:37:43 > 0:37:44I'm not asking you to.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46I'm not asking you to drink gallons of water.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49I'm just asking you not to bring McDonald's into the house
0:37:49 > 0:37:52for one daughter, while the other one sits there, literally starving.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54'I feel bad sometimes.'
0:37:54 > 0:37:58Like, if I come home with something and then she'll just be like,
0:37:58 > 0:38:00"Oh! Eat them in front of me, why don't you?"
0:38:00 > 0:38:03I cook all the best foods, your steak, your asparagus,
0:38:03 > 0:38:06all the best stuff, and she hates it.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08She'd rather have...
0:38:08 > 0:38:11What normal person wouldn't hate it?
0:38:11 > 0:38:12Oh, dear!
0:38:12 > 0:38:15It's not even got any nice sort of dressing on it.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18It's literally just salmon and asparagus.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20How is that a meal?
0:38:20 > 0:38:22Where are the carbs?
0:38:31 > 0:38:33Woah!
0:38:33 > 0:38:36She held that better than all you guys!
0:38:37 > 0:38:39The European Championships are taking place
0:38:39 > 0:38:43at the Turkish holiday resort of Antalya.
0:38:43 > 0:38:48All the weightlifters and team members are staying at a luxury spa hotel.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55The first of two Olympic qualifying competitions,
0:38:55 > 0:38:59all of the girls hard work in training has been leading up to this.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03But Zoe's still overweight for her category.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08I've not got any boobs left any more.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12- Do you remember when mine completely disappeared?- Mm.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14If I'm going to be over, like overweight,
0:39:14 > 0:39:17you would think I would at least get a pair of boobs with that
0:39:17 > 0:39:19but...apparently not.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22Well, that's what I'm hoping, that I'll put on weight
0:39:22 > 0:39:26and it'll just go there and everyone else will be all right.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29It must be nice to be under, Hannah.
0:39:29 > 0:39:31LAUGHTER It is, actually.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35You will never understand what we go through! Never!
0:39:35 > 0:39:39The things we sacrifice for our sport. And there's you, eating.
0:39:40 > 0:39:41I have to.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47Have you seen these little creations?
0:39:48 > 0:39:51I love looking at things I can't eat.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55Zoe has only 72 hours left to lose two kilos.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57If she doesn't, she won't be able to compete
0:39:57 > 0:40:00and will lose this chance to qualify for the Olympics.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02But she's not alone.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04It's a major part of the sport.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06If you walk round the hotel at the moment,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10you'll see a lot of people in and out of saunas, jumping on and off scales.
0:40:10 > 0:40:15Almost, probably, 50% of the athletes here are on some sort of weight-loss strategy.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18If you don't make weight, you don't compete.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22The team nutritionist has given Zoe instructions for her diet plan,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25but Zoe's having trouble working out what's acceptable.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27Do you want some of them, Zo?
0:40:27 > 0:40:29SHE GROANS
0:40:29 > 0:40:31I can't be bothered with this.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33HE CACKLES
0:40:33 > 0:40:35Boiled chicken?
0:40:35 > 0:40:36Great(!)
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Oh, God, it's still in the water.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41Oh, God, I'm going to vomit.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48Who would boil chicken?
0:40:48 > 0:40:52Why would anyone ever think boiling chicken was a good idea?
0:40:52 > 0:40:54It tastes...
0:40:54 > 0:40:57It doesn't actually taste of anything.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01Hannah is in the lowest body weight category of 48 kilos,
0:41:01 > 0:41:05which means she'll be the first one to compete.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08But she's injured her ankle in training.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10I've just been icing it and taking ibuprofen.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12It'll be all right.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14I'm still lifting.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19I'm excited to see what I'll lift tomorrow.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21Apart from my ankle,
0:41:21 > 0:41:25my training's gone brilliantly up to this competition.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27I feel like it's going to go well.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36The team doctor has decided to give Hannah an injection
0:41:36 > 0:41:38to block the pain in her ankle.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43This will be her first major international
0:41:43 > 0:41:44since the disaster in Paris.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47It was, like, my biggest fear
0:41:47 > 0:41:50to ever bomb out because there's nothing worse.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04Big pull, then punch.
0:42:04 > 0:42:05Come on!
0:42:07 > 0:42:08Good. Hold it!
0:42:16 > 0:42:20I don't believe this! It was done.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26Come on. Big finish.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28Hold it.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36What is this? This weight is nothing.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41Don't rush it. Come on!
0:42:51 > 0:42:53- Big finish!- Come on.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57Hold it, hold it!
