0:00:03 > 0:00:05In Beijing in 2008,
0:00:05 > 0:00:09Scottish athlete Libby Clegg won silver in the 100 metres sprint.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12- COMMENTATOR:- There's a medal on offer for Great Britain!
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Ah, it's amazing, I was so pleased, dead proud.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16I was very proud, my eyes filled up.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20I was just thinking, all that hard work and she's there, you know?
0:00:20 > 0:00:23She's Scotland's golden girl of athletics.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27Libby is a Paralympic athlete.
0:00:27 > 0:00:28She's blind.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31She was an angry young woman, she used that to find other ways
0:00:31 > 0:00:35to channel that and that, for her, eventually became her running.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39Libby aims to win gold in London 2012.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44First, she must win a medal at the World Championships
0:00:44 > 0:00:46in New Zealand to be in with a chance.
0:00:47 > 0:00:54I love running to pieces. It's my main passion and I really...
0:00:54 > 0:00:57I want to be at the top. I want to be number one.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01# Oh, I run to the river
0:01:02 > 0:01:04# It was boiling, I run to the sea
0:01:05 > 0:01:08# It was boiling, I run to the sea... #
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Number 54, please.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Welcome to Gateshead.
0:01:14 > 0:01:20- Bye.- Um, er, Libby Clegg. Um, 100 and 200m.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23OK, welcome to Gateshead. Hope you enjoy yourselves.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Thanks very much.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30It's July 2010,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34and the World Championships in New Zealand are six months away.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40Libby attends the Gateshead Disability Athletics Challenge today.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43If she gets a good time in either the 100 metres
0:01:43 > 0:01:47or 200 metres, she'll guarantee herself a place on the team.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53This competition here is quite important,
0:01:53 > 0:01:58because it's an opportunity for us to qualify for the World Championships in January.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Um, unfortunately the wind is not great today,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04so hopefully the times won't be too bad.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Because she can't see, Libby runs with a guide,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Lincoln Asquith, ex-Commonwealth silver medallist.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16'I remember when she first started running and I said, cor,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19'if she falls over, she'll really hurt herself,
0:02:19 > 0:02:21'and she did have a really bad fall.'
0:02:21 > 0:02:24I mean, she was running in lane one and ended up in lane eight.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27And she was totally grazed all down one side of her
0:02:27 > 0:02:30and knocked herself out, and they wouldn't let her run
0:02:30 > 0:02:34and I think then, she really realised that she needed
0:02:34 > 0:02:36somebody to run with her and not to be ashamed of it.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42I can hear people, like, people running,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44but it depends who is running,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46whether they've got a heavy foot or not.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49I only listen to Lincoln, I don't really listen anyone else.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Libby wins. Her time is 12.8 seconds -
0:02:56 > 0:03:01only two 100ths of a second off qualification for New Zealand.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04There's time left this season to run faster.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07It was a really strong headwind, actually.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10What were you looking for qualifying standard, just for the guys?
0:03:10 > 0:03:13- Urm about 12.5, 12.6. - 12-five 12-six.
0:03:13 > 0:03:14You're certainly in shape
0:03:14 > 0:03:17if Lincoln's having to work hard to keep up with you!
0:03:17 > 0:03:19- I beg your pardon! - Well done, well done!
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Thank you, cheers very much.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32To be a guide, you have to be able to run faster than the athlete.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35But if Lincoln picks up an injury, Libby can't compete.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39His stepson Mikail Huggins is coming through as Lincoln's back up.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44This afternoon, Mikail will guide her in the 200 metres.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48So we can move our arms to the left, OK?
0:03:48 > 0:03:52So it's there, there. I want you to slowly lean.
0:03:52 > 0:03:53- Feel it?- Yep.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56OK, hold it there, let's just hold it there.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Keep that going and then we're going to straighten up. Feel that?
0:03:59 > 0:04:03- Yep.- That's nice, isn't it? Got it. - OK.- Cool.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08I'm focussing on Libby, so I need to make sure that I'm literally as one.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Yeah, we're literally running as one person.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17You can have various different, different guide ropes.
