London Olympic Dreams

Here comes Kelly Holmes. The crowd are on their feet. Great Britain

get the gold medal. Yes, yes, yes. Kelly Holmes for Great Britain.

What a performance. Here's the Olympic champion. You are

absolutely brilliant. Great Britain Go out there and live your dream.

Believe in yourself. You know what you are capable of. Go out there,

achieve, do your best. You only get one chance. Work hard but enjoy it.

What does it take to be an Olympic champion? That is classed as an

easy question. The key is to prepare well and deliver what you

are capable of delivering. If you enjoy what you are doing you are

actually going to get a lot more out of it and you put more vigour

into it as well. Look back in 50 years time and think that was a

moment in time like no other. the journey. It is here today and

gone tomorrow. I remember those days really vivid and it goes like

that. Stand on the podium, representing the country, you have

achieved something so great. It's a big thing to be an Olympic champion.

Go for your dreams, you never know when it's your time but be ready to

seize the opportunity. Hello, I'm Sara Orchard and you're watching

London Olympic Dreams. Here's what's coming up on today's show.

British high jump hopeful Martyn Barnard swaps jobs for the day with

DJ Spoony with some rather interesting results. We get an

exclusive insight into the new technologies helping to power our

Paralympic athletes to potential glory. It's the socket, it's the

blade and it's the adapted footwear as well, so these reduce the

disadvantage that somebody has. discover how an Olympic mountain

bike course was created on the Thames estuary. We managed to

overcome those doubters who said you can't have a mountain bike race

where there are no mountains but we've proven that you can. And we

follow the fortunes of two of Team GB's hopefuls as they prepare for

next summer's games. I don't think there's anything bigger in an

athlete's career than competing and winning something at home,

especially the Olympic Games. summer the eyes of the world will

be on the Olympians and Paralympians competing in this

venue and others across the capital. All those years of training

culminating in dramatic scenes of sporting prowess. But what would

happen if we took a member of Team GB out of their natural sporting

environment and set them a challenge on a completely different

playing field? Well, let's find out, as we sent DJ Spoony to go and test

the spinning skills of high jumper # I feel good, good, good

#. COMMENTATOR: He's got it. Come # I feel good, good, good, I say

good, wonderful good, listen to the Olympic athletes and DJs are quite

similar in the sense of both are used to working under extreme

pressure, performing in front of thousands of people knowing that

one mistake could ruin a year's worth of training or mess up a

whole night's worth of clubbing and of course we all keep ourselves in

supreme physical condition. Today I'm going to find out just how

similar DJs and athletes are and if our skills are transferable. Excuse

Hey. How are you doing? You OK? good. All right, I need you to take

your shoes off. Mark, welcome to my humble abode, my lab, this is where

I do my mix tapes. What I'm going to do now is try and take you

through the basic elements of mixing, beat matching. I'm going to

go easy on you because later on I'm expecting you to go easy on me.

Well, I'm a nice guy remember. ready? Do I need the earphones?

You're going to look like a DJ at least. Yeah. It's your first beat,

unless you drop it in at the right place, you've got no chance of

That would be the high jump equivalent of hitting the bar. One,

two, three, four, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four. One,

two, three, that was actually quite good. That was actually quite good.

That was quite good for you. I wonder if you're as good a high

jumper as I am a DJ. You're in my house now. This is

your house, it's amazing, I've driven past here so many times and

never been in. Martyn, the Lee Valley Athletic Centre is some

office. I need you to take me to your desk. I want to see where you

do your work. Follow me. Which knee did you say was hurting? Don't

worry about my knee. Where that bar is is actually taller than my head.

Yeah. It's taller than me and you actually jump over that. You just

run up and jump over that. These are just practice heights for now.

Practice heights. No. Yeah, yeah. Some flats don't have a ceiling

that height. Let's show you a few moves. Oh no. What do I do? Just

run. Run with the bend and jump What I want you to do is go round,

take off on one leg again, try and feel it, go over backwards. Don't

hit the bar. What bar? Exactly. When you go over the bar, you feel

it, you feel the rhythm. Rhythm. Why didn't you say that. I can do

I thought I had that. You get three attempts in total so you've got two

more. OK. Get off the floor, Johnathan. Last go. Stay up tall

and throw the knee up and before Yeah. Yes, coach. There you go,

that's how it's done. I struggled at first to even hop onto the bed

and now I was going over it backwards from a great height.

Great coach. Couple of weeks, you're like me, playing for the

Olympics. Tickets maybe. In the end you went right the way over the bar

so it was pretty good. Thank you very much for your time, your

tuition, your patience and I can put on my CV that I've hung out

with an Olympic superstar. I have to admit I was far more

impressed with Martyn's mixing skills than that Fosbury flop.

