0:00:03 > 0:00:07The dizzying high point of a career in sport.
0:00:07 > 0:00:1224 competitors from Wales are about to live the Olympic dream.
0:00:15 > 0:00:16It means the world to me.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19It's a dream come true to have been selected to go.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Since I was this high, it's always been about the Olympics.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26I'm going to be incredibly proud to be wearing this kit.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31You actually think, "I've done it, I've made it to the top stage."
0:00:32 > 0:00:35It's a little bit crazy to say I'm going to be an Olympian.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40This is the story of life on the road from home
0:00:40 > 0:00:43to the 2016 Games in Brazil.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47That's you done now, yeah.
0:00:47 > 0:00:48I wish!
0:00:48 > 0:00:51And the ultimate Rio reward.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Any athlete's dream is to win an Olympic gold medal.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56It's something that I've dreamt of since I was a little girl.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58I'm going for a medal. I want to be on the podium.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00It's the biggest event of my life.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03- Are you going to win gold? - Definitely.- Yeah?- Yeah.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14All over the world at this very moment, there are athletes
0:01:14 > 0:01:17training and preparing for next year's Olympic Games in Montreal.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21It really is the highest accolade any athlete can win in their
0:01:21 > 0:01:24career, a gold medal at an Olympics.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27This one is the first won by a Welsh woman
0:01:27 > 0:01:29at the 1912 Stockholm Games.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Irene Steer Nicholson from Cardiff
0:01:32 > 0:01:35in the 4 x 100-metre freestyle relay.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Mrs Nicholson, do you remember very much about those Games?
0:01:41 > 0:01:43I know when we won,
0:01:43 > 0:01:45they played the national anthem
0:01:45 > 0:01:49and we had to parade around the bath, you know.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53They hoisted the Union Jack and things, it was all very thrilling.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56- COMMENTATOR:- Hartley at the last leg takes the bronze for Great Britain.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Since then, golds for Welsh women have been rare.
0:02:00 > 0:02:01Bronze medals...
0:02:01 > 0:02:05This in hockey in Barcelona but it took 96 years for
0:02:05 > 0:02:07a second Welsh woman to win gold.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10- COMMENTATOR:- At the front, Cooke takes it.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Nicole Cooke is the Olympic road race champion.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20It was probably half a second afterwards.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22I looked right, looked left, there's no-one there.
0:02:22 > 0:02:28Then the confirmation that I'd won and that was just amazing.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35But just four years for the next one,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37after Beijing came the London Games.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40- COMMENTATOR:- You little beauty!
0:02:40 > 0:02:42CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:02:42 > 0:02:47And a teenage kicking superstar from North Wales is the Olympic champion.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52Jade Jones - FROM Flint, as hard as it.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57I only came into the national team in 2010 so it was literally
0:02:57 > 0:03:00two years before the Olympics and no-one really expected me
0:03:00 > 0:03:02to even go to the Olympics.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05You know, I did really well that year, took the opportunity by the
0:03:05 > 0:03:09hands and literally, like six months to go, I'm going to the Olympics.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11I just went for it and it paid off.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Only four Welsh competitors have won gold at more than one Games.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21No Welsh woman has ever done it.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23If London happened in a bit of a rush, there is
0:03:23 > 0:03:28a more clearly defined sense of purpose about making history in Rio.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Ever since London, my sights are straight on the Olympics
0:03:33 > 0:03:37because for me they're the pinnacle and my goal is always the Olympics.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40It has been hard with motivation.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44You know, I'm really hungry for a gold medal here and, you know,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47hopefully I have come into peak just in time again
0:03:47 > 0:03:49and I really want to win this.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52On the attack, same lead with this and cover
0:03:52 > 0:03:54and flick on the chest pads. Yeah?
0:03:54 > 0:03:55Try and gap stop within your body.
0:03:55 > 0:03:56OK?