0:04:17 > 0:04:18You create your own one.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Right, this leg forward.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25She doesn't know where the end is, right,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28so sometimes she stops, like, before the end of the race.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31So what we need to do is get her and him working together really well
0:04:31 > 0:04:34so that she can run all the way through the line.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Even the 100 metres, just like if you're running a marathon,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39you don't want to just go off really hard and dive.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41In the 100 metres, it's the same thing,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44and psychologically there is a big component to that,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47knowing where you are, how far you've got to go.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49'I've got no central vision at all,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52'and I've got no useful vision left in my right eye,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55'and I've only got a little bit of peripheral vision in my left eye.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58'But I don't look like I can't see properly.'
0:04:58 > 0:05:02I've trained myself now to make my eyes look normal and everything.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08'But people say hello, I can't see where they are,
0:05:08 > 0:05:12'so I just have to kind of look in the direction where they're speaking, I can't see them.'
0:05:12 > 0:05:14That's Dean, Lincoln.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17- No, it's not, that's not Dean. - Steve.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20No, Steve! Sorry. Oh, I'm sorry, sorry.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25I can't tell whether, you know, the bloomin' Queen's stood next to me -
0:05:25 > 0:05:27I wouldn't know if she was there or not.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29I'm going to go round to the stand.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32- OK.- And I'm going to stand on the outside of the track.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35- Oh, right, OK, cool. All right then. - All right, so I can keep an eye.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39I'll stand at the home straight so I can shout at you guys, cheer!
0:05:39 > 0:05:40Yes, please.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Team Libby is a tight knit group of athlete, guides and coach.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46They attend all race meetings together.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Starting in the women's open 200 metres on the far side of the track.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Visually impaired track events are split into three categories -
0:06:03 > 0:06:05T13 to T11 -
0:06:05 > 0:06:10ranging from partial sight to total blindness. Libby is T12.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Today, because of a lack of competitors,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18all three categories are racing together,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21those who need a guide and those who don't.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28It's a good time. 26.71 seconds.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Libby is never sure whether she's won.
0:06:31 > 0:06:37Yeah? You did it. We did it.
0:06:38 > 0:06:45- TANNOY:- A reminder to everybody of course that the guide runners must not cross the line first.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48This is Mikail's first 200 metres with Libby.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51His instinct is to win,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55but the guide must let the athlete cross the line first.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58They think that Mikail might have gone over the line before me,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00which means I'll be disqualified,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03so they're going to look at the photo finish to see.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07But it doesn't bother me anyway if I have been disqualified,
0:07:07 > 0:07:13cos it's Mikail's first race, well, second race now.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16The first time doing the two for him with me.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19The first time I've done the two since Beijing,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21so I'm happy with that.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Mikail has crossed the line before Libby.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27The officials disqualify her.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Do you know what I'm going to blame it on? The wind.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32LAUGHTER
0:07:32 > 0:07:34We'll use that, but, obviously, I know you got the time,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38but I just feel like, for myself, I just think, "shoot".
0:07:38 > 0:07:40It was your first 200 as well.
0:07:40 > 0:07:41No, I'm happy.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44But I have to apologise and shake hands.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Don't apologise and get back up.
0:07:46 > 0:07:47She's very critical of herself.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50There's no, "Oh, that was brilliant, that was amazing."
0:07:50 > 0:07:53But she's very, very loyal to Lincoln.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55She'll be loyal to Mikail as well.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57There's no way that anybody will be blamed.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Team Libby includes her supporters.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Boyfriend, Michael, and Mum,
0:08:05 > 0:08:10who travels miles every year from her home in the Borders.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18Libby's family moved to Scotland in July 2002 when she was 12.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23She's the eldest of four children.
0:08:23 > 0:08:24Her parents recently split up,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28but the Clegg's remain in the Borders, where they've laid down firm roots.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33SCOTTISH PIPE MUSIC PLAYS
0:08:48 > 0:08:49It's late July.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54Libby and Michael are staying with mum Moira for the Langholm Common Riding,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58an annual, traditional beating of the parish bounds.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07My sister's horse is being ridden by one of her friends.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11I think this is the start of the ride out.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14They all ride up the line to start off.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18It's like three hours long, so to do the whole entire ride out...
