0:00:02 > 0:00:04The clock is ticking.
0:00:04 > 0:00:10The final touches are being made to venues, outfits, bodies and minds.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14As South America prepares to welcome the Olympics for the very
0:00:14 > 0:00:18first time, over 10,000 athletes ready themselves for the
0:00:18 > 0:00:19moment of a lifetime.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24It's behind closed doors, in the gyms, pools,
0:00:24 > 0:00:29rings and empty lakes where the blood, sweat and tears have flowed.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32When the spotlight falls in Rio de Janeiro,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34it's the work done in the dark
0:00:34 > 0:00:37that will determine who shines the brightest
0:00:37 > 0:00:39on the biggest stage of all.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46In this episode of The Olympic Journey,
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Darren Campbell is with one woman
0:00:48 > 0:00:52who knows exactly what it takes to win Olympic gold - Jade Jones.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55When I'd done it, I felt a bit lost.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58There was just so much pressure on me. Now I'm in a good place.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Nick Bright meets super heavyweight boxer Joe Joyce,
0:01:01 > 0:01:05whose talent isn't restricted to just one canvas.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07You're handy with a paintbrush.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11Yeah, I am. Many strings to my bow. You name it, I've done it.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15And Clare Balding has been to see the most successful British
0:01:15 > 0:01:18dressage rider in history, Charlotte Dujardin.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22I'd sat and watched so many riders for years, you know,
0:01:22 > 0:01:23thinking, I wish I could get there.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27And then all of a sudden, I was there doing it. I'm living my dream.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33It's getting up on cold, wet wintry mornings and heading to training,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37no matter what, that makes the difference when it really counts.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40And I've got up early today to head to Caversham, the home of British
0:01:40 > 0:01:43rowing, to catch up with two gold medallists from London who head
0:01:43 > 0:01:46to Rio as the red-hot favourites.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Great Britain into the record books!
0:01:50 > 0:01:53And such fabulously well done, there!
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Great Britain are the Olympic champions,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Helen Glover and Heather Stanning!
0:01:57 > 0:02:00We stand up and we salute you!
0:02:02 > 0:02:04- Good morning.- Hello.- Morning.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Thank you so much for letting me coming along
0:02:06 > 0:02:09- so early and disturb your morning session.- That's all right.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12I won't disturb it, obviously. You look so bright and breezy.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15- This is obviously what you do every day.- This is normal for us.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17These early mornings are kind of normal.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20And it's great to have you along and we'll show you what is
0:02:20 > 0:02:22kind of a normal day for us, I guess.
0:02:22 > 0:02:23I love this whole place.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25- It's a fantastic facility, isn't it? - Yeah.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27You'd better show me where we're off to, then.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30- No worries. I think we're going to go to the gym first.- OK.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32So you can kind of get an idea of everyone
0:02:32 > 0:02:34getting ready before they go out.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Everybody is in here. They come in here in the morning,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38have stretch before they go out.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40So it's a kind of social stretch.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Yeah, a bit of a chat, a bit of a social stretch.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Stretching, not any other conditioning?
0:02:45 > 0:02:48No, we've got the facilities to do strength and conditioning in here.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52Your bodies are so used to training all the time, three times a day,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56do you ever still come in feeling stiff?
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Yeah. Quite often, actually.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01If we've had a really big weight session, the next day, I'll come in
0:03:01 > 0:03:04and legs, arms, everything will sort of be hurting from the previous day
0:03:04 > 0:03:07and these machines are something you never want
0:03:07 > 0:03:09to be told that you're on!
0:03:09 > 0:03:12So, this is where you would have an indoor rowing session.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15- Yeah.- And what's the longest you'd have to...
0:03:15 > 0:03:19We kind of go up to 24km on these if we have a really long session.
0:03:19 > 0:03:2418km would be a fairly standard session.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27So kind of an hour and a half on the rowing machine.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29What's the theory, then, or the thinking behind
0:03:29 > 0:03:31not training on the river all the time, then?