0:03:59 > 0:04:03There is this intense driven focus that she has
0:04:03 > 0:04:05that not a lot of athletes do have.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08She just backs it up every time she goes on the court
0:04:08 > 0:04:11and she is feared across the globe, to be honest.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15The one person you don't want in your quarter of the draw
0:04:15 > 0:04:16is Jade Jones.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Since London, there have been changes in taekwondo.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26It's a totally new system that we haven't been used to going on.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29It's a lot harder to score.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Basically, we're like practising the new game,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36pushing people out and also go in high and punches.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39We have to totally change our game a little bit.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43A lot of techniques that we normally score with, don't score any more.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48- Are you going to win gold? - Definitely.- Yeah?- Yeah.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Just that confident?
0:04:50 > 0:04:54No, obviously, you know, I'm not, "I'm going to win gold."
0:04:54 > 0:04:57It's going to be so hard, don't get me wrong.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01There are eight people in my way that could win the gold medal
0:05:01 > 0:05:04but I'm confident if I'm relaxed and my day
0:05:04 > 0:05:07and literally if I go after the medal like I did in London,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10I'm confident I definitely can go there and get the gold
0:05:10 > 0:05:13but it's just about being mentally on it on the day
0:05:13 > 0:05:15and literally going after my medal.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20To join the select band of multiple Olympic gold medallists,
0:05:20 > 0:05:24the first Welsh woman in a club exclusive to Welsh men.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31Paulo Radmilovic, four golds in the pool in a 22-year career
0:05:31 > 0:05:34starting in 1904.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38In 2008, Tom James with his first rowing gold in Beijing.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41- COMMENTATOR:- France coming up for the bronze but
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Gold medal, Great Britain, wonderfully done.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47And a second in London 2012.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Half a lap to go...
0:05:49 > 0:05:52At the same games, Geraint Thomas with his second title
0:05:52 > 0:05:53in the team pursuit.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55The gold medal is Great Britain's.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58It's a new world record
0:05:58 > 0:06:01and Great Britain have won the gold medal.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Geraint will race again in Rio.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08This time out in the open,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11part of the five-man men's road race team.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Inside the velodrome, the gold mine and there are Welsh cyclists
0:06:16 > 0:06:19looking to keep the medals rolling in.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Ciara Horne and Elinor Barker will race together in the team pursuit.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28It literally is a dream coming true.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30I'm sure you hear a lot of people saying that
0:06:30 > 0:06:32but you know, not long ago,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35I had a folder of all bits and bobs
0:06:35 > 0:06:36of paper cuttings and what have you.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39I used to make scrapbooks of the Olympics when I was younger.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44Today has been the day that it's all become real, I suppose.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Now that we're actually getting the kit
0:06:46 > 0:06:47and looking the part.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Seeing what we're going to race in.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Yeah, it's very exciting.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Ciara used to be a promising swimmer and triathlete and then as
0:06:58 > 0:07:00a student, she took a break from sport.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02A short break.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05In my second year, I just thought this isn't me,
0:07:05 > 0:07:07a life without sport, I want that Olympic dream.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11I felt completely lost and I had a chat with my dad and
0:07:11 > 0:07:14he was like, "You were always a leg-dominant swimmer".
0:07:14 > 0:07:17I was always good at kick and breaststroke was my event.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19He was like, "Have you thought about cycling?"
0:07:19 > 0:07:21I was like, "Oh, I don't know."
0:07:21 > 0:07:23I didn't really like it when I did triathlon but I'll give it a go
0:07:23 > 0:07:27because I needed to lose weight anyway, to be honest, after a year of drinking at uni.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Then, er...