0:09:18 > 0:09:21and they go to different points along the way.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23CHEERING
0:09:34 > 0:09:37She was a very lonely little girl,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40sort of very quiet - withdrawn, even.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44She was at one primary school and she was bullied there.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49They used to throw the ball at her face in the playground.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52She was tiny, just nothing of her.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59She was so thin, her parents took her to a paediatric consultant.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03After speaking to Libby privately, his advice was to move school.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05But the problems continued.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13It was a much bigger primary school, and they couldn't figure out
0:10:13 > 0:10:16why she wasn't reading, you know,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19to her, to the ability they though she should read,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23because the intelligence was there, and the paediatric consultant
0:10:23 > 0:10:25suggested we had to get an eye test,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28and the first lady who was just testing said,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30"She's just shy," and sent her away.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33They didn't know what was up with her for a while.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36They thought she was basically putting it on,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39and it wasn't until... One night, I was...
0:10:39 > 0:10:43I got home from work quite late and the children were all in bed,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46this is back when we were in Macclesfield, and, um,
0:10:46 > 0:10:50I went up to talk to Elizabeth and, she...
0:10:50 > 0:10:53I looked, I said, "Come on, it's half past eight",
0:10:53 > 0:10:56or whatever time it was, and she was looking at my watch,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59and she said, "I can't see it - there's a dot in the middle."
0:10:59 > 0:11:01And I said, "What do you mean, a dot?"
0:11:01 > 0:11:03And she said, "Every time I move to look,
0:11:03 > 0:11:06"no matter where I look," she said, there's a dot in the way."
0:11:06 > 0:11:09So she said, "I try and look round it."
0:11:09 > 0:11:10Aged nine,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Libby was finally diagnosed with Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy,
0:11:14 > 0:11:19an inherited eye condition affecting the central area of the retina,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21for which there is no known cure.
0:11:22 > 0:11:27She shouldn't go completely blind, but the disease could still worsen.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I didn't know how she would react. She took it really well.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33She took it better than me.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35You know, I was a wreck for quite a long time.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Because she's got beautiful eyes, Elizabeth.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44It's silly, cos it's a gene I carry and a gene Peter carries,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48and it's just the way it is, and that's life, but I feel guilty
0:11:48 > 0:11:52because she was not diagnosed, what she went through.
0:11:52 > 0:11:53Did you not see me go up the hill?
0:11:53 > 0:11:58No, were you one of the last ones? I thought you'd come in one of the last ones.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Because it is a genetic disease, Libby's brothers
0:12:01 > 0:12:02and sister were also tested.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06I sat there and watched them sit in this chair one by one
0:12:06 > 0:12:09and it just felt awful, you know? Fliss was all right straight away.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Sat James down and he was just a tiny little boy,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14big grin on his face,
0:12:14 > 0:12:17and then this specialist shouted a couple more over,
0:12:17 > 0:12:21of, like, students, I presume, and I thought, "Oh, no".
0:12:21 > 0:12:24My heart sank, I just wanted to curl up and die.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28And, er, and then it was Stephen's turn, and, er, Stephen,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30they said, "Ah, he's too young".
0:12:30 > 0:12:33But I thought with Elizabeth having brown hair
0:12:33 > 0:12:37and James having brown hair, with it being genetic, that, er,
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Fliss was all right, Stephen will be all right,
0:12:39 > 0:12:41because they're both blondies.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43And for a good few years, Stephen was fine.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53I try not to bring my vision, like, discuss my vision in front of people.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57It's just something I don't want to discuss with my friends,
0:12:57 > 0:13:02but, like, when I'm watching telly, I sit at an angle and look above,
0:13:02 > 0:13:06because it really stains my eyes when I look centrally.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09When we were younger we used to sit,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12we used to have like a certain seat in front of the telly.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14So I would see out my left eye the best,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17so I'd sit on like the left side of the telly,
0:13:17 > 0:13:18so I'd just sit in the corner.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22Stephen would sit in the middle lying down on the floor like that,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25with his eyes up, and Libby would sit on the other side, or...
0:13:25 > 0:13:27she never really watched telly with us, did she?
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Cos we were watching cartoons - she didn't like it.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32So I've got my PlayStation 3
0:13:32 > 0:13:34upstairs that I'm on all the time at the weekends.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38I can't, I don't really play it with other people.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42If we were in a group, I couldn't play it then,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45because I feel like I'm too much in the way.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49- My head. - Yeah. Like, a shooting game,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52I'd always be right in the middle of the screen,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55they'd be like, "No, move out the way, James, move out the way".
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Cos you need to be able to see where your...