0:03:31 > 0:03:33What the rowing machines do is every single time
0:03:33 > 0:03:36it's the same thing, so you can monitor your training.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Conditions vary day-to-day on the water.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40So when you're on the rowing machine
0:03:40 > 0:03:43and every 6km, they come and they test your lactic acid levels,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46so they do a pinprick in your ear, test your lactic acid.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48- While you are rowing?- Well, you stop for about a minute.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52And what they do is they just monitor your effort levels
0:03:52 > 0:03:54so you can know if the number you're producing correlates to
0:03:54 > 0:03:57the effort that you feel and your lactic acid.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59So, it's probably the most scientific thing we do
0:03:59 > 0:04:02in checking our levels of fitness and our levels of training.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04We do that about once a week.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06You can tell a little bit about your glycogen levels, as well,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09so if you are over-training and under-fuelled, that's another indicator.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12You won't be producing as much lactic acid and that will show, as well.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15So you'll be trying really hard but it won't be showing in your blood
0:04:15 > 0:04:18levels and then you know, "I need to eat more, fuel up."
0:04:18 > 0:04:19And so they work your diet out
0:04:19 > 0:04:22- sometimes on the basis of that, as well?- Yes.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24And is this six days a week, this regime?
0:04:24 > 0:04:26- Yeah.- Sometimes seven. But, yeah.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30Six days here and then on a Sunday we'll be training in our own time.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32So it's really seven days a week and we get
0:04:32 > 0:04:35a day off every 3-6 weeks.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37OK, let's go back through there and see...
0:04:37 > 0:04:39come through to the boathouse.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Oh, my. And it is a boathouse!
0:04:41 > 0:04:43- It is a boathouse. Full of boats! - How many boats in here?
0:04:43 > 0:04:44A few less than usual because,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47obviously, all the Rio boats have gone.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49- So the Rio boats are in Brazil? - Yeah.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52And these are your second best boats.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54- Yeah.- This is our boat.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58It's the one we won with in London. Never lost a race yet.
0:04:58 > 0:04:59Never lost a race?
0:04:59 > 0:05:01We've used it the whole way through this Olympiad,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03so the world championships, the world cups,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06and we've been really fortunate that we've managed to get
0:05:06 > 0:05:07a new boat to go out to Rio.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10So, you obviously think the new boat is better because it
0:05:10 > 0:05:13wouldn't be the one going out there. So, what's the difference?
0:05:13 > 0:05:15- If I was to look at it, would I see anything different?- Probably not.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18It's just newer, so what happens to the carbon and things like that
0:05:18 > 0:05:22is it just loses a bit of its stiffness, so it's basically the same.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24You wouldn't think it's any different.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26- Do you like it, the new boat?- We do, yeah.
0:05:26 > 0:05:27But you're very fond of this one.
0:05:27 > 0:05:28We'd be happy to race in this one,
0:05:28 > 0:05:32but if anything is faster, it'd probably be the new boat, so...
0:05:32 > 0:05:33It's a bit more shiny.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36THEY LAUGH
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Helen and Heather have found consistency and a level of
0:05:38 > 0:05:42contentment with each other, both inside and outside of the boat,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45and that's made them a formidable force.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47London was great and it was an experience
0:05:47 > 0:05:49that we never expected to have in our lifetimes.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53To go and to win gold at a home game was just incredible.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56You hear the word Olympic and you just get a swell of pride.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59We're so lucky to do this. We are fortunate.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01And, OK, so it's come with hard work,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04but we get to sit there on the start line and as much as it's
0:06:04 > 0:06:07stressful and as much as you feel at times you don't want to be
0:06:07 > 0:06:09there because you're in this most pressurised situation,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12you know that there will be so many other people who would
0:06:12 > 0:06:14grab that seat from you and take your place,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17so we feel really fortunate and really lucky to be there, as well.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Relationships are so important in sport -
0:06:20 > 0:06:22who you train with, who you live with.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Darren Campbell has been along to meet Olympic taekwondo champion
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Jade Jones, who just happens to live with
0:06:28 > 0:06:30world champion Bianca Walkden.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34I'm outside the National Taekwondo Centre
0:06:34 > 0:06:36in East Manchester.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Inside, the athletes are beginning their final preparations for
0:06:39 > 0:06:42the biggest competition of their lives, the Olympics.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48You little beauty!