0:07:29 > 0:07:31I literally was hooked.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35I absolutely loved it and that kind of all or nothing trait with me,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39I just became obsessed with it and I've not looked back since.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41She looked like she had an engine.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44She's athletic, always working hard and
0:07:44 > 0:07:47so that's where the conversation started, really.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51The talk was mostly about power
0:07:51 > 0:07:52and what to do with it.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58It's a little bit like putting a Porsche engine in a Mini.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00It's going to struggle to go down the straight in a straight line.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04We knew the raw power was there but it was about then
0:08:04 > 0:08:06putting the package together.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Suddenly Rio is here.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11First and foremost, I want to be on that start line and I want to
0:08:11 > 0:08:15be in the qualifying line-up, the strongest four will race.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18That team, regardless of who's in it,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21has a potential to be on the top step of the podium.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24In the men's squad,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Cardiff's Owain Doull will also be competing in his first Olympics.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29The men's team pursuit,
0:08:29 > 0:08:33packed with stars, one of Team GB's specialist events.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36They'll be going for their third consecutive gold.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41They're going to Rio with some of the best team pursuiters in the world.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Also with the experience as well,
0:08:43 > 0:08:48people likes Sir Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish, Ed Clancy.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51I think experience will carry them a long way.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53I think we're going there to win ultimately.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56I think seeing what the other lads have done in previous years,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58the Olympics, you know,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01in the team pursuit specifically, is massive.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04I think that's kind of what we're aiming towards and that's
0:09:04 > 0:09:05what we're hoping for, as well.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Becky James, the final Welsh cyclist.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14It's been a tough time for the World Champion of 2013.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18She'd missed London 2012 with appendicitis and then came
0:09:18 > 0:09:22shoulder and knee injuries and illness - a cancer scare.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Just to be in Rio is a triumph.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Becky has had a very difficult couple of years.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32At some point, they weren't sure whether she would ever get over the injury.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34It just shows the real grit,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37the determination that Becky has got for cycling.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Touch wood, everything has been great for over a year now
0:09:41 > 0:09:43and I've been training hard.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I've no problems and everything is in the past now.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48All I can do is look forward.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50She's not going to take part.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52I think she's done well to get there.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54I think they'll be behind her now.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57It'll be, "Right, how do I win?"
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Cycling isn't the only sport where Welsh women outnumber
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Welsh men in the Great Britain team.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06Triathlon...
0:10:06 > 0:10:09..where there are two former world champions and serious
0:10:09 > 0:10:10Olympic contenders in Rio.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Helen Jenkins and Non Stanford.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Of a team that only consists of three,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20to have two of them being Welsh women is fairly fantastic
0:10:20 > 0:10:22and I think testimony to Welsh sport
0:10:22 > 0:10:25and the structures that are in place,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28as we were developing as young athletes.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Every Olympics, I think we've had a Welsh triathlete since 2000,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35so that's pretty good, to have done that for Wales.
0:10:35 > 0:10:36To have two in the team,
0:10:36 > 0:10:38it's nice to be a part of it.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41There is a cautionary tale.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Four years ago Helen Jenkins was in the form of her life before
0:10:44 > 0:10:48the London Games but suddenly she fell prey to injury.
0:10:48 > 0:10:522012 turned into a struggle simply to make it to the start line.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57The whole build-up to London was just so stressful and I went
0:10:57 > 0:10:59from being one of the favourites...
0:10:59 > 0:11:02I went in as one of the favourites and I just wasn't able to get
0:11:02 > 0:11:04anywhere close to my potential.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09- COMMENTATOR:- Jenkins out of the medals, down in fifth.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15This has been the hardest ten weeks of my career.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18I had an injury and just...
0:11:18 > 0:11:21It was just really hard to get to the start line.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24I'm actually amazed I was in contention for that long.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29I haven't been able to get all my running in.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Yeah, I gave it everything and the crowd helped so much.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36I just want to thank my team who got me to the start line and
0:11:36 > 0:11:38everyone out there shouting.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41I gave it everything. I'm sorry, it wasn't a medal.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45It was hard to cope with at the time and I look back now and...
0:11:45 > 0:11:49Yeah, I'm over the disappointment of it
0:11:49 > 0:11:51and I can just take away the positives.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54The crowd support was amazing and I'm proud of the performance
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I put in under extremely tough circumstances.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01The Olympic ordeal is a family thing.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Helen's coach and husband is Marc Jenkins, also a triathlete.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Athens 2004.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09- COMMENTATOR:- This is quite a remarkable scene, isn't it?
0:12:09 > 0:12:11You talk about the Olympic spirit, don't you?
0:12:11 > 0:12:15This is being personified in the young man from Great Britain.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18The coach who crashed in '04 is now working to get his wife
0:12:18 > 0:12:21ready for 2016.
0:12:21 > 0:12:22How do you feel running downhill?
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Get your legs moving OK?
0:12:24 > 0:12:25Yeah, not great.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27- It will get better.- Yeah.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29We work as a team.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32If Marc is making breakfast and stuff,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35then I will be doing washing-up and it's just all the little
0:12:35 > 0:12:38things take a lot less when there's two of us.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41I enjoy having him to train with and it just makes the trip
0:12:41 > 0:12:43so much easier, us both being there.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44It's what we've always done.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47If you think about it, and analyse all the time we spend together,
0:12:47 > 0:12:49people would go mad and think,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51"How do you spend that much time with your wife?"
0:12:51 > 0:12:53We're best friends. We can't imagine being without each other.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58I don't what I'd do. I try and make it so she can't function without me.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Rio will be Helen's third Olympics.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05For Non Stanford, they are the first but this has been
0:13:05 > 0:13:08a long time in the planning.
0:13:08 > 0:13:122004, Non at a training camp led by double Olympic gold medallist,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Dame Kelly Holmes.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Keep it going, that's excellent. Get in there.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20She's just an inspirational woman.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24It just shows you how I can achieve my dreams.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27She just a normal person like anybody else but she
0:13:27 > 0:13:31has worked hard for what she's got and I think if I could achieve
0:13:31 > 0:13:34anything near what she's achieved, it'd be absolutely amazing.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37I've dreamt about going to the Olympic Games since I was nine years old
0:13:37 > 0:13:41and it's only taken me to the age of 27 but, yeah,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43I'm obviously really excited and can't wait to put on the
0:13:43 > 0:13:49British kit and get out there and hopefully do the team proud.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Non has already raced the Rio course.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55She came second in the test event last year.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00The only reason I'm going to Rio is with hopes of winning a medal.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01Erm...
0:14:01 > 0:14:02Ideally gold.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05I think anybody that stands in that start line is hoping to walk
0:14:05 > 0:14:07away with that gold medal.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Realistically, anything can happen in a triathlon.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12And although I'm going there to win gold,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14I would pretty happy to walk away with a medal of any colour.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19London was all about the gold, or getting a medal,
0:14:19 > 0:14:21and I think this time round really
0:14:21 > 0:14:25all I'm focusing on is lining up fit. If I can do that and
0:14:25 > 0:14:28put my best performance out there, I think I'll come away happy,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30whatever the outcome.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35There is the potential for two Welsh triathlon medals.
0:14:35 > 0:14:36It'll be a tough day.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38It'll be really hard.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40But, I think, me and Helen are tough athletes.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42So, you know, never say never.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47For Non and Helen, the Olympics will be won and lost on the waters
0:14:47 > 0:14:49and shores of Rio.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57For the track and field athletes, here where the superstars rule.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59- COMMENTATOR:- It's gold for Usain Bolt.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01And a new World Record,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03I do not believe it.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Absolutely brilliant.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10Running down the same track will be Seren Bundy-Davies,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12the only Welsh athlete here.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16She'll race in the individual 400 metres and in the 4x400 relay,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19part of a team that won bronze in last year's
0:15:19 > 0:15:21World Championships in Beijing.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26- COMMENTATOR:- Seren Bundy-Davies holding on for bronze for Great Britain.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29I always love winning the relay. We've got such a strong team.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31It's kind of different because you're running individually all
0:15:31 > 0:15:34year round and you have to come together as a team in the relay.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37We seem to know that when it matters so I'm hoping we can progress
0:15:37 > 0:15:38as a team this year.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Also in the relay team, Christine Ohuruogu,
0:15:43 > 0:15:45who won Olympic gold in 2008.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47She was a massive help in Beijing.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50She brought her calmness and experience to the relay team.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53You kind of noticed it when we were in the relay.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Everyone was just really confident and calm and that showed
0:15:55 > 0:15:58in our performance, we were so composed.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00You need Christine Ohuruogu to be at her best.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Anyika Onuora, Seren herself and maybe Emily Diamond as well
0:16:04 > 0:16:06who's running particularly well this year.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09They proved that last year by winning the bronze at the
0:16:09 > 0:16:10World Championships in Beijing.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13I don't see no reason why they can't repeat that performance.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Seren's improved this year.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17It's just whether or not Chrissy O can step up and get
0:16:17 > 0:16:19through her injury patch.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24In the individual 400, it's all about gaining experience,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26preparing for the future.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32Seren is a very mentally focused, driven and determined person.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Do I fear she'll be fazed by the pressures of competing
0:16:35 > 0:16:40against some of the top guys in the world around her and seeing them walking around, back and forth?
0:16:40 > 0:16:42No, I don't think she'll be fazed by that.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46My aim's to make the final and then see where I can go from there.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48My individual medal hopes will be kind of
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Commonwealth Games 2018 and then on to Tokyo.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53I don't feel like there's a huge amount of pressure on myself.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55You put a lot of pressure on yourself.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58I don't really feel the pressure from other people.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01I just want to run well and run to the best of my ability
0:17:01 > 0:17:02and, yeah, I'll be happy if I do that.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Here's that trend again, more women from Wales than men.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11For the first time, overall in the GB Olympic team
0:17:11 > 0:17:13with the 24 athletes selected,
0:17:13 > 0:17:1515 are women.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20You know, there's always talk in the media about how women are
0:17:20 > 0:17:24underrepresented or it's always a battle for women's sport.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Now, all of a sudden in Wales, women's sport is the driving
0:17:27 > 0:17:31force and that's maybe a cultural shift over the last few years.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Seeing sport as
0:17:34 > 0:17:37a career for women
0:17:37 > 0:17:40is something which hasn't always
0:17:40 > 0:17:41been the case.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44I think women are taking that opportunity and making the
0:17:44 > 0:17:46most of it.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49What we're genuinely seeing is the results of probably
0:17:49 > 0:17:52ten, 15 years of government and lottery investment in
0:17:52 > 0:17:54a scheme to get girls to be the best they can be.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56It's been targeted.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59We've always known there's been a gap between the boys and the girls.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01You have to do something very specific.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04There's been significant investment from school sport
0:18:04 > 0:18:08for the last ten to 15 years and we are really reaping the rewards.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Men in the minority,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14but among them still a number of genuine medal hopes.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Cardiff boxer, Joe Cordina.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Joe won a semifinal at a European qualification event for the
0:18:21 > 0:18:23Olympics in April.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27A culmination of six years' work to go to the Games.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32Joe Cordina is through to Rio 2016.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36The main thing for me was just getting that qualifying spot and
0:18:36 > 0:18:39then put the pressure of qualifying behind me and set
0:18:39 > 0:18:42a new goal which is to bring back an Olympic,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45an Olympic gold medal back to Cardiff.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49I believe I can beat anyone on my day.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53I truly believe that I can outbox them completely and if I have
0:18:53 > 0:18:55to get drawn into a fight, then so be it.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00This is my father, Joe senior.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Big, little Joe.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Like I say, he was rugby, football mad
0:19:08 > 0:19:11and rugby was his main sport and loved it.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15I never ever thought in my mind for him to box in any shape or
0:19:15 > 0:19:18form until one day he's seen a couple of boys running
0:19:18 > 0:19:20and he said, "What are they doing, Dad?"
0:19:20 > 0:19:21I said, "Well, they're boxing."
0:19:21 > 0:19:24He said, "Can I have a go at it because the rugby season was over
0:19:24 > 0:19:26"just to keep fit."
0:19:26 > 0:19:28I said, "No-one can help you in there" and that was it.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31You know, he made his decision to box.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44I started going when I was 15 or 16.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47To be honest with you, I didn't want to fight.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50I just wanted to say, "Yeah, I'm a boxer.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53"I box, I go to a gym."
0:19:53 > 0:19:56So I had one and then one to lead two.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Two led to three and so on.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Hello, cheeky, cheeky.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10There's daddy.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Come, dad.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21This is my daughter, Sophia Grace.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26This is doing nothing for your boxing image.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29I don't care. I don't care.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31This is why I do it.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35I push myself in the gym every day and she's the reason.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Before is was just front but now I've got to do it for her
0:20:39 > 0:20:41and make a better life for her.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46This is what it takes.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52It can also really take it out of you.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55David Davies, unforgettable in the swimming marathon
0:20:55 > 0:20:57of Beijing 2008.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00COMMENTATOR: He is catching them over the last 15 metres.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Davies! There's not enough time and van der Weijden
0:21:03 > 0:21:04is the Olympic champion.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06David Davies gets silver.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09That has hurt David Davies.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11It's really hurt him.
0:21:11 > 0:21:12David, are you all right?
0:21:12 > 0:21:14I'm fine now, I think so.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17That of every medal that Great Britain has won at these Games,
0:21:17 > 0:21:21has to be the toughest and the biggest effort of anybody.
0:21:21 > 0:21:22I was heading towards sinking
0:21:22 > 0:21:25because the last part of it, I don't think I knew what was going on.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27I was delirious. I was all over the place.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Give me a minute I think I'll be over the moon with getting
0:21:30 > 0:21:32another medal in the Olympics because that was fantastic.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35I just remember watching David Davies's swim,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38a fellow Welshman and I was...
0:21:38 > 0:21:40He was like ultimate goals.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43I want to achieve what he had achieved.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45It was nice for me to follow his back,
0:21:45 > 0:21:47he was from Cardiff, he trained with the same coach
0:21:47 > 0:21:50and then in 2010 I managed to actually train with him
0:21:50 > 0:21:52for a couple of years and we both managed to make London.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55That was inspiring for me and it definitely kept me going.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59They'll be four Welsh swimmers in Rio.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03Including Chloe Tutton who in March came out of nowhere at the
0:22:03 > 0:22:05British Championships.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08It's a new British record, 2:22:34.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14We knew going in there was something special was going to happen.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17It was just a matter of doing it and to come away with
0:22:17 > 0:22:21a three-second PB and to have qualified for the Olympic Games,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23it's just a dream come true.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27I'm really going to be living in the moment and just taking it all in.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31This is my dream. I'm so glad to have achieved it.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36Ieuan Lloyd was a teenager when he swam at London 2012.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40In Rio, he's the one man Welshman in the minority.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43As the only man, I feel a bit of responsibility is on
0:22:43 > 0:22:46me to do well and the three girls are pretty good themselves.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49A really good bunch and hopefully we can inspire
0:22:49 > 0:22:51the future Welsh generation.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54The freestyle grace of Jazz Carlin.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57She missed London 2012 through illness but is going to her
0:22:57 > 0:22:58first Olympics now.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02After missing out on the Olympics four years ago, I knew this year would be a special year.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05I couldn't have expected the pressure and everything
0:23:05 > 0:23:07that I put on myself. It's really been quite a stressful time
0:23:07 > 0:23:11but to finally book that place on the team and to be here today at the kitting out day,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14it's just finally sinking in and finally thinking
0:23:14 > 0:23:16I can't believe it, I'm going to be an Olympian.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21The kit launch media day is one of the stepping stones on the
0:23:21 > 0:23:24way to Rio, a day in the bright lights.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25Different from this.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30There is so much more of this.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33This is what it takes.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38The predawn start to the days of training that stretch out endlessly.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47We're still in this building until about 8pm tonight, that's when Jazz will finish.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50She's got a 13-hour day and effectively four sessions to
0:23:50 > 0:23:52complete before then. It's full-on.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Three, two, one. Let's go.
0:23:55 > 0:23:56Come on.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Breathe. OK, working hard. Right to the end.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Ultimately, we need to leave no stone unturned
0:24:04 > 0:24:05in our pursuit of that medal for her.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08She needs to be fit, she needs to be strong and powerful.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10It's a real combination of different attributes.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Three, two, one. Yes.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16Well done.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24- That's you done now, yeah? - Day done, finished.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26I wish!