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Who the people you're shooting are,
0:13:59 > 0:14:03- but if we sit at the back of the room, or...- Then you can't see.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05We wouldn't be able to see who we were shooting.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07They've seen Libby,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11and they think, well, look how she's achieved, look what she can do.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14I know James in the summer was really upset,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17because his sight was worse and it suddenly hit him
0:14:17 > 0:14:20how bad his sight was, and it upset me,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23because I always thought James was the strong, quiet one,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26but he just doesn't say much about feelings.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Apparently it's only one in four that are supposed to get it,
0:14:29 > 0:14:30not three out of four.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33They were just unlucky.
0:14:37 > 0:14:4020-year-old Libby now lives in Loughborough,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44one of Britain's top athletics training camps.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Her boyfriend Michael is a professional rugby player.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50He's recently headed south from Edinburgh to be with her.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59I really don't know what I look like.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02People usually just, will tell me if I look nice or not.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20I got taught how to do it in the right way
0:15:20 > 0:15:22so your skin tone looks even.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28I can't see someone, so I can't physically judge them
0:15:28 > 0:15:30on what they look like.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32I know Michael has got... He's tall,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35he's quite big and he's got dark hair.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40We've been together for about a year and month now.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45Um, we met in the gym, when I joined up in Scotland
0:15:45 > 0:15:47when Libby still lived up there.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Sometimes, I mean... I spoke to her, um,
0:15:50 > 0:15:52her eyes might go a bit off focus,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55um, but I thought it was one of those things.
0:15:55 > 0:16:01It wasn't till she said that she was going to the Paralympics
0:16:01 > 0:16:05that I asked her coach why she was going to the Paralympics,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08then I found out that she was actually blind.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11That was about six months after I started chatting to her!
0:16:11 > 0:16:14So I never realised at all. She masks it pretty well.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16When I was younger, I got really upset about it,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20cos, it's not cool to have large print books,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24and, you know, you do wish you were someone else at times,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27but, I mean, I think I've had to grow up quite a lot,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30being registered blind, because my two brothers got diagnosed
0:16:30 > 0:16:35after me, and me being the eldest in the family anyway, you have to...
0:16:36 > 0:16:38..sort of be a good role model to them
0:16:38 > 0:16:43so they know that they can do stuff as well, really.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48That's another reason why I'm quite strong about it, I think.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52I've had to sort of sort myself out, not be all depressed about it,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54cos you can't do anything about it,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57but at the end of the day it's just life.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03'We're walking round and, basically, her eyes,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05'she won't see anything on her right-hand side,
0:17:05 > 0:17:08'so she could easily just bang into a lamppost or something'
0:17:08 > 0:17:10'and not realise, so at least if I'm there,'
0:17:10 > 0:17:14she can see threats from that side and she knows that I've taken
0:17:14 > 0:17:18the threats from the right-hand side, so it's good, good team work.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23I'll never go to a cafe on my own that I've not been to
0:17:23 > 0:17:24with someone else before.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27I don't really know what's on the menu,
0:17:27 > 0:17:29so I end up getting a bit panicky.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Obviously I can't read it, so I don't like asking.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Set...go!
0:17:52 > 0:17:55At the HiPAC - High Performance Athletics Centre -
0:17:55 > 0:17:58in Loughborough, Libby is coached by Tom Crick.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09A lot of people wrote Libby off some time ago,
0:18:09 > 0:18:10because, when you're younger,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13people don't think you're naturally going to grow up
0:18:13 > 0:18:15to be the athlete you were when you were younger.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18And so, for me, she wasn't doing so well a year or so ago.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21She did really well after Beijing, didn't do so well afterwards,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23and now the idea is to get her back to where she was
0:18:23 > 0:18:27and then help her surpass and go on to be a high level senior athlete.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Nice and smooth coming up.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39I can see... If it's like a yellow cone, I can see a yellow cone better,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42but I can usually just see a flash if I run past it,
0:18:42 > 0:18:47but this red cone, because it's the same colour as the track,
0:18:47 > 0:18:48I struggle with that.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53White ones, OK, and the green ones, OK - we don't have any.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57I don't know whether that's... I think that's purple,
0:18:57 > 0:18:59I've never seen that one before,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Tom doesn't use a purple one, usually,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03but the blue one - that can be OK,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06but it's better just yellow and white, to be honest,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08I can see those colours cos they're brighter.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14She was always keen on running anyway when she was little,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16and we always used to time her running round the block
0:19:16 > 0:19:20as fast as she possibly could, and she'd go and do a few sit ups
0:19:20 > 0:19:22and try a different pair of trainers
0:19:22 > 0:19:25just to see if she could do it a bit faster.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29Me being tired at the weekend, I'd be there with my stop watch in the garden,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32"Ah, 55 seconds, Elizabeth, well done."
0:19:32 > 0:19:34And she'd go and get a drink of water,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37and tie her shoelaces on a bit harder or something,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39or try a different pair of trainers, off again and...
0:19:39 > 0:19:43"Ah, that was good, 51 seconds that time,"
0:19:43 > 0:19:44and I hadn't even looked!
0:19:44 > 0:19:47When you're child, it's great fun, you do all fun different things,
0:19:47 > 0:19:51you know, that you do in athletics, you have a go at everything.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53You know, I knew I was dedicating all my time to it,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56but I had nothing else in my life at that point anyway,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00cos I had no friends because I was extremely shy.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06At the age of 14, she was spotted by Scottish Paralympics
0:20:06 > 0:20:08and put on their development programme.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Two years later, she went to the World Championships.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14I didn't even think I'd make a semi-final,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17and I ended up coming second, and that's when I realised
0:20:17 > 0:20:20that I had a lot of potential to go quite far.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28After her success in Beijing, Libby became a "podium funded athlete".
0:20:28 > 0:20:31She's now paid a salary by UK Athletics,
0:20:31 > 0:20:35and her job is to train five days a week.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39But if she fails to perform, her funding could be withdrawn.
0:20:44 > 0:20:45You OK?
0:20:45 > 0:20:49I'm OK. They were actually put back in order today or yesterday -
0:20:49 > 0:20:53someone's obviously having a fresh start at keeping the gym clean.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56One of the key things we're trying to work on with Libby is,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58if you look at her, she's got quite big quads,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00and when you run, when you hit the floor,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03you're using mainly your ham strings and glutes,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06so we're going to do some stuff like squats, which is making her strong,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09but we're also going to do some isolated work
0:21:09 > 0:21:12to bring up her glute strengths so she can be better when she runs.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18'We spend at least two hours a day every day together.'
0:21:18 > 0:21:21I try to be more of a coach that's more like in some ways a friend,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24and I think that's all to do with the age difference,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26because there's only like ten years' age gap.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29I think there's a bit more of a personal relationship there,
0:21:29 > 0:21:34but then you've got to make sure you still maintain your authority if you need to.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Let's go. One... Let's go again.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Two, get up, OK, hold.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45One, two, three, four, five, six,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48seven, eight, nine, ten.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50OK. Let's go again.
0:21:50 > 0:21:56OK, one, two, three, four, five, six...
0:21:56 > 0:21:59When Libby first arrived,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02she spent time mapping the HiPAC building, learning the layout.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04If there's people here,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06I'm obviously conscious of keeping out the way.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Are they conscious of you?
0:22:08 > 0:22:10No, a lot of people don't know that I can't see properly,
0:22:10 > 0:22:14so they probably just think I'm walking in the way deliberately.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18If it's busy here, I get nervous about finding people
0:22:18 > 0:22:19if I'm not with anyone.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Cos, obviously, it's quite noisy.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24I mean, it's quite quiet here at the minute, but...
0:22:26 > 0:22:29I can see, I know there's movement.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31I don't know what they're doing, though.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33- What colour are they wearing? - I have no idea.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Well, they're girls, because the space is really echoey,
0:22:37 > 0:22:39so I can hear what they're saying,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42and what they're saying over there. It's just a bit much sometimes.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55Libby's determination to be independent means she practises everything.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59The route home to Scotland is well rehearsed.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01I'm so observant of things,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04I notice things because I have to notice them.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07If you just show me something once,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10I usually remember exactly where I'm supposed to go,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14because I need to know myself to get around where everything is.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23'I'm in between two different worlds,
0:23:23 > 0:23:27'it's like, I'm not either fully sighted or completely blind.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31'If I was completely blind, my life would be so much easier.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33'I could ask for help - I'd have to.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40'You know, I'd need a guide dog or a cane, I'd have to have that.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46'But because I'm like in between, it's like I'm stuck,
0:23:46 > 0:23:48'I don't fit in in either category.'
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Not comfortable in either world, Libby wasn't making progress
0:23:57 > 0:24:01in mainstream education, and a decision had to be made.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06The Cleggs researched their options.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08The only place that fitted the bill
0:24:08 > 0:24:11was the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh, a centre of excellence.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16So the Clegg family moved to the Borders to qualify Libby for a place.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19She was a boarder from the age of 12.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Her younger brothers joined her later.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28The worst thing was them going to boarding school - I know it's a good school,
0:24:28 > 0:24:32but waving them off in a taxi and off they go, it's terrible.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Ah, you just get that sickening feeling -
0:24:35 > 0:24:38you had a big family, and they've all gone.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42At the time they made the decision for me to move, here I wasn't happy.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Just because I felt like I was being dumped somewhere,
0:24:45 > 0:24:46but after, like...
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Well, I met some really nice people when I first came anyway,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53my class were really great, so I settled in quite well.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- Hi. How are you? - Oh, hello, hello, hello!
0:24:56 > 0:24:58- I'm really well, thank you. - How are you, Gavin?
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- I'm good, how are you, Libby? - I'm all right.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04'You know, people look at you as an actual person rather than'
0:25:04 > 0:25:07what your disability is. You don't realise that that gets you through
0:25:07 > 0:25:10quite a lot of stuff, just knowing that there're other people around,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13cos you can't get bullied here. What can you get bullied for?
0:25:13 > 0:25:16You can't get picked on because you can't see properly.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Cos everybody here has got the same problem.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22She's been very good, she's come back to school,
0:25:22 > 0:25:26she's spoken to them, she's brought her medals, and it's wonderful
0:25:26 > 0:25:29because, unfortunately, if you've got a visual impairment,
0:25:29 > 0:25:33your chances of getting a good job are absolutely minimal.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37So for young people here to see a role model like Libby,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40to see her get success, is really absolutely inspirational.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Hello, Libby, how are you?
0:25:44 > 0:25:46I'm very messy.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50- That's OK.- How are you?- I'm all right.- You've come back to visit us.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Yeah, I have. The room's not changed.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55What do you mean it's not changed? It's tidy and it's active.
0:25:55 > 0:25:56What are you making?
0:25:56 > 0:26:00They've just made felt, we've gone right through, we've made felt.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04- Can you smooth it over? - No poppage.- No poppage!
0:26:04 > 0:26:08They weren't supposed to pop the, um, this stuff.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12Because if they did it wouldn't work. Oh! I heard poppage.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14I never!
0:26:14 > 0:26:16No, you're not allowed to do that!
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Your hair's gorgeous like that.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27- She's my favourite. - You too. Yeah, thank you.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29How are you, are you all right?
0:26:29 > 0:26:33She gets things sussed very quickly, and I think what Libby has
0:26:33 > 0:26:37is that streak of incredible determination, from when she came through the door,
0:26:37 > 0:26:41is, "I want to be as independent as possible,
0:26:41 > 0:26:43"I'm going to learn quickly, I'm going to learn fast."
0:26:53 > 0:26:55I don't really like Braille.
0:26:55 > 0:27:00- Here's Macbeth.- Oh, gosh. - Do you remember who Macbeth's by?
0:27:00 > 0:27:03- Yes.- Who?- Shakespeare.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07This Braille's, like, really hard to read,
0:27:07 > 0:27:12one, because it's been used before and the dots are a little bit faded,
0:27:12 > 0:27:18and it's also double sided, so there's Braille on the other side
0:27:18 > 0:27:22which makes it harder to read, and it's single lined,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25and I only ever did double lined cos I'm rubbish at Braille.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34On your marks...
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Libby's racing season continues at Crystal Palace,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42a major two-day event in the athletics calendar.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49On day one, 17,000 people turn up to watch able-bodied races.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55Libby and Mikail compete in an invitation 100 metres disability race.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58It's a chance to showcase disability athletics
0:27:58 > 0:28:01at a mainstream race meeting.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04She races against amputees.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08There are no other visually impaired athletes invited.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15No, the race felt really easy,
0:28:15 > 0:28:18which is a good thing, it means I've got a lot more in the tank,
0:28:18 > 0:28:22so I'm really pleased with my race, and so's Tom... I hope!
0:28:23 > 0:28:25I'm so... Yes!