0:06:48 > 0:06:51And the teenage kicking superstar from North Wales
0:06:51 > 0:06:54is the Olympic champion!
0:06:56 > 0:06:59That's it, Bianca Walkden is world champion!
0:07:02 > 0:07:04SHE SCREAMS
0:07:04 > 0:07:07You can see the sweat pouring off them
0:07:07 > 0:07:08and now the head guards are out.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10This should be interesting!
0:07:14 > 0:07:16And this type of session, it seems really intense.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19No, this one's the easy one. This one's the easy one.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21The hard ones are when they can go after you
0:07:21 > 0:07:23and you have to go after them.
0:07:23 > 0:07:24- Right.- It's a war.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Is a lot of what you were doing today really trying to
0:07:29 > 0:07:30programme the subconscious,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33so come the moment when you're fighting,
0:07:33 > 0:07:35anything that happens, you're able just to react?
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Yeah, definitely, like, for the Olympics,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41it's a totally new system that we haven't been used to going on and
0:07:41 > 0:07:43it's a lot harder to score
0:07:43 > 0:07:46and then also, like, going high and punches.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50We have to, like, totally change our game a little bit.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56Right, ladies, I've watched you train, spar, hit each other,
0:07:56 > 0:07:57defend with pads.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Now I want to see how that dynamic changes by coming to your house,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04because you're housemates, live together, friends.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06- Is that all right?- Yeah.- Cool.
0:08:06 > 0:08:07You have got a kettle, yeah?
0:08:07 > 0:08:09- Yeah.- Yeah! - THEY LAUGH
0:08:11 > 0:08:13How is it living together?
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Because you've literally just come from a session.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18I think it's good. I think we get...
0:08:18 > 0:08:20We've even got better living together, like,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23because we train really hard together and then we come
0:08:23 > 0:08:25back and we say, "Why did you do this?"
0:08:25 > 0:08:28And try and help each other improve in training for the next
0:08:28 > 0:08:30session and things like that.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33All we want to do is be the best, so if I try and push her,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35she tries to push me, we're only going to get better, so yeah.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36I like it.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39I think it's good that we're different weight categories, though.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Say if there was a house full of 57s,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44I'd hate that because, do you know what I mean,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46I wouldn't want to get too close to them and I wouldn't want to
0:08:46 > 0:08:49be too friendly, whereas because we're totally opposite ends of
0:08:49 > 0:08:53the weight, we can fully push and help each other without...
0:08:53 > 0:08:54And then switch on when you need to.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Because I just need to check something,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59- it's just you two that live here, yeah?- Yeah, it is just me and Jade.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02OK. My question is, why do you have two fridges?
0:09:02 > 0:09:05One's for Jade and one's for me!
0:09:05 > 0:09:07- OK, is this one Jade's?- Yeah.- Yeah?
0:09:07 > 0:09:09The small one!
0:09:09 > 0:09:11- And this one is yours.- Yeah.- OK.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Why have you got two fridges?
0:09:13 > 0:09:15She's a heavyweight so...
0:09:15 > 0:09:18THEY LAUGH
0:09:18 > 0:09:22- Strawberries there. - Jade's strawberries!- Yes.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27Let's have a look in this one. Make sure you're doing things right, yes.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Get the pepper out.
0:09:31 > 0:09:32Brilliant, brilliant.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35OK, I can see you are focused, definitely focused on Rio.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39- Healthy food in there. Can I see where you guys chill out?- Yeah.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44So, who is learning to play the piano?
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Me, I go every Tuesday for half an hour.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51It's like counselling. I go there and just switch off.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Just get to do something completely different,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57like I don't even talk about taekwondo with the instructor or nothing like that.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02Sometimes I practise but most of the time it is just on the Tuesday.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04THEY LAUGH
0:10:04 > 0:10:09So, Jade, four years ago, London 2012, Olympic champion.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Did you expect that?
