West Midlands

:00:08. > :00:11.To the city of London! It's here. 2012. That means

:00:11. > :00:18.thousands of athletes from 200 countries will descend on Britain

:00:18. > :00:22.to fight it out for Olympic gold. Tonight I want to tell us -- Ute

:00:22. > :00:27.some about some of our West Midland contenders who can be bringing

:00:27. > :00:32.medals back to the West Midlands. I'm Richie Woodhall, and in 1988 I

:00:32. > :00:36.took a bronze medal for Britain. It changed my life.

:00:36. > :00:46.But who could win this year, and make the nation proud?

:00:46. > :00:56.

:00:56. > :01:00.Find out on tonight's West Midlands It has taken three years and over

:01:00. > :01:05.2.5000 construction workers to complete the Olympic Park. It is

:01:05. > :01:11.very nearly ready. I cannot believe I am here seeing

:01:11. > :01:16.it first hand. A stadium for 80,000 spectators, and an athletes village

:01:16. > :01:20.with all the 17,000 beds. It really will be an incredible place to

:01:20. > :01:25.compete. The fact that the games are here in London, convinced my

:01:25. > :01:28.first Olympic hopeful to give it one last try. Alison Williamson has

:01:28. > :01:35.been to five Olympics already, and London will be her last chance to

:01:35. > :01:42.win that gold. Not many people go to one Olympics

:01:42. > :01:45.- this summer Alison Williamson will compete at her six. But even

:01:45. > :01:52.someone this experienced has to find ways to relieve the pressure

:01:52. > :02:01.of training and competition. I am having a nice sort of relaxing day

:02:01. > :02:06.on Friday. At the moment, preparing for her

:02:06. > :02:10.Grade One piano test is more daunting than the games. I am

:02:10. > :02:14.impressed, because I teach lots of little ones and they come up with

:02:14. > :02:21.lots of excuses why they did not practise. She should have more

:02:21. > :02:26.excuses than most, but she manages to fit it in!

:02:26. > :02:29.It is only a temporary escape. Soon enough, it is back to Lilleshall

:02:29. > :02:36.and the endless hours of practice she hopes will make her perfect.

:02:36. > :02:41.do not think about it, I just do what I do. People keep telling me I

:02:42. > :02:48.do, so I start thinking, it will be quite special... It would be an

:02:48. > :02:54.achievement. A team mate has said to me, that in 1992, she was five.

:02:54. > :02:57.She thought it was funny, I was not quite so amused! Or the British

:02:57. > :03:02.team leave little to chance. All the latest technology is used

:03:02. > :03:05.to refine their technique. In archery even the finest margins can

:03:05. > :03:11.mean the difference between winning a medal and returning home empty-

:03:11. > :03:17.handed. If I got a medal in Beijing, I would not probably be here now. I

:03:17. > :03:21.would have been quite happy to finish there. But I think, you know,

:03:21. > :03:29.the games being in London. I missed out, and I think I am still capable

:03:29. > :03:35.of winning another medal. Just keeping going.

:03:35. > :03:38.Alison Winter her first Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 as a 20-year-old.

:03:39. > :03:42.Bronze in Athens has been how highlight, losing in the team

:03:42. > :03:47.bronze medal match in China, her biggest blow.

:03:47. > :03:57.Does it help have been the other two with you? Yes, I can depend on

:03:57. > :04:01.the others, and they did a really good job. I feel like I have let

:04:01. > :04:08.them down. I was upset, but I felt that I

:04:08. > :04:15.should have done better. But everything happens for a reason.

:04:15. > :04:22.You know, at the time it took me a long time to accept that. And to

:04:22. > :04:27.move on. Lord's is normally the home of

:04:27. > :04:31.English cricket, but this summer it will swap that for bow and arrow.

:04:31. > :04:34.Today it is the test event when the British archery team get to check

:04:34. > :04:38.out the competition and get a feel for what the ground will be like

:04:38. > :04:45.this summer., advantage is supposed to help the British team, and

:04:45. > :04:49.victory against world champions Italy lifted everyone's spirits.