0:42:57 > 0:42:59Hold it, hold it.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05It looks like Hannah has come good with her final clean and jerk.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07Well done, Hannah. That's a relief.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09But then the judges disqualify the lift.
0:43:09 > 0:43:10- No way!- Don't do that.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14- There was nothing wrong with her elbows at all.- That was fine.
0:43:14 > 0:43:18As a result, she's missed this chance to qualify.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27I'm frustrated and I'm annoyed.
0:43:29 > 0:43:30And just upset.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35I don't want it to, like, carry on and be known as someone
0:43:35 > 0:43:38that bombs and, in the end, people forget who you are.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40Then all the training you do,
0:43:40 > 0:43:43it doesn't matter how strong you are, if you bomb every time, It doesn't count.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46My ankle was hurting my cleans.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48My elbow was hurting in the jerks.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54My body's just hurting so much.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57It's really just starting to give up.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00See you in a couple of days.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02Hannah is heading home.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04She's only got one chance left to qualify,
0:44:04 > 0:44:07if she can make the grade at the next big competition.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09I can't do this without you! Help me.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13Helen and Zoe are about to have their chance.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15And the nerves are starting to kick in.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18I've been watching this on TV for, like,
0:44:18 > 0:44:21the past six years or something and now I'm here,
0:44:21 > 0:44:26but I feel like I should be at home with, like, I don't know,
0:44:26 > 0:44:29some carbs maybe, and a coffee and my mum.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32It's weird. I just feel like a little British kid.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35It was going so well, the diet and stuff.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38Then I've just put on some sort of phantom kilo.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41I've not eaten anything really out of turn.
0:44:41 > 0:44:43Literally, you have, like...
0:44:43 > 0:44:48I think, at some point about a week ago, maybe more than that,
0:44:48 > 0:44:50I had a roll from Subway.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56How is a roll from Subway still here a week later.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58No! That's not possible. I...
0:44:58 > 0:44:59SHE SIGHS WITH FRUSTRATION
0:45:02 > 0:45:05I really want to have a good competition.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08Yeah, I don't know, there's just something in there that's like,
0:45:08 > 0:45:10"Arrrgh!"
0:45:10 > 0:45:12It just wants to come out.
0:45:12 > 0:45:13I'm ready to go now.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17I just want to get it out of the way, over and done with.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20Helen and Zoe are supposed to be lifting in the same weight category.
0:45:20 > 0:45:25But they both need to weigh under 58 kilos to be allowed to compete.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28- Light breakfast!- What are you?
0:45:28 > 0:45:3057, zero, something.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32Helen is on track.
0:45:32 > 0:45:38But with six hours to go, Zoe is still over by a third of a kilogram.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41Have an egg, little sip of water,
0:45:41 > 0:45:43then away again at...
0:45:43 > 0:45:45- 11 o'clock.- 11-ish.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47- Yeah?- Mm-hmm.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50See what you are and then decide whether
0:45:50 > 0:45:52you need to do a sauna or not.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56Helen is up first.
0:45:56 > 0:45:57To reach the Olympic standard,
0:45:57 > 0:46:02her two best lifts must add up to a combined total of 185 kilos.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05That's just over 29 stone.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08Perfect. Good.
0:46:09 > 0:46:10Come on.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12Easy, safe, big snatch.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14Just snatch it.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20Come on!
0:46:20 > 0:46:22You look great! Come on.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27You have to drive it. You have to drive it.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33There was no pull, no height to your position.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35Come on!
0:46:35 > 0:46:38Helen's struggling with a weight she'd normally lift with ease.
0:46:43 > 0:46:44I don't believe it.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48Having failed all of her snatches,
0:46:48 > 0:46:51it's impossible for Helen to qualify this time.
0:46:51 > 0:46:52So, like Hannah,
0:46:52 > 0:46:55she's going to be relying on the next competition to make it.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58Absolutely gutted, really.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00I'm just letting everyone down, myself as well.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04It's just, like, I know I'm capable of so much more.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07If I'm lifting like this, then I don't deserve to go to the Games.
0:47:07 > 0:47:10I don't want to go there and make a fool of myself.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12You know, I want to put in a good performance and...
0:47:12 > 0:47:15- VOICE BREAKS - ..do everyone proud.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18It's Zoe's turn to weigh in.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20Unless she's below 58 kilos,
0:47:20 > 0:47:24her competition and this chance at qualification will end here.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29Zoe is 60 grams under. She's just made it.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31All good, all good.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33It's over! The nightmare has ended.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36Now I just have to lift some weights.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40Zoe can take her place with the other competitors.
0:47:40 > 0:47:44But has the last-minute weight loss taken the strength out of her?