0:10:11 > 0:10:13I think it was like the journey going into the Olympics,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15it was fast.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18I think I only came into the academy in 2010 so it was like two
0:10:18 > 0:10:20years to go and I was only...
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Like, no-one was expecting me to even go to the Olympics.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26So it all just went so fast and, literally,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28six months to go I got picked.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31It was like, you know, give everything I had.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35I did actually believe that I could win, I was going there to win.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39But when I had done it, I felt a bit lost and, like,
0:10:39 > 0:10:43there was just so much pressure on me and I just felt so lost.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48Now I am in a good place and I am just trying to get to do it
0:10:48 > 0:10:52- again, really.- Have you had to fall back in love with taekwondo?
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Yeah, definitely.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58There are times, when you have a hard loss, or there are times when
0:10:58 > 0:11:01you think, "God, do I even want to do this any more?
0:11:01 > 0:11:03"It is so hard and I'm not even enjoying it."
0:11:03 > 0:11:07But, again, I just revert back to why I was doing it when I was a kid.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10I absolutely just loved taekwondo and loved the kicks.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Just wanted to win, like, you don't even know why you want to win,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18- you just want to win.- And, Bianca, was it difficult Jade winning gold?
0:11:18 > 0:11:23Obviously, she is your friend and you were pleased that she won gold
0:11:23 > 0:11:28- but, for you, you couldn't compete. - Yeah, it wasn't nice at all.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Obviously we live together and I was there training as well,
0:11:31 > 0:11:32just with her.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36And the next minute I broke my leg and then Jade goes and she
0:11:36 > 0:11:38gets to go out and win the Olympics.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42But I can't do nothing about that and, like, obviously, she
0:11:42 > 0:11:45showed us, like, it can happen, if anything, do you know what I mean?
0:11:45 > 0:11:48I can take it one way and hate her but I can take it the other way
0:11:48 > 0:11:51and be, like, look what she's done, do you know what I mean?
0:11:51 > 0:11:52We can do the same thing.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56I think it feels even more special because, "Let's do it together now."
0:11:56 > 0:12:00It is our chance to both get gold together as friends.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06GABBY: Jade and Bianca have a real chance of securing medals at the
0:12:06 > 0:12:07Rio Olympics.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10If they do, it will mark out the GB taekwondo academy as
0:12:10 > 0:12:12a great success story.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Fighting for gold is something British boxers know all about.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Nick Bright went to meet GB star Joe Joyce,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22to find out what life is like for a boxer when the gloves are off.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27So, Joe, we're at where it all began for you,
0:12:27 > 0:12:31Earlsfield Amateur Boxing Club. How does it feel when you are in it?
0:12:31 > 0:12:34It feels like home, back where I feel comfortable.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37- And where it all began, obviously. - How did it all begin for you?
0:12:37 > 0:12:39I was 22, turning 23.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41I was cycling round trying to find this...
0:12:41 > 0:12:43Cos I knew there was a boxing gym around here.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47I wanted to go and hit a bag and maybe do some sparring.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Then Sid got me to come to the boxing session and, you know,
0:12:51 > 0:12:55I could just see the progression and I was enjoying myself.
0:12:55 > 0:12:56I had my first bout.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00You get in the ring and you're like, the referee comes over,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03he checks you have got a box, he checks your gloves,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06you have got your gumshield, brings you both together and then you
0:13:06 > 0:13:09touch gloves and look at your opponent.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Then you walk back to your corner and then - ding! -
0:13:11 > 0:13:14then it is like, "Yeah, what have you got?"
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Breathe. Believe. Breathe and believe.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Come on, three!
0:13:20 > 0:13:22He's a lovely kid, really. He's a gentle giant.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26He looks menacing but he is not at all.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29He's easy to work with, which is important, really.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31You can have the best kids in the world but if they won't listen
0:13:31 > 0:13:35and they won't work with you, you will never get anywhere.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Part of the reason why you started boxing at 22,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42which some people might say is quite old to start boxing,
0:13:42 > 0:13:48is because you used to do rugby, athletics, karate...