Spoony, don't give up the day job just yet. Still to come on London

Olympic Dreams, gold medal rower Mark Hunter explains how keeping it

in the family could be a key to his success next summer. To be able to

run into the grandstand and see my family and celebrate with them, it

was an emotional time. Next summer over 50 sports will be represented

by the Olympics and Paralympics, covering an incredible range of

events. And one of the hottest tickets in town will be held right

here on Horse Guards Parade. It is of course the beach volleyball.

I've been finding out just how the sport's colourful image combined

with this historic location has Sand, bikinis and honed bodies, the

sport of beach volleyball can be What sort of images come in your

mind when I say beach volleyball? Beautiful women. Sun. People with

not many clothes on playing on the beach. Horse Guards Parade and

skimpy bikinis. Demand for tickets for the 2012 beach volleyball saw

the sport amongst the top five sellers with the women's final more

over subscribed than the men's. I met up with Great Britain's Lucy

Boulton at Horse Guards Parade to gauge her feelings on the attitude

of the sport. People think it's just girls in bikinis prancing

around. People say it's the hottest ticket in town. If that's what's

attracted them to buying a ticket for the Olympics, that's fine, but

hopefully when they do, this is the feedback from the test event, the

average guy watching the volleyball has a bit of respect. So why do the

women wear bikinis and the men wear shorts and vests? I actually just

think it's the most practical thing to wear and I know obviously

there's this whole sexy image and stuff like that, a lot of guys wear

just the real small Speedo style bottoms and the vests I think of

the sponsors. But there are reasons behind the sport's 2012 appeal

including the decision to host the event at Horse Guards Parade, which

brand experts say is key. I think the choice of venue to stage the

event was quite a masterstroke in marketing. It generates interest,

just that almost contradiction of having a very modern, lively, loud

event in many cases in a very traditional and very historic part

of London. So with all the hype is the beach volleyball really the

hottest ticket in town? Would you want a ticket to go and watch the

beach volleyball at Horse Guards Parade? It's the hottest ticket in

town, so why not? Comparisons with Baywatch will continue. Unlike the

TV show the Olympic beach volleyball at Horse Guards Parade,

well, let's face it it won't be Still to come on London Olympic

Dreams: I've got my new blades, I've been watching you guys run.

You make it look remarkably easy. These blades magically make you a

great runner but the reality is if you weren't a good runner to start

off with you're going to be an even worse runner when we get you on

blades. Well, rower Mark Hunter was actually born just outside of the

Olympic Park in Forest Gate and he's going to be looking to defend

the gold medal he won in Beijing in the lightweight double sculls with

teammate Zac Purchase. Now the rowing events are going to take

place at Eden Dorney. Water is very familiar to Mark because that's

where his dad Terry works as a rowing coach as Chris Legg explains.

Incredible skull here for Great Britain. After finishing last at

the Athens games Mark Hunter was watched by his adoring family in

Beijing as the East End boy won Olympic gold. And we have now gone

into the record books for Great Britain as the Olympic champions

and it sounds fantastic. When I look back to Beijing the excitement

I had when I remember being on the podium, watching the Union Jack

being raised, that was amazing but to be able to run into the

grandstand and see my family and celebrate with them, it was an

emotional time. I was right on the finish line. Matthew Pinsent and

Steve Redgrave were there, they said, Terry, we want to talk to you

after the race, and I said give me a chance that's because I can't

even talk at the moment, I'm crying. I can't talk now, I really can't, I

don't know what to say. You all cried. I did cry about how much it

cost me to get out there! What have been the biggest challenges on this

journey? Keeping up with the washing. Just a normal warmup,

shoulders. Dad Terry used to be Mark's coach. You see he is moving

with, the hands go forward and the boat moves underneath him, we are

rowing, you push the boat along, you don't pull it. They really are

a good example of how to skull about. This is why they win. Your

dad was your first coach and he still likes to shout the occasional

order from the boat. Do you still listen to him? It's always good to

have advice from your father who has been through the good times and

bad times. He showed his colours when his job was done, he passed me

on. This summer Mark will be here at Eton Dorney on these very waters

he knows so well. It's the ultimate really to be able to be at home,

come through there. There will be 10,000 people roaming around here

cheering us on. The banks of this place are going to be swarming with

people. Your brother hopefully is going to be going for Olympic gold

on these waters. How are you going to be feeling? Excited. Hopefully

it won't be as bad as watching him win the last one. Mum and dad have

been amazing. They have helped me through everything. It's the most

amazing thing I've ever done. It's going to be with us forever. Thank

This here's the Olympic finish line, right there the finishing tower,

the finish line and hopefully this is where Mark will be in 2012,

perched. Probably the most special moment of all our lives as a family

so it will be great, I can't wait. I'll be with you in that boat, I'll

be there with him and we all will. I don't think there is anything

bigger in an athlete's career competing and winning something at

home especially the Olympic Games. It doesn't get any bigger than that.