0:47:46 > 0:47:47Oh, come on, Zoe.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49Hips in. Come on.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56Liven yourself up! Don't be lazy, Zoe.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58You make me paranoid, Zoe.
0:47:58 > 0:47:59Come on. It's important.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03You've never done a more important competition.
0:48:03 > 0:48:04Be confident, Zoe.
0:48:04 > 0:48:05Be confident.
0:48:05 > 0:48:11COMMENTATOR: European A medal final for Britain's Zoe Smith,
0:48:11 > 0:48:1217 years of age,
0:48:12 > 0:48:16has come down from 63 kilos where she performed at the World Championships.
0:48:16 > 0:48:17Steady from the floor, Zoe.
0:48:19 > 0:48:20Hips in.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22She's opening up at 85.
0:48:22 > 0:48:23Hips in!
0:48:28 > 0:48:31Couple of steps forward. You sense a little nervousness there.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34That was a little bit forward, wasn't it, yeah?
0:48:34 > 0:48:36Steady from the floor, Zoe.
0:48:36 > 0:48:37Hips in. Come on.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41You've got to remember she's only 17. She's the youngest of the class.
0:48:41 > 0:48:43That's good, that's a much better lift.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46Well done, Zoe.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48Zoe's on track.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53If she gets her third snatch, it'll be a personal best of 92 kilos.
0:48:53 > 0:48:55That's 14 and a half stone.
0:48:55 > 0:49:00It's a big lift for you, Zoe. It's the biggest lift I've ever been involved with, that's for sure.
0:49:00 > 0:49:01Yeah.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06Hold it, hold it!
0:49:09 > 0:49:11APPLAUSE
0:49:11 > 0:49:14- You can compete against these now, yeah?- YES!- Well done.
0:49:14 > 0:49:15Halfway there.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18With a good result in the snatch, she now has to do well in the clean and jerk.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21Dip and punch. On your heels, on your heels. Push.
0:49:21 > 0:49:25She's one lift away from the Olympic qualification target.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27Big one now, Zoe. Come on.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30Don't rush. Don't rush. Take your time.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32Big effort.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36Opening up here on 110.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39If she aspires to get a place in the London Olympic Games...
0:49:43 > 0:49:45Hips down, Zoe. Come on.
0:49:45 > 0:49:46Steady.
0:49:50 > 0:49:51Elbows, elbows!
0:49:54 > 0:49:55Keep pushing. Push.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:49:59 > 0:50:02AMERICAN COMMENTATOR: She owns this thing. Look at that!
0:50:02 > 0:50:04There it is.
0:50:04 > 0:50:08Zoe's reached the Olympic qualifying standard, but won't automatically be picked for the team.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11That's out of the way. You've done your qualifying.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14It's all about trying to keep up with these other girls.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17You've only got to stay focused for another, what, 20 minutes?
0:50:17 > 0:50:19Now, to give herself the best chance of selection,
0:50:19 > 0:50:22she will attempt a new personal best - 116 kilos.
0:50:22 > 0:50:24Don't rush it.
0:50:24 > 0:50:25Twice her own body weight.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28Show me how good you are, Zoe. Show me how good you are, yeah?
0:50:28 > 0:50:31Come on, Zoe. Come on, Zoe. Come on!
0:50:34 > 0:50:36This is a serious question.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
0:50:39 > 0:50:40Steady, come on. Steady.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44Elbows, elbows, elbows!
0:50:47 > 0:50:49Push!
0:50:52 > 0:50:53APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:50:53 > 0:50:56MUSIC: "Titanium" by David Guetta
0:50:59 > 0:51:00She's the champ!
0:51:02 > 0:51:03Well done, darling.
0:51:05 > 0:51:06Superb.
0:51:06 > 0:51:10It's all about qualification but she got more than that, didn't she?
0:51:12 > 0:51:14- I like how you were.- Thank you.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20I've blown the 'A' standard away!
0:51:25 > 0:51:26My mum's really pleased.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29I got hold of her a minute ago and the first thing she said,
0:51:29 > 0:51:31"We're so proud of you, darling,"
0:51:31 > 0:51:33so I'm really glad that everyone's so proud.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39With London 2012 just a few months away,
0:51:39 > 0:51:41there's a serious mood in the weightlifting camp,
0:51:41 > 0:51:43as some tough decisions are about to be made.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46That's the inside of the Olympic village.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49It's really small, it's not far to go to the dining room,
0:51:49 > 0:51:52not far to get to the transport and all those sort of things.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55All the kit will be given out at the preparation camp.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58But since returning from Turkey, Hannah's been plagued by injury.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01She has come to terms with the reality of her situation.