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Kick boxing, kung fu, capoeira.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- I mean, there's loads.- Swimming.
0:13:53 > 0:13:54- Swimming.- And diving.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58I mean, it is an amazing CV of different sports that you
0:13:58 > 0:14:00have done and now you have found one that has finally stuck.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04Yeah, I think it got to a point when I was doing other sports that
0:14:04 > 0:14:07I would kind of get bored with it and move on to something else.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09"I would like to try this."
0:14:09 > 0:14:12So I think it is good that I found boxing so late because,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14maybe if I had started earlier,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17I might have got bored with that and moved on to something else.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19So, you know, it was good.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25- Good luck, Joe.- Nice one.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32- I wanted to speak about Juan because he is your trainer...- Mentor.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Mentor and trainer.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Because I always used to go to Putney Leisure Centre and I
0:14:36 > 0:14:38would be on the diving boards, like diving,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41swimming. I think he was doing personal training.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45I can see talent, you know. Here, every day, you feel talent.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48The amount of talent, the mentality is not there.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51When I saw Joe, he was full of energy, full of talent.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54At the same time he had the mentality.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57He started training me at the gym. He was basically, "You can do this.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59"You have got sporting potential.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01"You can go here and I can show you how to get there."
0:15:01 > 0:15:04When I started boxing, he was like, if he wants to do this boxing,
0:15:04 > 0:15:08then take him to the proper place to, you know, get trained in it.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10So I went to Cuba,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13stayed with his brother and I was training there for 21 days.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17I had practised the techniques over and over again, with repetition.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19When I came back, I won the GBs,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22won the ABAs and then got in the GB squad.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25- It was life-changing for you. - It was life-changing.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Thanks for letting us come and have a snoop around.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34We're here to talk about some of this stuff that you do
0:15:34 > 0:15:40- outside of boxing. Because you're handy with a paintbrush.- Yeah, I am.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42How did you get into this? Tell me about it.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45I was always good at art at school.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50From there, I went to Middlesex to do a BA with fine art.
0:15:50 > 0:15:55I also got to do an exchange in Sacramento State University
0:15:55 > 0:16:00in my last year. So, yeah, I picked up a lot more skills along the way.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Many strings to my bow. You name it, I have done it, pretty much.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07I did cheerleading in the States, in university.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10I reckon you were one of the guys that threw the people in
0:16:10 > 0:16:12the air, rather than the guy being thrown in the air.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14No, I wasn't like, "Woo!"
0:16:14 > 0:16:16You pick the girl up, throw them,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19catch them by their feet and then you can do other moves.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21You can, like, hold them with one hand.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23So you have to be really strong.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28You have now qualified for Rio.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32You're going to be at the Olympic Games. How does that feel?
0:16:32 > 0:16:33It is great.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37It's like, you set targets and this is one of my targets from
0:16:37 > 0:16:40a long time ago, from when I was doing athletics.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44I wanted to get to the Olympics. It is finally here.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47How much do you want the gold? Three. There you go.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50He's beaten 90% of the guys there so as long as
0:16:50 > 0:16:53he performs at his best and he delivers on the day and
0:16:53 > 0:16:54everything goes the right way, there's
0:16:54 > 0:16:57no reason why Joe Joyce can't win a gold medal.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00You do all these things, you experiment with loads of
0:17:00 > 0:17:03different sports, you paint and you box.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07No wonder, on the back of your top it says, "No ordinary Joe".
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Yeah, because I'm quite extraordinary.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12And my head's getting a bit heavy!
0:17:12 > 0:17:14So I do all these neck exercises.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16It'll only get heavier with a gold medal round your neck.
0:17:16 > 0:17:17Oh, yeah.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23If you have been inspired to get involved in sport, then click on...
0:17:27 > 0:17:30It's here in the inner sanctum of GB rowing that Helen and
0:17:30 > 0:17:34Heather and the rest of the squad put in their hard hours,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37training, testing and competing against each other.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Refuelling is such an important part of these rowers' daily routines.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46I'm meeting up with the men's coxless four for breakfast,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49where I want to find out what it's like to be part of the boat
0:17:49 > 0:17:52which carries the very highest of expectations.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58Great Britain get the gold medal! And relief all round.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Great Britain have come up and Great Britain are the Olympic
0:18:04 > 0:18:07champions and the crowd are going mad!
0:18:10 > 0:18:14Gold medal, Great Britain. Wonderfully done.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17We have done it, we have done it and we have done it in style!
0:18:17 > 0:18:20Great Britain, the Olympic champions once more.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27Does it feel like you have a little bit more pressure on your shoulders?
0:18:27 > 0:18:34I think so. It has been four now and we're hoping to get the fifth gold.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38And the expectation is there, the coxless four always wins.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42But also, there's pressure but then when you get into this boat,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45you think, this is one of the best chances of gold in the whole squad.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47I would much rather be in a boat that
0:18:47 > 0:18:51has a really good chance of winning gold but massive pressure,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54massive potential for quite a public failure.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57That's kind of why we do sport. We don't want to just play it safe.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00So what is going to be the thing then that carries you over the line?
0:19:00 > 0:19:02The strength of our programme is we do train really hard
0:19:02 > 0:19:04for four years.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Lots of countries train hard for one year or six months or eight
0:19:06 > 0:19:09months, or whatever.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11But we do train hard.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14That's a long time. Four years is a long time.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18If you can string together four years uninjured, consistent, hard,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20high-volume training, you're probably going to win.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23And the guys that beat us, they're the same,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26they also are able to string together huge periods of training.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30On that basis, this four-year journey in this cycle, what
0:19:30 > 0:19:35is it like for those people around you who love you and care about you?
0:19:35 > 0:19:38It can't be easy having a six-foot- eight guy turn up knackered,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42doesn't want to talk, just wants to lie down and then doesn't
0:19:42 > 0:19:46want to discuss his day, doesn't want to listen about their day.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49- I can't imagine it's very easy. - Do you know anybody like that?- Yeah.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52- THEY LAUGH - I don't know how long I'm going to carry on this sport, but I can
0:19:52 > 0:19:54definitely envisage a life after rowing and not having
0:19:54 > 0:19:58to get up at, like, savagely early every morning and flog
0:19:58 > 0:20:01ourselves up and down this lake and miss weekends.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06You know, these are not things I kind of masochistically enjoy.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09These are the price of success. And, you know,
0:20:09 > 0:20:10the cost is worth it,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13but it is definitely a cost rather than some perverse pleasure.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15I look forward to the day when I have energy.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19I'm fit, probably one of the fittest people in the country, maybe,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23with all the training, but I don't feel fit when I get home, I feel knackered.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26But isn't that the true mark of a professional sports person
0:20:26 > 0:20:29anyway, that you're never, you know, you don't feel as fit
0:20:29 > 0:20:31as people think you should be because you're just so tired?
0:20:31 > 0:20:34It's not normal, is it, the amount of work you put your body through?
0:20:34 > 0:20:37No matter how many calories a day you're consuming,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39which is what, 6,000-7,000?
0:20:39 > 0:20:43One or two of us have got these new snazzy heart rate monitors,
0:20:43 > 0:20:45and I think they tell you afterwards...
0:20:45 > 0:20:48- Don't they tell you how much rest you needed after a session? - Go on, what was it?
0:20:48 > 0:20:50After the first of your three sessions a day,
0:20:50 > 0:20:54- it'll tell you you need 18 hours of rest now, or something. - Do you know what,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57hearing you, and we all suspect the intensity of what you do and
0:20:57 > 0:21:01seeing you in that environment and how often you're out there training every single day,
0:21:01 > 0:21:05I kind of understand why rowers seem to be the best criers
0:21:05 > 0:21:07on the podium, because it feels like...
0:21:07 > 0:21:09- LAUGHTER - We're so knackered.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12"I'm tired and emotional. I've just got to get this out."
0:21:12 > 0:21:14You kind of get it, it's just an outpouring, isn't it,
0:21:14 > 0:21:16after the end of that cycle?
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Tears of relief. Tomorrow's a day off.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20LAUGHTER
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Tomorrow's a lie-in, a day off, and a cold beer.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32How easy is it to make sure you stay on the same page in terms of
0:21:32 > 0:21:34your goals and aspirations?
0:21:34 > 0:21:37We find it pretty easy because I think we actually complement each other.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40I think if we were two of the same, it would be really difficult.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44I think I'm probably a bit more energetic in my delivery of
0:21:44 > 0:21:47things and kind of quite focused.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50I feel like I drive a lot of the things that we do,
0:21:50 > 0:21:54and Heather definitely, sort of... Um... Oh, what's the word?
0:21:54 > 0:21:58..absorbs a lot of it. And if we were both one-way, I think that
0:21:58 > 0:22:02would really butt heads, or it would be really kind of placid.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06From the outside, you might think... You're about to become a major
0:22:06 > 0:22:08in the army, so you might think from the outside,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10oh, you'd be the barky one, you'd be the one that would
0:22:10 > 0:22:13be kind of much more noisy and much more verbose.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17- Is that what you're like in your army life as well?- I think so, I've probably always been
0:22:17 > 0:22:20a bit more someone who leads by example than leads by saying.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23I'm not necessarily the most vocal person, I'm not very good at expressing myself,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26so in terms of that sort of thing, actually,
0:22:26 > 0:22:31I am much more receptive, I can be told what to do and listen than...
0:22:31 > 0:22:34So, yeah, I don't know, I'm kind of...
0:22:34 > 0:22:37I'm not your typical army officer, who is like,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40"Follow me and let's go, I'm going to shout at you all the orders" sort of thing.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43I am a bit more kind of stand back and observe.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48When you drive out those gates on an evening, eventually,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51are you in touch with each other in the evenings, or is your life
0:22:51 > 0:22:55- outside very separate?- We probably keep in touch too much.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59Normally because I've forgotten something or I need to remind Heather of something.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01Most nights we'll have a text saying,
0:23:01 > 0:23:03"Remember Gabby Logan is coming in tomorrow."
0:23:03 > 0:23:04THEY LAUGH
0:23:04 > 0:23:08There's always a reminder that we need for the next day or something.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11But no, at the weekend, Heather's coming over for a barbecue.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15Yeah, we'll hang out plenty. Which is really sad.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18We're friends away from this environment as well, which is nice.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21We can leave rowing at rowing and go away and hang out and do
0:23:21 > 0:23:22stuff together as friends.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25It's not all about the rowing, which is quite nice.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Helen and Heather are clearly inspirational characters.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34They love rowing, love what they do.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Becoming the best and having the drive and determination to
0:23:37 > 0:23:41stay there is certainly an inspirational trait,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44one that Charlotte Dujardin has in spades, along with
0:23:44 > 0:23:49no shortage of talent, as Clare Balding has been finding out.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55- COMMENTATOR:- What a performance. She certainly has lived up to all the expectations.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57This is not a dream.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02Britain rule the world in both team dressage and have the
0:24:02 > 0:24:03Olympic champion.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08So, this is Blueberry. That's his nickname.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Valegro is obviously his proper name.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15- COMMENTATOR:- They are a partnership that Britain has never, ever seen before.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18I'd sat and watched so many riders for years, you know,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21thinking, "I wish I could get there, I really wish I could get there."
0:24:21 > 0:24:24And then all of a sudden, I was there doing it,
0:24:24 > 0:24:26and not just doing it, I was winning.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29And I'm like, "I'm living my dream."
0:24:29 > 0:24:32When you have that relationship and that feeling that you know
0:24:32 > 0:24:35your horse has given you everything,
0:24:35 > 0:24:40it was a really emotional feeling, so he's a very, very special horse.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Carl, given that you've played such a huge role in training people,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48but also riding yourself at the top level for Great Britain,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51what would you say makes a great dressage rider?
0:24:51 > 0:24:53I suppose if you describe dressage,
0:24:53 > 0:24:57it's a perfect marriage between a horse and a rider.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02So for that, to have that perfect marriage, you've got to have, pretty
0:25:02 > 0:25:05much like a normal marriage, you've got to have sensitivity, you know,
0:25:05 > 0:25:09you've got to have feeling for the movements and how the horse moves.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13A good dressage rider has that patience and that ability to
0:25:13 > 0:25:14bring out the best in a horse.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Probably takes four or five years to train one to Grand Prix. That is quite a long time.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20If Carl says to you, "Charlotte, you're not doing
0:25:20 > 0:25:23"that right," or, "You're not working hard enough, do it again,"
0:25:23 > 0:25:28- do you give him lip back? - No. I like being told it's not good.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31You know, I want to make everything as perfect as I can get it.
0:25:31 > 0:25:36Carl, on the other hand, he is the one that gives me lip.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39I am for ever... He is called "Excuse.com".
0:25:39 > 0:25:42So if I ever say anything, there is always an excuse,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45there's always an answer as to why it's not done properly.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47But as soon as he gets in that arena,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50he is such a pro at test riding.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52I don't have all the knowledge that Carl has,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55so I still really look upon him to give me that security and
0:25:55 > 0:25:59that knowledge and confidence to be reassured that it is OK.
0:26:03 > 0:26:08What is it about Valegro that makes him the best in the world?
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Just enjoys work, I would say.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13You know, I think that's what's so special about him,
0:26:13 > 0:26:15is that he has that mentality to work.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19He's not a lazy person, he's a really active person.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21I'm just now imagining his profile.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25Like if there was an equine form of...Tinder.
0:26:25 > 0:26:31"Fit, strong, athlete, bright, funny, independent."
0:26:31 > 0:26:33He's the perfect man, I think.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34THEY LAUGH
0:26:34 > 0:26:38Will you feel nervous this time round about Rio?
0:26:38 > 0:26:41I do know that I have to go there to enjoy it and, you know,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44at the end of the day, it is an Olympic Games,
0:26:44 > 0:26:48but it is just another show, another arena, doing the same thing.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52Nothing different, nothing changes, other than the fact I'm in Rio.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Rio will be very different for you, certainly,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58because of the expectations that's now on her shoulders,
0:26:58 > 0:27:00and has been ever since London every year.
0:27:00 > 0:27:06And you have delivered the goods, but it hasn't been as easy to generate the fun all the way
0:27:06 > 0:27:10through it because it means so much more now to you,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13me, the whole team, the whole of British dressage.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16This will be his last year doing this.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21I feel like we have achieved so much together.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25And he is my best friend and it is going to be quite sad for me
0:27:25 > 0:27:28going to Rio knowing that that's probably going to be one of the last
0:27:28 > 0:27:30times I compete him.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33My life is going to be very boring after you, Blueberry.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37GABBY LOGAN: Those dark days of training will soon make way for the
0:27:37 > 0:27:40megawatt glare of the Olympic Games.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43The relationships forged so deep over the past four years will
0:27:43 > 0:27:45be tested to the limit.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50It's not long now until the eyes of the world are on Brazil.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53All that's left is the fine tuning.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55The clock is ticking.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Destiny is waiting.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Time to grasp it with both hands.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08- COMMENTATOR:- Jessica Ennis-Hill is back on top of the world.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Peaty wins the gold.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Nicola Adams has just made history.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25David Rudisha! Gold for Kenya.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28His 18th Olympic gold medal.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30And Bolt gets it!
0:28:32 > 0:28:34They are world champions again.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38Charlotte Dujardin has iced the cake in style.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Bradley Wiggins is the Olympic champion.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42Oh, that's a huge jump.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46Laura Trott crosses the line as the world champion.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Mo Farah streaking away!