Becoming Olympic champion at the London Games would represent the

pinnacle of Mark Hunter's career. But the support from his family

The Aquatic Centre is one of the most eye-catching of all the

Olympic venues and despite its complex design, well, its place at

the heart of the Olympic Park was never in doubt. In stark contrast

this region around the capital, well, it's not exactly renowned for

its mountainous terrain. In fact who would have thought you would

even have a chance of building a world-class mountain bike course on

the Thames estuary? But as Olympic Dreams discovered, when it comes to

the Games they have a certain knack of raising the bar of people's

London 2012's mission improbable, make a mountain biking course in

the flattest region of the country. Make it close to the Olympic Park

and make it the best ever. After a long search, 550 acres of Salvation

Army land was found at Hadleigh Farm on the Thames estuary.

seconds, 30 seconds. These riders are about to find out if the course

Some of the world's top riders are here from all the continents of the

globe. This is their first and last opportunity to check out this

course ahead of London 2012. It was a ferociously hot day for the

official road test of the course by the same riders who will be back

for next year's Games. The test was a triumph of determination and

belief. Belief that the flatlands of the Thames estuary could be the

It's real tough racing and it's something we managed to overcome

those doubters who said you can't have a mountain bike race where

there are no mountains. We have proven that you can. Mountain

biking had a difficult birth. The original choice was Weald Park near

Brentwood. Lord Coe and co rode in to tell the world that Weald had

wheels but if it did they soon fell off. OK, I'll do it. In an

embarrassing twist the International Cycling Federation

said Weald was too flat. They had six months to find an alternative.

Six months during which the vultures from the higher grounds

circled overhead. But thankfully an answer presented itself in the form

of Hadleigh Farm. One of the technical challenges on the course

has been named the Leap Of Faith. It could be said that just thinking

about staging mountain biking here was just that. I always knew it

would be a great success. Originally it was going to be in

Brentwood. We were disappointed when that was said to be less

challenging but I grew up around Hadleigh and I knew this area all

my life. I knew this would be a fantastic venue, a great bowl, a

great view, a great place to watch the sport so not a leap of faith

for me but it took a few persuading people in London 2012 and

international cycling that it would be a great venue but they are blown

away by it. Hadleigh is ideal for spectators. On some courses riders

disappear into the woods for long spells but in this natural bowl 60

% of the five kilometre course is laid out for all to see. After the

Games it will be adapted so the public can have a go. Excellent,

absolutely terrific advert for the locality I think and it might

change people's minds about the perception of Essex maybe.

Sometimes you go to an event and it's like a big race, you only see

the section where you are standing and because of the hills and stuff

we can see the start, we can see the drop, we can see the rabbit

over there. It's really good, I really like watching the bikes go

really fast. I liked the bit over there when they go down. I really

like it when they do that, they go so fast. There may be no mountains

but no matter. After eight laps they will have cycled the height of

Ben Nevis. There are climbs that will burn iron lungs and rocky

World champions took part in this test and they all agreed Hadleigh

was hard to handle. Every course is different and that's what's

fantastic about the sport of mountain biking. There are always

new challenges on new courses. It's tough, it's fun, fast and it's

going to be a really great show and I hope tons of people come to watch

It's difficult. It's difficult technically and physically. The

only problem is it's really difficult to pass on the track.

Most of the time you're on a single track and it's really difficult to

pass but I was in front today so it wasn't a problem. It's not going to

be the city of Beijing but the thing is here is it's exposed all

the way round... For Dan Jarvis it was never in doubt. As a boy he

cycled these hills and knows what they can do to tired legs. He took

up mountain biking. Now he's a commentator. And he has to pinch

himself when he sees the world's top riders competing in his local

park. This is the very first place that I rode a mountain bike.

There's a place somewhere down there that's got an imprint of my

face on it somewhere. You could say there is a part of me that always

here in Hadleigh but it's been amazing for me to see it. When I

was riding here 25 odd years ago there was no way I would have

thought that the Olympics would be here and now not only are they

going to be here but we have actually realistically got a claim

The Beijing Games were the most successful Paralympics ever for

Great Britain with a final medal tally of 42 golds. Now next summer

it's likely that all eyes will be on one South African, Oscar

Pistorius, but Paralympics GB have their very own blade runners using

state-of-the-art technology to help them reach their potential. Paul

I'm here at Lee Valley Athletic Centre where the brightest and best

of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes train every single day.