0:24:41 > 0:24:44Jazz got in the pool at eight o'clock this morning and she'll
0:24:44 > 0:24:46swim until about 10am this morning
0:24:46 > 0:24:49and she'll probably cover 7,500 metres
0:24:49 > 0:24:54She went 16,000 metres yesterday and this week she's probably going to
0:24:54 > 0:24:57average between 70 and 80,000 for the week.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Swimming, it's a tough sport and when you're doing the amount
0:25:01 > 0:25:05of metres that Jazz is doing it takes a special person.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09Not everybody can do it and I don't mean physically, I mean mentally.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16I've just finished the gym and swim for the morning.
0:25:16 > 0:25:17I'm having a bit of breakfast,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21- refuelling and then back to bed, I think.- Back to bed?!
0:25:21 > 0:25:25Yeah, back to bed. I always need to recover between sessions.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27I've got another swim and gym later on.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30It really is a full-on day and I need to get as much rest in as possible.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40Training here, everything's organised.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42We always get sent a weekly plan of what we've got to do.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44It is quite a full-on day.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46I mean, I am quite tired a lot of the time.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49It's not the most glamorous lifestyle but, you know what,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51I wouldn't have it any other way. I love what I do.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55She's had a tough day today.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57We've just done a lot of race pace in the session.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01We've got a race model that we would like her to do in Rio.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04We are breaking that 800 down and tonight she set all of her
0:26:04 > 0:26:05race pace on target.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07How's that coming, Jazz, all right?
0:26:07 > 0:26:09Last 100? Spot on.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16So it's 7pm now.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19We're at the end of a long training day and Jazz is in doing her key
0:26:19 > 0:26:21strength focus session.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23We'll be here until going on 8pm,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27probably be doing a good hour and a half of S&C work.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28Two more.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30Squeeze up.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32That's fine. This is a long day.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Effectively it's a 13-hour training day.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38Jazz will be back home probably about 8:30pm, refuelling,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41kind of light relaxing before starting it all again tomorrow.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44This is what it takes to make it to the Olympics
0:26:44 > 0:26:46and compete with the best in the world.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Everyone in that pool was going to be going for a medal
0:26:59 > 0:27:01and I'm not going to shy around it.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03I am going for a medal, I want to be on the podium.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06It's the biggest event of my life and I'm just going to make sure
0:27:06 > 0:27:08that I'm at my best then and obviously if my best
0:27:08 > 0:27:11performance gets me on the podium, that'll be an incredible feeling.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16They've made it to Rio.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21Those that were once inspired can now become inspirational.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26I guess I forget that people might be looking up to
0:27:26 > 0:27:30me now and the way I used to identify with my role models,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33maybe young girls are doing that too and, you know, if I can
0:27:33 > 0:27:37inspire more girls to just participate and take up any
0:27:37 > 0:27:40sport, especially triathlon, is fab.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I remember being a young girl myself and watching people like
0:27:45 > 0:27:47Kelly Holmes on the TV and, you know,
0:27:47 > 0:27:50that's what inspired me to want to go and get a gold medal.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53To think I'm one of them role models now,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56people are looking up to me, it's just lovely.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59I remember straight after the Olympics I went on holiday and there
0:27:59 > 0:28:02was like little kids coming up to me around the swimming pool,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04showing me their kicks and, you know,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07it's just amazing how you can inspire people across the world.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12I think it shows that we are a smaller country but I don't think
0:28:12 > 0:28:15that needs to stop you or hold you back in any way.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Every Welsh athlete that's going has had
0:28:17 > 0:28:20a different route there but it just shows that wherever you're from, or
0:28:20 > 0:28:24whatever background, you can aim for the Olympics and you can get there.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Colin Jackson's got the silver.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Nicole Cooke is the Olympic road race champion.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34The British are coming, the British are coming
0:28:34 > 0:28:37and Great Britain have won the gold medal.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39You little beauty!