0:52:01 > 0:52:06Even if, miraculously, I could train perfect tomorrow,
0:52:06 > 0:52:09I'm not going to make up for the last six weeks.
0:52:09 > 0:52:13It was quite difficult to sit through the meetings today
0:52:13 > 0:52:16about the Olympic village and the preparation and team selection stuff
0:52:16 > 0:52:19cos I was just sitting there thinking,
0:52:19 > 0:52:21"This doesn't involve me any more."
0:52:21 > 0:52:26I've got no chance any more so... Yeah, it's frustrating.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28I can't wait for this camp to be over, to be honest,
0:52:28 > 0:52:30so I don't have to hear any more about it.
0:52:30 > 0:52:32With Hannah ruling herself out,
0:52:32 > 0:52:36there are now five girls left in the running for the two Olympic spots.
0:52:36 > 0:52:40Following her performance in Turkey, Zoe's in a strong position,
0:52:40 > 0:52:43but Helen is counting on one last chance at
0:52:43 > 0:52:46the final qualifying event, the British Championships.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49One spot and it's anyone's at the moment.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51I've just got to work my butt off now
0:52:51 > 0:52:54and really show them what I can do at the British.
0:52:54 > 0:52:59If everything happens and clicks on that one day, that's all it takes.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06The British Weightlifting Championships
0:53:06 > 0:53:08are taking place in Derbyshire.
0:53:08 > 0:53:09If Helen does well,
0:53:09 > 0:53:14she can still achieve the Olympic qualification standard and get selected for the team.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16I feel a lot more relaxed and happy in myself,
0:53:16 > 0:53:21so hopefully that'll pay off and show in my lifting today.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23I just hope that she does it all right
0:53:23 > 0:53:25cos I don't like to see her upset.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28There's a lot of pressure on her.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31Nail it! Are you going to do it? Believe in yourself.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33MOTHER: Come on, Helly!
0:53:37 > 0:53:39SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
0:53:39 > 0:53:40Come on, Helly!
0:53:42 > 0:53:44Helen's competition starts well,
0:53:44 > 0:53:50putting her on track for Olympic qualification with her final lift.
0:53:50 > 0:53:51- It's not far away.- No.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55Same as the snatch, get it on your third, get it done.
0:53:56 > 0:54:00Helen's come back from major shoulder surgery to be a contender.
0:54:00 > 0:54:02Deep breaths. Suck it in.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05She's trained six days a week for two years.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07Right, you've had a feel.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09This is the one you've got to get.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12Get 'em going. Let's see it!
0:54:12 > 0:54:14This is her last chance.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23BUZZER GOES
0:54:27 > 0:54:28Aggressive!
0:54:29 > 0:54:31Rotate!
0:54:33 > 0:54:34Push! Up, up, up!
0:54:34 > 0:54:35This time.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41- NO!- Oh, unlucky.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44APPLAUSE
0:54:45 > 0:54:49In first place, with a total of 170 kilograms, Helen Jewell.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54Although Helen's come first in her weight class,
0:54:54 > 0:54:56she's failed to reach the qualifying standard,
0:54:56 > 0:54:59so she cannot be put forward for Olympic selection.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02- INAUDIBLE - Well, not quite but...
0:55:04 > 0:55:06It's...
0:55:08 > 0:55:10SHE SOBS
0:55:21 > 0:55:25Gave everything to...to the sport.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33SHE SNIFFS
0:55:33 > 0:55:36I mean, obviously I'm gutted that I won't to be able to
0:55:36 > 0:55:39go to the Games, and it's never going to come round again.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42And I don't think, realistically, that I'll make the next one.
0:55:42 > 0:55:46I don't think I'll still be lifting then.
0:55:46 > 0:55:47But I'm... It's happened.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50There's nothing I can do about it now.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54Out of the three girls, Zoe's now the only one
0:55:54 > 0:55:56who is eligible for Olympic selection.
0:55:56 > 0:55:57Go to the Olympics!
0:55:58 > 0:56:01Hips through it, hips through it.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05For her, it's a waiting game to see if she's invited to join the team.
0:56:05 > 0:56:06They've got to choose me, really.
0:56:06 > 0:56:10I know that sounds a bit, like, big headed but no-one else has,
0:56:10 > 0:56:15so I think that I can kind of say that I'm feeling pretty confident.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20This May, Zoe got the news she'd been waiting for.
0:56:20 > 0:56:22She became the youngest female weightlifter ever
0:56:22 > 0:56:27to be selected for the Olympic team, and will now compete at London 2012.
0:56:43 > 0:56:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd