0:00:04 > 0:00:07What does it take to be the best?
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Around the world,
0:00:15 > 0:00:20sports steeped in tradition create their champions...
0:00:21 > 0:00:27..men who master speed, skill,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30endurance, and the will to win.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Four modern sporting heroes are about to
0:00:36 > 0:00:38put themselves to the test...
0:00:38 > 0:00:40HE GROANS
0:00:40 > 0:00:43..Gareth Thomas, Welsh rugby legend...
0:00:43 > 0:00:46You don't want to lose. Nobody wants to lose. It hurts.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50..Donovan Bailey, the Olympic gold-medal sprinter...
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Every single day I get up and I have a goal.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55..James Toseland, two times World Superbike Champion...
0:00:55 > 0:00:57There's always a will to win.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59I hate losing, I've always hated losing,
0:00:59 > 0:01:00but I'm not planning on losing.
0:01:00 > 0:01:05..and Iwan Thomas, whose British 400m record has never been broken.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07I've always been a competitor.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11I think I always will have that natural need to win.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16They'll travel to the four corners of the Earth...
0:01:18 > 0:01:19Wow, look at that.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22..to take on some of the world's great challenges.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Whoa!
0:01:24 > 0:01:26It's super dangerous.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28God, it's like being on death row.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31They're about to find out who's got what it takes...
0:01:31 > 0:01:33For real, this is combat.
0:01:33 > 0:01:34..to triumph against the odds.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37HE YELLS
0:01:37 > 0:01:39They'll compete to be the best...
0:01:39 > 0:01:41I love it. I didn't realise how much I missed it.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44..but who will crumble? HE YELLS
0:01:44 > 0:01:47I'm not in. You're not in? I'm not in, no.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Ah... Oh, I just want to die.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54And who's got what it takes to win?
0:01:54 > 0:01:57That is the scariest thing I have ever done.
0:02:04 > 0:02:05For their third challenge...
0:02:05 > 0:02:06Look at that, three on a moped.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09..the sportsmen were in India,
0:02:09 > 0:02:14competing in the ancient martial art of Kalari.
0:02:14 > 0:02:15Wicked.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18As they trained against experts with stick and shield...
0:02:18 > 0:02:20That was pure aggression.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23..sprinter Donovan's speed helped him in practice...
0:02:23 > 0:02:24This is excellent.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Speed and accuracy are what this is all about.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29..and Gareth, with one win to his name, fought hard. Ah!
0:02:29 > 0:02:33Gareth looks like he's going to take someone's bloody head off.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36But, on competition day, when they fought each other...
0:02:36 > 0:02:38I knew he'd come at me quite hard.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41..James got top marks...
0:02:41 > 0:02:42That was really good.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Yeah, I really enjoyed that. It was nice to win.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48..which puts the superbike champion on two wins out of three.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07The final and toughest challenge the four men face is Yabusame -
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Japanese horseback archery.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Rooted in the brutal and ritualistic world of the samurai warriors,
0:03:17 > 0:03:19it's still revered today.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Galloping down a straight track at high speed,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27using just balance to control the horses,
0:03:27 > 0:03:32the archers take aim at targets using the traditional Yabusame bow.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40For the sportsmen, it will be a true samurai test,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42as they compete against each other.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Who can achieve clarity of mind, and conquer their fear?
0:03:46 > 0:03:48MAN YELLS
0:03:51 > 0:03:53CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:03:55 > 0:03:57When they arrive in Japan,
0:03:57 > 0:04:02the sportsmen will have a week to train in the art of Yabusame.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07They'll be expected to ride at speed while holding a bow,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10but their training starts in the UK,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12where the novices are about to get a lesson in
0:04:12 > 0:04:16the basics of firing an arrow while sitting on a moving horse.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Come on, then, guys.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23OK, then, hold your bow in the middle,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27with the lashings more or less equidistant between your fist,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30and secure the arrow to the bow.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Pull, and you'll hear the click.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Beautiful work.
0:04:34 > 0:04:35Time to get in the mind of a samurai.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38The whole way of living, the whole understanding of it,
0:04:38 > 0:04:39is going to be extremely difficult
0:04:39 > 0:04:44because it's so completely different to the way we all live our lives.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47When it comes to shooting, lift your elbow to make a nice line
0:04:47 > 0:04:50between your elbow and down the arrow.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54LAUGHTER
0:04:54 > 0:04:56I missed completely on my first one.
0:04:56 > 0:04:57That didn't go down well,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01so I've not talked for about 20 minutes.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Thumb and finger.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07Oh, you didn't pull until you heard the click, yeah?
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Have a shoot. Hey, beautiful.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13We're going to be expected to learn fast, so I think this is
0:05:13 > 0:05:16going to be mentally and physically the most challenging for me.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Before we get on the horses,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23we're going to learn what to do if we fall off.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26LAUGHTER OK, feet out of your stirrups.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28The feet out of the stirrups, let go of that, lean back...
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Arms in. Arms in!
0:05:30 > 0:05:31As you come off the horse,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35actually get away from it with a little push of your hips.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39LAUGHTER
0:05:41 > 0:05:43That's it. Off you go. Lovely.
0:05:43 > 0:05:44Ugh!
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Just like a thump, weren't it?
0:05:48 > 0:05:49Is your crash mat all right?
0:05:49 > 0:05:51I've never been on a horse,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54and I've never shot a bow.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Come on, Bailey.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Yay. Beautiful. Good. Lovely.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00I know nothing about the samurai culture,
0:06:00 > 0:06:05other than what I've seen in the movies.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08HE SIGHS For Gareth, just getting on a horse
0:06:08 > 0:06:11could be his biggest challenge yet.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15How are you feeling, Gareth? Are you all right, pal?
0:06:15 > 0:06:16Gareth, are you all right, mate?
0:06:16 > 0:06:18I'm just silently taking myself to a happy place. Are you?
0:06:18 > 0:06:21If you concentrate on your archery more than anything else,
0:06:21 > 0:06:23it might take your mind off that you're on a horse.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Donovan said that. Donovan's words were, "Just imagine it's a bike."
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Yep. That's great imagination
0:06:28 > 0:06:31when I'm sitting on a breathing, living horse. A furry bike.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32Turn back, and there's a bike.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34That's exactly what you've got to do.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36OK, they are not small horses.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Put your foot in the stirrup.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42Don't worry about going up,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45and your leg will come over automatically. There.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47Sit gently, that's it.
0:06:47 > 0:06:48Bob your foot in there.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55I'm wondering how long it's going to be before you breathe.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00I feel for Gareth a bit, because he's clearly...
0:07:00 > 0:07:01I mean, I don't feel the most comfortable -
0:07:01 > 0:07:04it's my second time on a horse - but he's clearly very frightened.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Sit tight. Don't worry.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08We're going to go for a little walk. BLEEP, but!
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Relax. Sit up.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12I can only imagine what he is going through now, thinking,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14let alone sit on the horse,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18but then have to think about loading the arrows correctly, shooting...
0:07:18 > 0:07:20When they arrive in Japan,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23they'll face an intense samurai training in accuracy,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26discipline and speed...
0:07:26 > 0:07:28That was pretty good.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30..but, today, the boys are just getting used to riding down
0:07:30 > 0:07:33an archery track without holding the reins.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38I've only cantered and galloped once,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41and that was an experience, but it's doing it with no reins,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44because obviously they're your brakes and your steering wheel,
0:07:44 > 0:07:47so to do it without that is going to be a bit of a daunting experience.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51Step one - shooting at walking pace while the horse is led.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Every slightest twitch that happens within that horse
0:07:57 > 0:07:59scares the living crap out of me,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03because I think it's going to do something that I'm not prepared for,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07so, for me, this is just kind of like chewing barbed wire.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11I've just got to, like, really slowly but painfully get through it.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16OK, sit up straight. Relax your shoulders.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18GARETH GROANS
0:08:18 > 0:08:19Ready? All right, Jupiter,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23I want three bull's-eyes, my son. Come on, then. Three bull's-eyes.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25No pressure. SHE LAUGHS
0:08:25 > 0:08:27This is more of a sport where I think it's
0:08:27 > 0:08:30a mind battle with yourself, to get over the fear of the horse,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32to get over the lack of experience, really,
0:08:32 > 0:08:34but then just trust what we're being taught.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38Point down, and shoot when you're in the middle. Good. Good!
0:08:38 > 0:08:39Well done. Good.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Oh, yeah, get in. Next one. SHE LAUGHS
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Good. Oh, good shot.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Gold. Very nice. With a keen eye,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Iwan's marking himself out as an early favourite...
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Right, I'm going to bring him to trot,
0:08:52 > 0:08:54and then you can get your arrow ready. Ready? Mm-hmm. OK. Yep.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58Come on, pick up, come on. Come on.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Off you go. Good.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05..but Gareth's already had enough of horses, and has turned pundit.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10GARETH: Donovan, he's doing this strange motion.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Now, I don't claim to be an expert horse rider, but if I've seen...
0:09:15 > 0:09:19I'd be worried about what he's doing.
0:09:19 > 0:09:20OK.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24HORSE SNORTS Off you go. Lovely.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26The first taste of horseback archery
0:09:26 > 0:09:29has done nothing for Gareth's confidence.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Fear is not the word.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34The potential of what a horse has, I have an understanding of... Right.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37..and I don't want it to do what it can do when I'm on its back,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39so the least amount of time I'm on its back,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41the least chance it has of...
0:09:41 > 0:09:43You've got to be at one with the horse, my friend.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Relax, rhythm, move with it...
0:09:50 > 0:09:52The next time they saddle up will be in Japan.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Cheers, pal. Cheers, guys. Yep, cheers, dudes.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Cheers. Cheers to a good trip so far, guys.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00Cheers, boys. Cheers, cheers, cheers.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03As they face their final challenge,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06the men's thoughts turn to life after sport.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09You retired the earliest... Right.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11..but you've been retired the longest. Yeah.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12When this was presented to me,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15I thought, "Oh, man, you know, life's been great.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18"Playing golf and smoking a good Cuban cigar on the golf course
0:10:18 > 0:10:20"is fantastic, but when I was competing, like,
0:10:20 > 0:10:22"I felt alive every single day."
0:10:22 > 0:10:25STARTING GUN FIRES It's almost 20 years
0:10:25 > 0:10:27since Donovan conquered the world.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:10:31 > 0:10:33What drove you, though?
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Cos, obviously, to be an Olympic champion,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38you've got to have something in there, the fire in there,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41to burn brightly, to actually achieve that level.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44I was blessed with speed from when I was young.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46I didn't really work very hard at it.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49What, even when you were champion? Yeah, even when I was champion.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52You must have trained most days, and... I trained every day,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55but I realise also that I could have worked harder. You know...
0:10:55 > 0:10:57But that might have led to injuries, you never know.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Maybe, if you'd done those extra few sessions,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02your body would have started breaking more than it did.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Iwan's career was plagued with injury after
0:11:08 > 0:11:09just three years at the top.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Well, it happened for me, like, young.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16I'd had a medal from every championship by the time I was 23.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20You know, I was tipped to be the next best,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22and then I started getting injuries,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24and I kept thinking, "No, I can get back. One more good season."
0:11:24 > 0:11:26And then, for me, the final nail in the coffin,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29I wanted to go to the Commonwealth Games in 2006, hopefully win,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31and retire, and literally two weeks before
0:11:31 > 0:11:34I'm due to fly out to Australia, I tore my hamstring.
0:11:34 > 0:11:35I've never been on the track since. Really?
0:11:35 > 0:11:38I didn't achieve my potential - 100%.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Gareth became the first player to earn 100 caps for Wales,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47and retired at 36 after fulfilling his ambition.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52When I watch a game of rugby now, I admire what I'm watching,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55and people say, "Oh, my God, you must miss that." Ah, here, touch me!
0:11:55 > 0:11:57"That 80,000..." Oh! I love this.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00No, seriously. I do! "You must sit here..." They go like that,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02"You must miss that 80,000 people. You must miss that."
0:12:02 > 0:12:06And I'm like, "Do you know what? They are the now.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08"I was... I was five years ago." Yup.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10ENGINES HUM
0:12:10 > 0:12:14After several high-speed crashes and major surgery,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16James could no longer physically race,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18and he was forced to retire at 30.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25For me, losing racing was...was... was like a bereavement.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29It was like I'd lost something, someone, really special.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31How long... How long did the grieving take?
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Well, it's still going, I think, you know? Right.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Like any... Like grieving, you know?
0:12:35 > 0:12:38The world champion, at that point in time, was 40 years old, you know,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40and I was only 30, so... Right.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Luckily, I mean, I was forced to retire early,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45but I was very, very satisfied of doing what I'd done.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48All that matters is you can look yourself in the mirror
0:12:48 > 0:12:50and you've given it your all.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06The four sporting heroes have arrived in Tokyo.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Tomorrow, they'll begin their final challenge.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13This is how I expected Tokyo to be - absolutely crazy.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16It's just bonkers. It's like I've gone to another planet.
0:13:16 > 0:13:17I'm in Mars or something.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19MUSIC: Gold by Spandau Ballet
0:13:19 > 0:13:22# Gold Always believe in your soul... #
0:13:22 > 0:13:27And for once, even Gareth is embracing the culture.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29# Always believing... #
0:13:31 > 0:13:34I am so not homesick, which for me is crazy,
0:13:34 > 0:13:35cos I get homesick before I leave home,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38but, I've got here, and it just seems like there's so much to do
0:13:38 > 0:13:40that you take your mind off being homesick,
0:13:40 > 0:13:41because you're constantly...
0:13:41 > 0:13:44There's constantly something happening in front of you.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47But the scale of the task ahead is beginning to sink in.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52In a few days' time, I'm going to be travelling on a horse at 40mph
0:13:52 > 0:13:54and letting go of the brakes, basically,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56and trying to get a bow and arrow sorted out.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57It's going to be pretty intense.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00I think everyone's going to go for gold on this one,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02and, you know, no-one as hard as me.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05# Always believing. #
0:14:17 > 0:14:21Next day, the boys are at the Kamakura Shrine outside Tokyo.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24It's their first chance to see Yabusame close up.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Here you are, my first taste of Japanese food.
0:14:36 > 0:14:37Thank you.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Once a year, the masters of Yabusame demonstrate their skills here,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43in front of a devoted crowd.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Kiyomoto Ogasawara is among the riders today.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55He belongs to one of the most revered families in Japan,
0:14:55 > 0:15:00and can trace his samurai ancestry back for nearly 1,000 years.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06Kiyomoto has agreed to accept the sportsmen as pupils.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08They start tomorrow in his private dojo.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Strict traditions surround Yabusame.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25HORSE WHINNIES The preparation rituals and dressing
0:15:25 > 0:15:27can take up to eight hours.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30HORSE SNORTS
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Horseback archery wasn't just for battle -
0:15:33 > 0:15:36it was a test of samurai warriors' focus and discipline.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56APPLAUSE
0:15:59 > 0:16:02The speed they came down at was frightening,
0:16:02 > 0:16:03and the targets seemed to be so small,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06so the margin for error was tiny.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10APPLAUSE
0:16:10 > 0:16:12I'm watching it and going, "Yeah, I can do that."
0:16:12 > 0:16:15The speed thing doesn't bother me whatsoever.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:16:20 > 0:16:23But the faster they went, then the more impressive it became,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26but obviously the more difficult it became.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31APPLAUSE
0:16:31 > 0:16:33It's an amazing sport to actually watch,
0:16:33 > 0:16:38and see how fast it is - see how precise it is.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42COMMENTATOR SPEAKS JAPANESE
0:16:51 > 0:16:53At the ceremony,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56the sportsmen are forbidden to speak to Master Kiyomoto...
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Nice to meet you. Yes, we'll be here tomorrow.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00OK, no problem.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02..but his assistants give them instructions
0:17:02 > 0:17:03for tomorrow's training.
0:17:03 > 0:17:04It's, like, how many times do you bow?
0:17:04 > 0:17:06There wasn't many smiles coming from
0:17:06 > 0:17:08the guy who was going to be training us.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10I don't think he'll be taking this lightly.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12I think they're here to show us how to do the job properly,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15and honour them by us giving it everything we've got.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21By the end of the week,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Master Kiyomoto will judge his new students
0:17:24 > 0:17:27as they compete against each other in standing archery
0:17:27 > 0:17:29and horseback archery.
0:17:37 > 0:17:43The Ogasawara clan have practised Yabusame archery since 1187,
0:17:43 > 0:17:47and training's about to start at the family's Tokyo dojo.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08HE SPEAKS JAPANESE
0:18:10 > 0:18:15The four sportsmen are about to transform into trainee samurai...
0:18:15 > 0:18:16They're real comfy.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20LAUGHTER
0:18:20 > 0:18:21..but every detail matters.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24There's even a right way to fold a sock.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30Mate, I feel amazing. I feel like I just want to...
0:18:30 > 0:18:32poke your eyes out. Oh, yeah? Discipline. Hey, hey, hey.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Discipline it. Hold it in.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38It turns out there's a lot to get through
0:18:38 > 0:18:41before the boys are allowed anywhere near a bow and arrow.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52SHE SPEAKS JAPANESE
0:18:52 > 0:18:56So, basically, hold this incense holder,
0:18:56 > 0:19:01and you have to turn anti-clockwise twice,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04and then have a quick smell.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Breathe in,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09and then put this incense holder to the next person.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17I hate all, like, the routines and the rituals,
0:19:17 > 0:19:18and sitting down and...
0:19:18 > 0:19:21It's like, "Oh, God, just give me an horse and a bow and arrow.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23"Let's have a go."
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Good smell?
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Mmm, yummy.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31There's smells in every sport.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34There's a smell of, like, Deep Heat. There's a smell of sweat.
0:19:34 > 0:19:35There's a smell of mud.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39So, when you smell that smell, it's time to switch on.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Whereas, I think in this they use it to try
0:19:41 > 0:19:44and calm themselves down, which I'm not sure I, kind of, get,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47because I think if you go into any sort of competition,
0:19:47 > 0:19:51then you go into it, kind of, geed up, adrenaline going,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55so I'm not understanding the smelling part of it.
0:19:58 > 0:20:03Formal incense ceremonies were used by the samurai to achieve calm,
0:20:03 > 0:20:07and to enhance control in life and battle.
0:20:07 > 0:20:12The precise way of the samurai has struck a chord with Donovan.
0:20:12 > 0:20:13I have control issues,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16and I think that being in a controlled environment,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18whether it's controlled by me or someone else,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21definitely allows life to be much easier for me.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23I guess I'm a little bit of a neat freak.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25I have to let go of stuff quite often,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28because I'm not very easy to live with.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30I do like things done a certain way.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Suits have to be colour-coordinated,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35and white shirts stay on the white-shirt side,
0:20:35 > 0:20:41and then the colours have to go in sequence.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44But the samurai way is more than just a state of mind.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Please bend forward.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50Everything, even walking, must be done perfectly.
0:20:50 > 0:20:51Gareth is doing really well.
0:20:51 > 0:20:52Oh, gracias.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56"Gracias"? LAUGHTER
0:20:56 > 0:21:00To be told that I have a natural talent for bowing, you know,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02opens another door for me, I think.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07Backs straight. Yes, great. Oh, I understand now.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11The bow to, like, the master has to be right,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14so, I suppose, as important as archery is, which...
0:21:14 > 0:21:16it's as if they're like meaningless things,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19but you learn to understand they're not meaningless -
0:21:19 > 0:21:20they're actually quite important.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Gareth, you're doing really well.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Oh, am I? Oh, thank you.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36At last, downstairs in the dojo, the sportsmen are given their bows.
0:21:38 > 0:21:44But even firing an arrow comes with its own set of rules.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Ichi, ni, san...
0:21:47 > 0:21:51They must follow precise steps and observe in silence.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Shot. Perfect. Boom.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07I think there's just too many formalities, aren't there?
0:22:07 > 0:22:09I mean, it's one thing,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12practising on your feet not on a horse,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15but you've got to breathe in and out for half the string,
0:22:15 > 0:22:17breathe in and out and look at the target.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18I like the discipline,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22but I don't see why we have to learn all these little finicky things.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28And then look here, and then face this way,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and then put left, right,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34and then you have a bow.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38Finally, Master Kiyomoto allows them to take a shot...
0:22:40 > 0:22:41And loose your finger, yeah.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Yep. More? Lift it up.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Lift, push, let go.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47Yep.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53..but no more than two arrows each.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Are you hating Japan, then?
0:23:06 > 0:23:10I'm not hating Japan, no, I wouldn't say that, but I'm hating the rules.
0:23:10 > 0:23:15I have never seen you so frustrated and so negative towards a sport.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18To be expected to be able to ride a horse at gallop speed
0:23:18 > 0:23:21whilst firing three arrows,
0:23:21 > 0:23:23I'm like, "Well, you know, teach me that."
0:23:23 > 0:23:28I do not want to be three days folding clothes -
0:23:28 > 0:23:30I want to be three days riding a horse. Right.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Honestly, I do not want my mum and my wife to realise
0:23:33 > 0:23:35I can fold clothes that well, either.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Of course not. Of course not.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49The next day brings an early start back at the dojo.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53This time, Master Kiyomoto gets the boys straight down to business,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56training for their standing archery showdown.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58It's definitely game on.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02The topknot's going in, and I'm going to be like Robin Hood.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Now the trainees are embracing folding samurai-style.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Are you folding them in half or are you leaving them out straight?
0:24:08 > 0:24:10What you do is, the humidity just, kind of,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12naturally just lets the creases settle for a minute.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16GARETH LAUGHS Oh, my God, JT's back in the room.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23James has got it all. Look at him.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25He didn't think he'd learned anything yesterday.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28He came in, like, "Oh, my God, I just happened to remember
0:24:28 > 0:24:29"everything they told me yesterday."
0:24:29 > 0:24:31It's like, what a surprise.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34He's like the Eric Bristow of the bow-and-arrow world.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Everybody's come today, enthused,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40but more with a willingness to learn.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42It's been a little bit competitive,
0:24:42 > 0:24:44which is always still really good,
0:24:44 > 0:24:46because, you know, if JT was going first and he hit it,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49then I'd be going, "OK, I'd better get it, the next,"
0:24:49 > 0:24:52so there's still that edge of competitiveness within it.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55Yeah! Oh.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Oh.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00I'm not allowed to smile or nothing, am I? I forgot about that.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02But I hit bull's-eye. Didn't I hit bull's-eye? Yeah.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04See? Even she's going, "Whoop-whoop."
0:25:04 > 0:25:06She's never done a whoop-whoop in her life.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11Training for horseback archery begins, like everything so far,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13by going back to basics.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Oh, ouch. Oh, it hurts my bum.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27DONOVAN GROANS
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Feeling OK. No, I'm good. OK?
0:25:52 > 0:25:55And, although Gareth's giving the wooden horse a go,
0:25:55 > 0:25:59the real thing is a very different matter.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01My experience with horses, from day one,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04have been disastrous for me
0:26:04 > 0:26:08because, as soon as I get on a horse, then I get nervy, I freeze,
0:26:08 > 0:26:10and I don't enjoy being on a horse.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13So I think, you know, I'm not going to do the horseback archery,
0:26:13 > 0:26:17because it's way beyond my capabilities of, like,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19being able to conquer the fear of it.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25Gareth is refusing to fire a bow from a horse, but he will still
0:26:25 > 0:26:29take on the others in the upcoming standing archery competition.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41The next morning, the former Welsh captain is taking a flight home.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43He'll miss the next two days' training.
0:26:43 > 0:26:44I don't want to leave the boys,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47but I'm going to go back to commentate on the first game
0:26:47 > 0:26:51of the World Cup for Wales, which is massively important to me.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53It's gutting, and I don't want to leave them.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Potentially I'll come back and they'll be so far ahead,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58but I can't turn down the opportunity of going back to Wales
0:26:58 > 0:27:02and commentating on the first game of the World Cup for them.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04He'll be back in two days' time
0:27:04 > 0:27:07to take on the others at standing archery.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21100 miles north of Tokyo,
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Iwan, Donovan and James have begun training on horseback.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Please.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Master Kiyomoto is wasting no time.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Stand. Stand.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Stand straight. Straight, please. Straight. Straight.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45When you're sitting six, seven feet up on the back of a horse...
0:27:45 > 0:27:46OK.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50..trying to do exercise and aerobics and doing 360s and reaching back,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53and reaching around and hugging a horse, it's very difficult...
0:27:53 > 0:27:54OK. OK.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56..and it's quite scary, actually.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58MAN SPEAKS JAPANESE
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Here we go, boss.
0:28:01 > 0:28:02I can't see now.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05LAUGHTER Have I got to spin?
0:28:20 > 0:28:23I mean, it's great to be on the horse,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26but I am right now at maximum of being on the horse,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29and how much I want to learn,
0:28:29 > 0:28:33because of my fear of everything going sideways.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37After less than an hour, Donovan decides he's had enough.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Thanks for the lesson, but this is where I stop.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43HE SPEAKS JAPANESE
0:28:43 > 0:28:44WOMAN: Does it hurt too much?
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Yeah, and I'm scared, yes.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49Hai. OK? All right.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Donovan will focus on standing archery,
0:28:52 > 0:28:54and get ready to take on Gareth...
0:28:56 > 0:28:59..but James and Iwan press on with horseback training.
0:29:12 > 0:29:17Release the left hand, and the right hand, both.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22I couldn't believe that,
0:29:22 > 0:29:25after, like, two or three circuits, we were trotting.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27And both hands.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29Then we were cantering none-handed,
0:29:29 > 0:29:31and, like, Kiyomoto, I don't know if he was thinking,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34"Look, boys, you're either going to get the hang of this in a couple
0:29:34 > 0:29:37"of days or you're not going to be entered in my competition,"
0:29:37 > 0:29:40or what, but they don't seem to have much mercy, these samurais, do they?
0:29:40 > 0:29:43OK, so, get off the horse.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45OK. Good boy. HE GROANS
0:29:48 > 0:29:51The only thing that scares me is the seat, in terms of -
0:29:51 > 0:29:52I'm not being rude -
0:29:52 > 0:29:54I won't walk properly for a week after this. It is hard.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56I think the game changer is going to be when we get
0:29:56 > 0:29:58a bow and arrow in his hand.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00Yeah, and it's not just concentrating on just holding on.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03You're now concentrating not to hit a kid in the crowd -
0:30:03 > 0:30:05you've got to hit a target.
0:30:14 > 0:30:15Another day, another dollar.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18Me too. On the wooden saddle.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21Mine are sore, are yours? Yeah, very.
0:30:21 > 0:30:22Next day,
0:30:22 > 0:30:26there's one more crucial lesson for the boys before competition day.
0:30:26 > 0:30:32As they take aim, archers are expected to shout a ritual cry.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36You're kind of shouting, "Light, dark, light and dark."
0:30:36 > 0:30:40I think you're trying to hit the target, which embraces the two,
0:30:40 > 0:30:42kind of like the Yin and the Yang but, by hitting the target,
0:30:42 > 0:30:46you just make the world complete, so it's actually quite meaningful.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50In-yoi!
0:30:52 > 0:30:56In-yoi! In-yoi!
0:31:00 > 0:31:02In-yoi!
0:31:05 > 0:31:09In-yoi! In-yoi!
0:31:10 > 0:31:12I've heard some things in my time,
0:31:12 > 0:31:14but Iwan's, "In-yoi, in-yoi, in-yoi, in-yoi,"
0:31:14 > 0:31:18well, I nearly fell off my horse.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20Is it a good volume?
0:31:20 > 0:31:22A bit too loud, JT, was it?
0:31:22 > 0:31:24Even Sensei's laughing at me.
0:31:24 > 0:31:25No problem.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27He's trying to say I should be more manly, yeah?
0:31:27 > 0:31:32IN DEEP VOICE: In-yoi! Like this? In-yoi!
0:31:32 > 0:31:33OK, I can do that.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40In-yoi! In-yoi!
0:31:44 > 0:31:47In-yoi! In-yoi!
0:31:47 > 0:31:50This event's definitely the one where we've got to remember
0:31:50 > 0:31:54and learn a lot in the shortest space of time.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57To learn to ride a horse, to learn to do archery, to learn how to,
0:31:57 > 0:31:59"ee-yoi, ee-yoi, ee-yoi," on top of a horse doing 40mph.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02I mean, to do all that in a couple of days' training
0:32:02 > 0:32:04is going to be pretty good going.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11While James and Iwan get back on real horses,
0:32:11 > 0:32:14Donovan's getting expert archery training.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18Gareth and I are going to definitely take a shot.
0:32:18 > 0:32:19We'll...we'll have a...
0:32:19 > 0:32:22We'll definitely have an individual competition about that one,
0:32:22 > 0:32:26but, yeah, I'm looking forward to the archery, for sure.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34With just 24 hours to the competition...
0:32:34 > 0:32:37Tall posture, elegance,
0:32:37 > 0:32:39in-yoi, in-yoi...
0:32:39 > 0:32:40Got this. We've got this.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44..James and Iwan are now hard at work on the practice track.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48In-yoi!
0:32:53 > 0:32:55MAN SPEAKS JAPANESE
0:33:09 > 0:33:10In-yoi!
0:33:14 > 0:33:16Oh, poo.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18HORSE SNORTS
0:33:18 > 0:33:21And riding at speed is starting to bring back
0:33:21 > 0:33:23long-buried memories for James.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26I've not been on a motorbike for nearly five years now,
0:33:26 > 0:33:28cos the wrist is so bad and, being here in Japan,
0:33:28 > 0:33:31on a horse, it's just ignited that fire in my belly,
0:33:31 > 0:33:34to wanting to go fast and have that excitement again.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40Over the last five years I've been suppressing it,
0:33:40 > 0:33:44cos I was annoying myself, I was needing it all the time,
0:33:44 > 0:33:45but, here in Japan, it's been quite nice
0:33:45 > 0:33:47opening that little box up again,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50and wanting to go really, really fast,
0:33:50 > 0:33:52and, I'll tell you what, these horses,
0:33:52 > 0:33:55they're fast enough to give me that buzz.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58Master Kiyomoto is confident that James can handle
0:33:58 > 0:33:59a much faster horse.
0:33:59 > 0:34:04James-san, how about this horse? No problem? Yeah, really good.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07HE SPEAKS JAPANESE Try your horse? Yes.
0:34:07 > 0:34:08Yeah, I'd love to.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12The new horse is one which Master Kiyomoto himself
0:34:12 > 0:34:15rides in competitions.
0:34:15 > 0:34:16It's a huge step up.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30Watching Master Kiyomoto just then, on that horse,
0:34:30 > 0:34:33you really see first-hand that
0:34:33 > 0:34:38you're riding something with its own mind.
0:34:38 > 0:34:39He's a cool customer anyway, isn't he?
0:34:39 > 0:34:43You know, just in general, you can see that he's a cool dude.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48That's why he's good at what he does - you need that calmness -
0:34:48 > 0:34:51and now going, looking back, with the discipline,
0:34:51 > 0:34:54with the folding of the clothes, with the scent smelling,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57and all the rest of it, watching him on that animal just then
0:34:57 > 0:34:59makes me realise what that all is about,
0:34:59 > 0:35:01because that's what the horse is feeling.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03The horse is feeling that calmness,
0:35:03 > 0:35:05feeling that control, and feeling that skill.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11So, for you, stop this horse, back.
0:35:11 > 0:35:12Back? Yes. OK.
0:35:12 > 0:35:13OK. OK.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16It's important. Yes. Very, very important.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18I can see in your eyes. JAMES LAUGHS
0:35:22 > 0:35:25KIYOMOTO CLICKS
0:35:29 > 0:35:31Oh, BLEEP!
0:35:36 > 0:35:39BLEEP, he's fast.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43HE GIGGLES
0:35:44 > 0:35:46I'm just frustrated with myself,
0:35:46 > 0:35:49because he's a little bit ahead of me,
0:35:49 > 0:35:53and, like, even on the fastest motorbike I ever rode,
0:35:53 > 0:35:56it was never ahead of me - I always wanted to go faster -
0:35:56 > 0:35:57but this fella's got me.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01For the first time ever, I'm wanting to go slightly slower.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06Master Kiyomoto has decided -
0:36:06 > 0:36:09tomorrow James will ride the faster horse
0:36:09 > 0:36:12as he goes head-to-head against Iwan in Yabusame.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Meanwhile, Donovan's taking every opportunity to
0:36:20 > 0:36:22sharpen his technique.
0:36:31 > 0:36:32It's competition day.
0:36:35 > 0:36:37Crowds are gathering at the country park
0:36:37 > 0:36:40where Yabusame demonstrations are always a big draw.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50Master Kiyomoto has arranged for Iwan and James
0:36:50 > 0:36:53to compete on the park's professional track...
0:37:00 > 0:37:05..but the first challenge is a standing archery shoot-off,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08and it looks like Donovan's the surprise favourite.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29I try and pull her left, but she's staying very close to the right.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31My feet are going to hit the post.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Obviously I'm a bit jittery cos it's competition day,
0:37:34 > 0:37:36and I want my horse to be finely tuned. I need her to be.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39HE CLICKS
0:37:39 > 0:37:41I really want to do this today,
0:37:41 > 0:37:43and I don't want anything in my mind.
0:37:43 > 0:37:44Like, yesterday I felt great.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Today, all of a sudden, I'm feeling weird about
0:37:47 > 0:37:50the centring of the horse, so, hopefully he'll fix her.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55OK, so you want to just...
0:37:55 > 0:37:59James is warming up, with four hours to go,
0:37:59 > 0:38:01but there's news about the horse he was planning to ride.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14OK. OK, OK.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22So, it's competition day, and I've just found out that my usual horse,
0:38:22 > 0:38:26which was a complete nutcase anyway, has got a cold,
0:38:26 > 0:38:30and now I've got a brand-new nutcase to ride,
0:38:30 > 0:38:32who's a little bit quick off the mark.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Yesterday I said I didn't want to go any faster, didn't I?
0:38:34 > 0:38:38And, all of a sudden, erm, I've got to go quicker.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41A last-minute change of horse could be risky.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44Master Kiyomoto wants James to have a test run first.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00Go.
0:39:16 > 0:39:17Good.
0:39:26 > 0:39:31That is the scariest thing I have ever done, ever.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35Riding 220mph, jumping out of aeroplanes,
0:39:35 > 0:39:36going in the Red Arrows -
0:39:36 > 0:39:39that is officially the scariest thing I've ever done.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44The race face has got to definitely come on now.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46I'd closed the box on this feeling.
0:39:48 > 0:39:50I didn't want to open it again,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53but this has just upped the ante a bit, for sure, yeah.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Mate, two rides left, that's all you've got to think.
0:39:59 > 0:40:00Two runs. Yeah, yeah.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Two competition runs, get through it,
0:40:03 > 0:40:05pray to the samurai gods,
0:40:05 > 0:40:06and have a whisky.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08You'll be all right, mate.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11Oh, there they are. Hola.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13Hola! Coma estas?
0:40:13 > 0:40:14Hey, hey, you go here.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16Gareth's back from Wales just in time.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18Nice to have you back. All right, bud?
0:40:18 > 0:40:21Are you all right? Yeah. Welcome back.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23How are you feeling about today, bud?
0:40:23 > 0:40:26I don't know if I'm going to be able to tame this horse,
0:40:26 > 0:40:29or even feel like I'm going to get control of it
0:40:29 > 0:40:30before I have to do the event,
0:40:30 > 0:40:36and I've had to open a box that I shut two or three years ago.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Just being so fully focused, then,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41switching off about everything else and everyone else...
0:40:41 > 0:40:44Yeah, yeah, it's, erm...
0:40:44 > 0:40:46It's... You know, BLEEP, hang on.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53HE SIGHS
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Mate, I don't know if you should do this, bud.
0:40:59 > 0:41:00I'm all right.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Has it freaked you out that much?
0:41:03 > 0:41:06No, no, I just, just, just missed the emotion a bit, you know? Really?
0:41:06 > 0:41:09But it's a good thing, I reckon, bud.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12I loved it when I felt the emotions that I'd missed.
0:41:12 > 0:41:13It's not often you'll be able to
0:41:13 > 0:41:16feel them again in real life. I know. I know.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20Yeah, this is the first thing that's...
0:41:20 > 0:41:23really sparked that old, old feeling off.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33Everything's ready.
0:41:33 > 0:41:34For the first time in Japan,
0:41:34 > 0:41:37the boys will be competing against each other.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45For the next few hours, they'll be samurai.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10It's just all of a sudden very real.
0:42:10 > 0:42:11Is it going to be like India,
0:42:11 > 0:42:15and everything steps up a little notch when it becomes a competition?
0:42:15 > 0:42:18But the old ticker's going now, if I'm honest with you. I'm scared.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22I found it very, very difficult to, erm...
0:42:22 > 0:42:25to do something so difficult and so dangerous.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28I've spent quite some time now calming down from what I used to be,
0:42:28 > 0:42:31and I found it very...really difficult to turn that back on,
0:42:31 > 0:42:33and it's shocked me, big time.
0:42:35 > 0:42:36I'm all right, actually.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39I'm excited and nervous for JT and Iwan,
0:42:39 > 0:42:42cos I think they're doing the real testing thing.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46I'm ready, and I'm going to give it what I've got.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53Round one - all four sportsmen will aim to be the best
0:42:53 > 0:42:54at standing archery.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05Gareth.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39Next, James, please.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50Iwan.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06Good shot, D.
0:44:17 > 0:44:18Gareth, please.
0:44:28 > 0:44:30HE GROANS
0:44:32 > 0:44:34HE GROANS
0:44:38 > 0:44:39Unlucky, mate.
0:44:39 > 0:44:43Next up, Master Kiyomoto's favourite, Donovan.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49HE EXHALES
0:44:49 > 0:44:52Probably for the first time, I'm a little disappointed in myself,
0:44:52 > 0:44:55because I'd hit that shot 10 times, 15 times,
0:44:55 > 0:44:5820 times in the last 48 hours.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02Now it's down to Iwan.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16About time, innit? It was quite nerve-racking,
0:45:16 > 0:45:19actually, getting up there. It's just you and the piece of wood.
0:45:19 > 0:45:20You've got to really focus,
0:45:20 > 0:45:22and I was really taking deep breaths before,
0:45:22 > 0:45:24I was just, like... trying to compose myself,
0:45:24 > 0:45:27but I just thought, "Right, this is my opportunity. I can win it."
0:45:27 > 0:45:29I tried to relax, and got it, and it was just like,
0:45:29 > 0:45:31"Well, I think that means I've won it."
0:45:35 > 0:45:40But Master Kiyomoto has one last archery challenge for Iwan.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43LAUGHTER
0:45:47 > 0:45:49HE INHALES
0:45:49 > 0:45:52HE EXHALES
0:45:56 > 0:45:59HE SIGHS
0:46:01 > 0:46:05At the end, an Ogasawara master steps up to show how it's done.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15LAUGHTER Oh, yes!
0:46:15 > 0:46:18That's how you do it, man. Class.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20It was amazing, so, it just shows you,
0:46:20 > 0:46:22you know, what can be done when you focus the mind,
0:46:22 > 0:46:26and channel all that energy, and that's what he did. Awesome.
0:46:33 > 0:46:37Round one's over, with Iwan in the lead.
0:46:37 > 0:46:42Now he's going to take James on, as they attempt the Yabusame track.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44I think I'm going to need a little bit of luck on this one,
0:46:44 > 0:46:47but I've just walked up on the horse for a good five, ten minutes,
0:46:47 > 0:46:49so I've been on the horse, you know,
0:46:49 > 0:46:51and I felt like, you know, got a little bit more connection.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56They'll have two runs each of the full-length track.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59Master Kiyomoto will be judging their hits on target
0:46:59 > 0:47:04and their samurai horsemanship when he decides the overall winner.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10I don't want to look.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12I don't wanna look, either. I'm shaking.
0:47:22 > 0:47:23Oh, my God.
0:47:33 > 0:47:35Come on, JT. Come on, JT. Oh...
0:47:43 > 0:47:47James scores a hit, but misses the second target.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50Well done, James. It's going such a speed, man.
0:47:50 > 0:47:52Absolutely stops there - like, back there -
0:47:52 > 0:47:55and it's pulling up there, and it doesn't want to stop. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58Do you see the difference in the horses? Right?
0:47:58 > 0:48:00Your horse stops three steps after the signal. Yeah.
0:48:00 > 0:48:02It's like, ping, uh, uh, OK.
0:48:02 > 0:48:04Yeah, there's the speed.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16In-yoi!
0:48:21 > 0:48:23In-yoi! In-yoi!
0:48:26 > 0:48:29CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:48:29 > 0:48:32Iwan manages to hit twice.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36HE SIGHS AND HORSE NEIGHS Well done, bud. Good girl.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44Come on, JT.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46Oh, God.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Look at it, out of the block. Oh, my God.
0:49:01 > 0:49:06On his second run, James misses twice.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08Wow. JAMES EXHALES
0:49:08 > 0:49:10You know, to go at the speed he went -
0:49:10 > 0:49:12it was just phenomenal, I think,
0:49:12 > 0:49:15to have the bravery to sit on that horse without his hands.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18If anyone could be prepared to do something,
0:49:18 > 0:49:20like, to the limits like that, then it's JT,
0:49:20 > 0:49:23and I think he showed amazing courage to do it.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42In-yoi! In-yoi!
0:49:46 > 0:49:48APPLAUSE
0:49:48 > 0:49:50Good girl, good girl.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52Thank you, thank you.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55Oh, thank God it's over.
0:49:55 > 0:49:56Oh...
0:49:56 > 0:49:59I got four out of four, and it was more than that for me,
0:49:59 > 0:50:03it was just the fact that, phew, I finished, nothing's broken...
0:50:03 > 0:50:05I think Sensei would be quite happy with
0:50:05 > 0:50:07what he's done with us over the last few days.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09HORSE NEIGHS I think we've showed him that
0:50:09 > 0:50:12we have got something inside of us, you know?
0:50:12 > 0:50:14If we're born with that competitive spirit,
0:50:14 > 0:50:16or whether it's pushed into us at a young age,
0:50:16 > 0:50:18I don't know what makes a successful person successful -
0:50:18 > 0:50:21it's drive, and ambition, and determination and everything -
0:50:21 > 0:50:23and myself and JT, today on those horses,
0:50:23 > 0:50:25we've had to dig a bit deep to find that.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28It's the last event, so, like, I'm buzzing.
0:50:29 > 0:50:34Master Kiyomoto still has to judge which sportsman best embodied
0:50:34 > 0:50:36the spirit of the samurai.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38Who should win?
0:50:38 > 0:50:41Well, you know what, if I'm going to go by all the rules...
0:50:41 > 0:50:44of accuracy and hitting the targets, then certainly Iwan had his day,
0:50:44 > 0:50:47but my emotional vote would certainly be JT,
0:50:47 > 0:50:51just because he did something that none of us are capable of doing,
0:50:51 > 0:50:53with extremely limited practice.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55What he did today...
0:50:55 > 0:50:58I mean, I'm sure that if you gave JT, you know,
0:50:58 > 0:50:59a couple of other days on that horse,
0:50:59 > 0:51:02he'd be able to do the same thing that Iwan did.
0:51:11 > 0:51:17Mate, I am never, ever going to go near a horse again in my life.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20That is it. Done.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23I can't say that. That was a buzz.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25HE SIGHS
0:51:28 > 0:51:32In-yoi! In-yoi!
0:51:32 > 0:51:34Do you know what?
0:51:34 > 0:51:37That horse reminds me of my old self.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39I used to be a coiled spring just like that
0:51:39 > 0:51:43and, you know, waking up and having the opportunity to achieve
0:51:43 > 0:51:46everything that you want to achieve in life, and be a world champion.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49There's selfishness, there's determination,
0:51:49 > 0:51:52there's an absolute need to succeed -
0:51:52 > 0:51:54to lift trophies and be on the top of the podium,
0:51:54 > 0:51:57and hear your national anthem, and ride for your country,
0:51:57 > 0:52:00and I think that's why it's difficult for sportsmen to retire,
0:52:00 > 0:52:03because everything else seems quite slow.
0:52:03 > 0:52:04And, in the real world,
0:52:04 > 0:52:07nothing gets close to needing to focus,
0:52:07 > 0:52:11concentrate, be selfish and determined like riding a motorcycle.
0:52:11 > 0:52:16ENGINES ROAR
0:52:16 > 0:52:18Yeah, what is that?
0:52:22 > 0:52:25ENGINES ROAR
0:52:35 > 0:52:37ENGINES ROAR
0:52:46 > 0:52:48Right on cue.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50What is there not to love about it?
0:52:52 > 0:52:53I have missed it since retiring.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55I've really missed it,
0:52:55 > 0:52:57and it's been really difficult and, erm...
0:53:18 > 0:53:19Later that evening,
0:53:19 > 0:53:23Master Kiyomoto calls everyone together for a final meal...
0:53:24 > 0:53:26Thank you.
0:53:26 > 0:53:31..and he wants to give his judgment on how they've all performed,
0:53:31 > 0:53:33and who has come out on top.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56Thank you. Thank you. Oh, there you go.
0:54:24 > 0:54:25Thank you.
0:55:08 > 0:55:11Oh, good, good. Wow.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18I was really, really chuffed to get the sword.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21After really sticking my neck out on that horse,
0:55:21 > 0:55:24it was probably the proudest moment of all the sports.
0:55:24 > 0:55:25Thank you very much.
0:55:25 > 0:55:29I feel, today, for the first time, I was a competitor again,
0:55:29 > 0:55:33and then to be told you've won the battle but not the war,
0:55:33 > 0:55:36it's just like, what more could I personally have done
0:55:36 > 0:55:37to have impressed today?
0:55:37 > 0:55:40Gutting, this evening, if I'm honest.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44I want to thank everybody, because riding your horse today
0:55:44 > 0:55:48brought the same emotions back as I used to love in my old job,
0:55:48 > 0:55:52so I want to thank everybody for bringing these emotions back.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55It wasn't just the sword, it was the reasoning why I'd won.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58I think Master Kiyomoto saw my old race face on,
0:55:58 > 0:55:59and how much I focused,
0:55:59 > 0:56:02and I think that was more the samurai tradition.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04Kanpai. Kanpai. Kanpai.
0:56:04 > 0:56:05Kanpai.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08The summer's world tour of sport is over.
0:56:08 > 0:56:09Kanpai.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12Donovan's never done better than last place...
0:56:12 > 0:56:13It's been an amazing experience.
0:56:13 > 0:56:17I recognise that, you know, I have nothing to prove.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20You know, I was at the top of my sport for many years,
0:56:20 > 0:56:23but certainly my competitive days are, you know,
0:56:23 > 0:56:25I can put them to rest right now.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28..but taking part spurred him on.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31I'm starting to see the abs coming back again,
0:56:31 > 0:56:35so I'm definitely going to hit the gym to get back to the original me.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40Gareth took victory in the oil wrestling in Turkey,
0:56:40 > 0:56:43and he got back in touch with his desire to win.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46The enjoyment of competing was amazing.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49To, you know, to do sports that we've never done before,
0:56:49 > 0:56:52and to be able to feel that want to win again,
0:56:52 > 0:56:55to feel that desire to beat the person that's going before you,
0:56:55 > 0:56:57was beautiful.
0:56:57 > 0:57:00It was like a beautiful feeling to have.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03In India and Japan, Iwan came a close second,
0:57:03 > 0:57:07but he's finally accepted his winning days may be over.
0:57:07 > 0:57:08It's been emotional.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11All the challenges have physically pushed me - I knew they would -
0:57:11 > 0:57:14but I think they've mentally pushed me as well,
0:57:14 > 0:57:18and they've cemented the feeling that,
0:57:18 > 0:57:20or the acceptance that,
0:57:20 > 0:57:23I'm not the Iwan Thomas of old, and that's all right.
0:57:27 > 0:57:29But, when it came to embodying the will to win,
0:57:29 > 0:57:31with three clear wins out of four,
0:57:31 > 0:57:36superbike hero James Toseland emerged the clear victor.
0:57:36 > 0:57:38This whole thing's been a real adventure.
0:57:38 > 0:57:41I knew it would be, but not to this level.
0:57:41 > 0:57:43To realise I can come back into a competition
0:57:43 > 0:57:47and turn the old spark back on, and enjoy it...
0:57:47 > 0:57:51I never thought that I would reach the heights of excitement
0:57:51 > 0:57:54and thrill and adrenaline that I used to do on a motorcycle,
0:57:54 > 0:57:59but I did, and the boys have been great to do battle with.
0:57:59 > 0:58:02I've really enjoyed it.
0:58:02 > 0:58:03Going forward from here, I'm...
0:58:03 > 0:58:06I'm going to challenge myself even more.
0:58:06 > 0:58:10That's it. Come on, pal. Bring it in.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12Yes, my man.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14Here we go. Yes.
0:58:53 > 0:58:54We glance at blurred patio doors
0:58:54 > 0:58:57Horses nibbling the edges of fields
0:58:57 > 0:58:59And we know each other for a while