:04:49. > :04:52.Naomi Folkard shot side by side with Alison in an Athens and

:04:52. > :04:58.Beijing. It is amazing that she has got the

:04:58. > :05:02.courage to keep going. And the will to keep going as well. She has

:05:02. > :05:06.always got knowledge to pass to us as well, even though I have been on

:05:06. > :05:11.her team for ten years, she still tells me something that I need to

:05:11. > :05:15.know. We are friends, and I guess it is more like family. Sometimes

:05:15. > :05:22.you might have fall outs, but you know the person well enough that

:05:22. > :05:26.you'd -- it is quickly forgotten. Their next opponents are one of the

:05:26. > :05:29.tournament's favourites, Chinese Taipei. Alison ups her game. The

:05:29. > :05:33.centre of the target peppered by her Arrows, and the British team

:05:33. > :05:38.have upset the odds to reach the semi-finals. One win from their

:05:38. > :05:41.last two matches will guarantee a medal, but China us too strong in

:05:41. > :05:46.the semi-finals. Britain get within touching

:05:46. > :05:50.distance of a bronze against Japan, but at the death it slips away in

:05:50. > :05:57.the final three arrows. It has just raised the stakes for getting back

:05:57. > :06:02.here in July. Having the experience here, it makes me want to come back.

:06:02. > :06:07.A look at her and I see a real true champion. She tries to do

:06:07. > :06:11.everything she needs to do in order to be the best at what she does.

:06:11. > :06:17.Sometimes she is even to driven, and we have to hold her back.

:06:17. > :06:22.That desire will always be there until she can win the ultimate

:06:22. > :06:26.Olympic prize. That would definitely be everything

:06:26. > :06:30.I have wanted to achieve, and I think knowing that you have

:06:30. > :06:36.everybody, your family and friends behind you are cheering you on an

:06:36. > :06:39.supporting you, it would mean everything.

:06:39. > :06:43.Alison might be one of the most experienced competitors at the

:06:43. > :06:48.Games this summer, but there are still loads more who are literally

:06:48. > :06:54.Olympic first-timers. So we invited Sydney's 400 metres bronze

:06:54. > :06:58.medallist to go and meet one of their new faces.

:06:58. > :07:02.Come to Stoke-on-Trent, they said, and bring your running shoes. It is

:07:02. > :07:07.years since I competed here but there is someone I wanted to meet.

:07:07. > :07:10.23-year-old Emma Jackson is one of Britain's best young athletes, an

:07:10. > :07:14.800 metre and brother went to the world championships in Korea last

:07:14. > :07:22.year and now has her eyes on the Olympics.

:07:22. > :07:28.Here she is! How is my 800 metres star? You are looking well. Is your

:07:28. > :07:36.training going well? Yes, very well. So if we do a bit of training today,

:07:36. > :07:44.you are not going to try me out too much, I knew? How long has it been?

:07:44. > :07:52.Six years! I will put you through your paces. Come on, then.

:07:52. > :07:59.But you have got to put it through. -- put it in. It is tough. I will

:07:59. > :08:03.have a tough job getting there. The M I made the semi-finals at the

:08:03. > :08:08.World Championships, and now she needs to believe in her ability to

:08:08. > :08:14.compete on the Olympic stage. do need that extra bit of self-

:08:14. > :08:18.belief, to just get me there. shall have a little bit of a walk

:08:18. > :08:23.now! I cannot walk and talk at the same time. Talk this through this

:08:23. > :08:30.year. When will you know if you are going to London? The trials are at

:08:30. > :08:35.the end of June, and... But there is a time she has got to beat as

:08:35. > :08:39.well. One minute 59.9 seconds. I need to run under that at some

:08:39. > :08:42.point in 2012. The City of Stoke athletics club

:08:42. > :08:51.has never produced an Olympic medallist, so good Emma really

:08:51. > :08:54.become their first? The stadia in stock, -- you think of all the

:08:54. > :08:57.people that started here in stock, but they move to bigger clubs.

:08:57. > :09:02.Why have you stayed in the Midlands?

:09:02. > :09:10.I am happy here, I have a fantastic support system, a fantastic coach,

:09:10. > :09:14.and this is where I call home. Let us go from the track. I am a

:09:14. > :09:21.bit more comfortable in the gym. Shall we go and maybe lift some

:09:21. > :09:25.weights? Alan Morris has been coaching Emma

:09:25. > :09:31.since she was 12. That means hours on the track and of course sessions

:09:31. > :09:36.in the gym. She is a very easy athlete to coach.

:09:36. > :09:39.She is very committed, she enjoys it, it is her living now, so

:09:39. > :09:44.basically she has taken that on board. I do not have to give her

:09:44. > :09:48.much in the way of motivation, she is very self-motivated. How much

:09:48. > :09:53.would it mean to see how with the British vest on representing

:09:53. > :09:59.Britain and Northern Ireland at the Olympics? It would be a very

:09:59. > :10:03.emotional moment, and it would mean absolutely everything to us. You

:10:03. > :10:08.can go to the European Championship, the world championship, but the

:10:08. > :10:14.Olympic Games is the absolute pinnacle of every athlete's cream.

:10:14. > :10:18.And it is M a's dream. We are going to work extremely hard for it.

:10:18. > :10:23.Family support is vital in the light of any young athlete, taking

:10:23. > :10:27.them to races, cheering them on and keeping their feet on the ground.

:10:27. > :10:31.Where was this one? That was one of the stock schools

:10:31. > :10:37.races, I had just won the city championship. I was about nine

:10:37. > :10:40.years old. She must have one, because she is smiling.

:10:40. > :10:45.He these Olympic Games which everyone is talking about, Emma has

:10:45. > :10:51.been dreaming about them. For you guys as parents, you have the

:10:51. > :10:58.photos - it will be pretty special, want it, if MI gets on the team?

:10:58. > :11:03.The UK has probably got five very good competitors, and which three

:11:03. > :11:08.out of the five that will go is anyone's guess. It will be great if

:11:08. > :11:11.Emma gets there, but we have to take a long-term view. The Olympics

:11:11. > :11:15.is just another championship. If you put all your eggs in one basket

:11:15. > :11:18.you could be hugely disappointed. If she gets there, we will be

:11:18. > :11:24.thrilled, but if she does not, there is the world championships

:11:24. > :11:28.the year after. So let us have a quiet word. I

:11:28. > :11:32.thought I would bring a little something just to show you. Not the

:11:32. > :11:41.bag! But is not very inspiring. I thought I would bring my Olympic

:11:41. > :11:46.medal. I have never seen one of these before. It has got your name

:11:46. > :11:56.on and everything. That is amazing. Well, hopefully I will have one of

:11:56. > :11:56.

:11:56. > :12:02.these of my own one day. Silver or gold are better. In higher! Thank

:12:02. > :12:05.you, and a. -- Emma.

:12:05. > :12:13.23-year-old Emma with her cautiously optimistic father. I

:12:13. > :12:16.know how she feels because my dad was no different. But back in 1988,

:12:16. > :12:21.I could only think about my training and going to the Games. So

:12:21. > :12:24.why was amazed to hear that rowing gold medallist Zac Purchase is not

:12:24. > :12:28.only planning on defending his title, he is planning on his

:12:28. > :12:38.wedding three weeks after the game's!

:12:38. > :12:45.

:12:45. > :12:49.This is Zac Purchase, Olympic rowing champion. This summer, he

:12:49. > :12:54.will attempt to make that double Olympic champion. Then, three weeks

:12:54. > :13:00.later, he will be getting married to me. This is our story to London

:13:00. > :13:03.2012. -- our journey. Be in an Olympic rower is hard work.

:13:03. > :13:08.When you are waking up, Zac will already be on the water, whatever

:13:08. > :13:13.the weather. A win it is cold and miserable, I cannot think of

:13:13. > :13:17.anywhere I would rather be. Being tucked up in bed at 7:00am,

:13:17. > :13:22.is a nice thought to have when it is raining and snowing in the

:13:22. > :13:27.winter, but you cannot get away from racing in London, and that

:13:27. > :13:32.chance of another gold medal. You have got to start somewhere, and

:13:32. > :13:35.unfortunately this is where you have got to start.

:13:35. > :13:39.A last summer, Zac became world champion for the second time with

:13:39. > :13:43.his light weight double sculls such partner at Mark Hunter. It will

:13:43. > :13:47.make them favourites for a second Olympic title in London.

:13:47. > :13:54.Is it the thought of that second gold in London that keeps you

:13:54. > :13:58.going? Yes, I think when it was announced in 2006, that they would

:13:58. > :14:02.be in London. I knew at that point that would be the most important

:14:02. > :14:06.gold medal for me. Beijing would be a learning experience, but London

:14:06. > :14:09.would be the most important one. Beijing ended up even better than I

:14:09. > :14:15.expected, and fingers crossed London well as well.

:14:15. > :14:21.That is why every day between now and London 2012, you will find Zac

:14:21. > :14:25.on the water chasing his dream of a second Olympic gold medal. It all

:14:25. > :14:35.seems a long way from meeting at teenage -- as teenagers at King's

:14:35. > :14:44.

:14:44. > :14:50.School in Worcester. We are taking I used to go out with his best mate.

:14:50. > :14:53.That was 10 years ago. The school's new boathouse looks

:14:53. > :15:03.fantastic, but you still will not get the two of us together on the

:15:03. > :15:05.

:15:05. > :15:08.water again. We did a mixed doubles event on the river. We got a few

:15:08. > :15:14.lines up the river and he told me I was rubbish and I told him he was

:15:14. > :15:23.arrogant. We wait apart any strop, but apart from that, everything has

:15:23. > :15:32.been fine! I can get moody sometimes in she knows exactly what

:15:32. > :15:41.to do, which is to get out of May we! When you are sitting at home

:15:41. > :15:45.just watching the television, he is just Zac. But sometimes, I think

:15:45. > :15:49.that the person I am marrying has got an Olympic gold medal.

:15:49. > :15:52.We are getting married at St Paul's Cathedral, then it is on here, to

:15:52. > :16:00.Great Fosters, for the reception. With Zac so busy this year, I

:16:00. > :16:10.wanted us to have a get-together with our wedding planner Sandy.

:16:10. > :16:13.

:16:13. > :16:17.many of showers are you having? Zac will not have much free time

:16:17. > :16:27.between now and the Olympics, but that does not mean he is off the

:16:27. > :16:29.

:16:29. > :16:37.hook in planning for our wedding! Come on, with all your training

:16:37. > :16:44.going on, how much use a you're actually going to be? I will try

:16:44. > :16:54.and do as much as I can. I have done a lot of rolling before, but I

:16:54. > :16:54.

:16:54. > :17:02.have not done a wedding before. given that it is in London, what

:17:02. > :17:12.does that mean to you? Yes, it is huge. The only reason I am still

:17:12. > :17:14.

:17:14. > :17:24.doing it is to win another gold I did not expect to catch up with

:17:24. > :17:27.

:17:27. > :17:34.Zac in the gym. Legs first, then body, then that the arms. Their

:17:34. > :17:43.record, it is easy. Then, you have to do it all in one smooth simple

:17:43. > :17:53.motion. What the machine doing is speeding it up, so it will get

:17:53. > :17:55.

:17:56. > :18:05.Your training programme, do you have any days off? It is not too

:18:06. > :18:09.

:18:09. > :18:15.bad. My alarm goes off just after 6 o'clock in the morning every single

:18:15. > :18:22.day. So what is great on a day off, when you can just turn it off and

:18:22. > :18:30.go back to sleep again. So whose idea was it to get married around

:18:30. > :18:40.the time of the London Olympics? I have to say, it was not my idea!.

:18:40. > :18:41.

:18:41. > :18:50.But it just means we simply have to Now for a story about determination

:18:50. > :18:57.and heartbreak. It is about the Paralympian journey to 2012. Ryan

:18:58. > :19:01.is one of our most talented Paralympic shooters. After a

:19:01. > :19:06.terrible accident left him paralysed, he is now in the running

:19:06. > :19:15.to represent Britain at the Paralympics. My do not know too

:19:15. > :19:21.much about target shooting and I hope rain will be able to tell me.

:19:21. > :19:26.I am more interested about his determination to succeed after his

:19:26. > :19:30.terrible accident. It is a great story. Although he has only been

:19:30. > :19:40.shooting for four years, he is already world-class and his trophy

:19:40. > :19:44.

:19:44. > :19:53.This was in Poland. What do you remember about that event? Was this

:19:54. > :20:00.an individual or team event? It is individual. Her age you first learn

:20:00. > :20:10.about shooting? In it was through the be cabinet dilatation unit at

:20:10. > :20:12.

:20:12. > :20:21.Stoke Mandeville. I had a go at it and really enjoyed it. The swimming

:20:21. > :20:29.pool accident left him paralysed from the waist down. Everyday tasks

:20:29. > :20:36.that we all take for granted can be quite difficult for him? Yes, there

:20:36. > :20:46.really has to be carers with him all day when I am out at work. It

:20:46. > :20:49.

:20:49. > :20:59.How do you feel that your son could be representing Great Britain at

:20:59. > :20:59.

:20:59. > :21:07.the Olympic Games? He has achieved a great deal since the accident.

:21:07. > :21:15.can shoot with the best of them. But to get to the gold medal, he

:21:15. > :21:24.will have to train hard. That is where Dad comes in as a shooting

:21:24. > :21:34.He is that the West Midlands shooting Centre and I am going to

:21:34. > :21:37.

:21:37. > :21:47.see how he is getting on and give him some advice! How is it going?

:21:47. > :21:57.It is pretty much a standard rifle. I have had my own piece made for

:21:57. > :22:02.the cheek. Now all he has to do is secured his place in the squad. He

:22:02. > :22:09.will not know for a couple of months if he has made it into the

:22:09. > :22:18.team. I do not want to see it getting too upset when you see me

:22:18. > :22:28.over there. You have got a bit of competition here! The pressure is

:22:28. > :22:58.

:22:58. > :23:01.I tell you what! Look at that! Did Soon, it was back to business. Have

:23:01. > :23:08.you ever imagined yourself representing Great Britain at the

:23:08. > :23:15.Paralympics? Yes, I have put a lot of hard work in an to get there

:23:15. > :23:25.would be great. If you want to find out more about any Paralympic

:23:25. > :23:31.

:23:31. > :23:39.Finally, dreaming about winning an Olympic medal is that the reason a

:23:39. > :23:43.lot of kids get into sport in the first place. It takes talent,

:23:43. > :23:53.determination and I have been falling one Olympic dream that

:23:53. > :23:58.turned sour. Imagine training for one goal for three years? This

:23:58. > :24:06.could be his second Olympics after coming back empty handed from

:24:06. > :24:15.Beijing for years ago. I was only a youngster when. That is the main

:24:15. > :24:24.reason I stayed with it. Been a home Olympics, with all the home

:24:24. > :24:34.fans, I want them to see what I am capable of doing. But although he

:24:34. > :24:38.has qualified for the British team, so has his friend Andrew. Two

:24:39. > :24:48.frames seeking one place in the team. The solution is simply that

:24:49. > :24:57.

:24:57. > :25:07.York Hall in the East End of London. This is it, the one and the first

:25:07. > :25:13.

:25:13. > :25:21.contest. To get that first win is Mentally, it is very important. If

:25:21. > :25:31.you do not get that first win, you could be on a Downer the next day.

:25:31. > :25:32.

:25:32. > :25:38.Are you looking forward to? Are you confident? Yes, feeling good.

:25:38. > :25:43.People are starting to arrive and the atmosphere is building. It is

:25:43. > :25:51.now or never. The next 10 minutes will determine which of the to take

:25:51. > :25:59.a step closer to their Olympic dream. We have trained together for

:25:59. > :26:07.the last for five years and sparred together many times. It will be a

:26:07. > :26:15.bit different from the usual fight. It is anyone's Guess who's going to

:26:15. > :26:25.win this one. It is not a great start. He is not down in the first

:26:25. > :26:27.

:26:27. > :26:33.In the second round, it is better. But he still has it all to do going

:26:33. > :26:43.into the final round. This is anyone's fight. It is that close

:26:43. > :26:48.

:26:48. > :26:58.Round three, and it is obvious he has endured his hand. He has lost

:26:58. > :26:58.

:26:58. > :27:08.I did not think the margin was that big, to be honest. Andrew did win

:27:08. > :27:18.it. But not by that margin. But now, he will have to win the next two

:27:18. > :27:20.

:27:20. > :27:25.bouts to qualify for the Olympic D2 and shock news. The injury means

:27:25. > :27:30.he could not prepared for the fight. He has failed to make the weight

:27:30. > :27:40.and it will have cost him his Olympic place. His Olympic dream

:27:40. > :27:44.

:27:44. > :27:47.How were you doing? Do you fancy a cup of tea? It is a couple of weeks

:27:47. > :27:54.after the fight and the disappointed boxer has agreed to

:27:54. > :28:04.meet me to talk about his disappointment. I did not have

:28:04. > :28:11.anyone to blame. Andrew boxed the best that he could. How do you

:28:11. > :28:19.feel? Last four years have been here towards the London Olympics?

:28:19. > :28:28.It is heartbreaking. Everyone I know who is close to me is gutted

:28:28. > :28:36.for me. I want to make history as the professional now. I want to

:28:36. > :28:39.fight for the titles that all my he rose are dead. He is now going to

:28:39. > :28:45.forelock his boxing team as a professional and his name is one