For Jonnie, one of our country's top Olympians, training hard is

just a way of life but he's got a secret weapon at his disposal. His

blades. Jonnie Peacock, shoulder to shoulder with Pistorius and Peacock

a little bit slow out of his box but his pick up is good. After

getting his first blade Jonnie managed to go from novice to the

World Championships in two years. I wonder what I will be able to

achieve in one week. So when did you make that switch from what you

would call normal prosthetic legs into sporty, running-type legs and

blades that you are wearing now? didn't get a blade until about two

years ago. Did it take you long to get that compensation between both

legs? Definitely, five or six months. I'm still learning today.

The Paralympics coming up this year, what are your hopes and aspirations

and ambitions going into that? Obviously the first ambition is to

make the team. I made the team for the World Championships earlier in

the year so I'm hopeful I should be able to get onto the team. The only

way to find out is to watch it in a year's time and see what you think.

In terms of competition who are the big rivals that you are looking out

for? Who are the ones to watch? Ultimately Oscar is still the king

of the 100. COMMENTATOR: Oscar Pistorius cruising through,

absolutely magnificent. Pistorius, T43. He's going to be the man to

beat in London and there are a few people who are quite young and up

and coming but we will have to wait and find out. Can anyone put on a

pair of blades and become a runner? You can try it. Come up to me when

you have got some. Legs to run on are a piece of specialised

equipment, individually tailored for every athlete and they don't

come cheap. Richard Hirons is the man who develops this incredible

technology. This is a good example of the prosthesis Jonnie would wear.

We call it the Cheetah. It is like for Pistorius. He uses similar

products. It's the socket, the blade, the adapted footwear, so

this is for track use. Very responsive blade here, this carbon

fibre spring will give him as much energy return as we can. It doesn't

produce more energy than his normal ankle, his normal leg. What a

prosthesis does, it tries to reduce the extra effort that people have

to put in. It's still extra work and there's no spring that is

absolutely 100 % efficient and certainly no spring that is more

than efficient so these just reduce the disadvantage that somebody has.

I think I'm going to need a bit more help with this. So I've come

to get some pointers from one of our most accomplished Paralympians,

Stef Reid. COMMENTATOR: Great Britain has a new sprinter on the

loose, as Stefanie Reid, a former Canadian, now wears the red, white

and blue of Great Britain. Having lost her leg in a boating accident

when she was 15, she runs in the 100 and 200 metres and competes in

the long jump. I've got my new blades, I've been watching you guys

run. You make it look easy. I'm struggling to stand still. Are they

easy to run on? I think people might have the perception that

these blades magically make you a great runner but the reality is if

you were not a good runner to start off with you are going to be an

even worse runner when we get you on blades. Is your blade longer

than your actual leg, is it shorter? This leg is actually

designed to be longer and the reason for that is when I run and I

step down this blade is going to compress by about two inches and so

this blade, it was designed for me to run and go fast so it has been

aligned a bit longer. Have you any advice on how to make it easier?

think for me I spent that first year doing the tedious work, doing

the core work, doing the hip work, making sure I was running correctly

and if you don't have a strong core, strong hips, it's going to wreak

havoc on your body. So it is off to #Work at that body.

# Work that body. Now I'm as fit as I'm going to get

I think I'm ready to see what it's like to train with the

professionals. You can use it more Right, I think I've had enough.

You've put me through my paces. I'll let you get back to Dan and

get on with your training and I'll leave it to the pros. Cheers,

thanks a lot. I think with even all the training in the world I don't

think I'd ever be quick enough or fit enough to compete with these

guys. While these are incredible pieces of technology it's only

through hard work and determination that you actually turn that

incredible technology into gold medals on the track when it really

matters. I'm pleased to say that Paul has

recovered from his attempts to compete with Paralympics GB

although it's safe to assume that he won't be selected for the team

British Olympic Dreams returns to your screens on Saturday, 28

January for a Winter Youth Olympic Games Special on BBC1 at one

o'clock. The programme will be back in February with more behind-the-

scenes access with our British Olympic hopefuls. Now, before we go,

let's get some good luck messages from some Olympic legends and some

familiar faces for Team GB. Thanks for watching, goodbye. I'd like to

wish all Olympians all the very best for a fantastic 2012.

everybody taking part there in those Olympics, go out there,

believe in yourself, do the best you can. We're looking forward to

medals. Team GB, London 2012, you know I'm rooting for you. I want to

wish everybody from Team GB all the very best of luck for 2012. Hi guys,

this is Melanie C, I want to wish Team GB the best of luck. You can

do it. To all Team GB athletes, Olympic and Paralympic, the very

best of luck. You should be honoured to wear the vest, you will

do us proud. Good luck, train hard, race well. Go for it, we will be