0:28:25 > 0:28:27When it's easy, that means it's a good performance,
0:28:27 > 0:28:31you shouldn't feel tired, you should feel like you're floating on air,
0:28:31 > 0:28:33and that's what Libby said she felt like.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36My biggest thing was to make sure that Libby got across the line,
0:28:36 > 0:28:39you know the drill, I don't need to say any more!
0:28:39 > 0:28:43But, erm, I'm proud of her, and the fact that, when the gun went,
0:28:43 > 0:28:46she reacted, she kept calm, kept her composure,
0:28:46 > 0:28:49and we both did, to be fair, cos that crowd out there,
0:28:49 > 0:28:54- when they start roaring, trust me... - It's a bit nerve-racking.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56I was racing against leg amputees,
0:28:56 > 0:29:00er, obviously it's not ideal, me racing in a different class,
0:29:00 > 0:29:03because I must have a bit of an unfair advantage.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08One of the biggest challenges we've got is making people
0:29:08 > 0:29:10understand the sport, it's quite complicated.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12There are a lot of classes out there
0:29:12 > 0:29:14and we need to help people understand that,
0:29:14 > 0:29:17and by lining up eight girls
0:29:17 > 0:29:20in different classifications - amputees, visually impaired girls,
0:29:20 > 0:29:23it doesn't help their understanding of the event.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25If there had been eight Libby's there,
0:29:25 > 0:29:28there's eight girls there with a visual impairment,
0:29:28 > 0:29:31they could understand that, but when there's a mix,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34it's knowing, well, who's performance is actually the best?
0:29:37 > 0:29:40Libby's mixed classification race did not go out live,
0:29:40 > 0:29:44but it was shown later in the afternoon's sports package.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50Any media coverage we get, even to you, even if it's a zoo,
0:29:50 > 0:29:54we're doing a second rated, um competition, it doesn't matter -
0:29:54 > 0:29:58we're looking on the long term effect that will have on the general public.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01I think it was great for Libby to be out there,
0:30:01 > 0:30:03and when she walked out and they introduced her,
0:30:03 > 0:30:05the crowd cheered, and that was amazing,
0:30:05 > 0:30:08that's what everyone dreams about doing in athletics.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12Unfortunately in this country we haven't got a lot of Libby Cleggs running in competitions,
0:30:12 > 0:30:15and in order for her to get the level of competition,
0:30:15 > 0:30:18and so the general public can understand what she does,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21we need to be able to expose Libby to the athletes
0:30:21 > 0:30:24who she will be running against at the Worlds,
0:30:24 > 0:30:28who she will be working with at Paralympic level.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30So we need to get those world class athletes together
0:30:30 > 0:30:34and put on a show, you know, just like what the mainstreams do.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36As soon as you put TV cameras there
0:30:36 > 0:30:40and everything else, you're going to have a massive amount of people.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45Overnight, the television cameras have gone,
0:30:45 > 0:30:50and there has been little audience interest in today's Disability Athletics Challenge.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01The New Zealand Championships are now less than five months away,
0:31:01 > 0:31:05and Libby has yet to achieve a top time for a certain place
0:31:05 > 0:31:09on the team. Today's races are a chance to do that,
0:31:09 > 0:31:12but there is no atmosphere to drive her on.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17In Beijing, the stands were full of people,
0:31:17 > 0:31:20and it was just an amazing atmosphere and just lifts you,
0:31:20 > 0:31:24and that was, you know, a really, really great feeling,
0:31:24 > 0:31:28cos everyone is watching you, and I think that helped me a lot.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32Maybe she won't run as well today as she did yesterday,
0:31:32 > 0:31:36because of the crowd, but the conditions seem a little bit better than yesterday,
0:31:36 > 0:31:40a nice tail wind, so hopefully if they can put something together they'll do really well.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45Libby is listed to race against other athletes
0:31:45 > 0:31:49in the visually impaired categories for the 100 metres.
0:31:49 > 0:31:54But only Lisa, a T13 runner with better sight, has turned up.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12With no atmosphere and a single competitor,
0:32:12 > 0:32:16her time is 12.71 seconds.
0:32:16 > 0:32:21Still not the 12.6 A-time she requires to be a definite for New Zealand.
0:32:21 > 0:32:22Is that your first race?
0:32:22 > 0:32:25Good to see you back. Good to see you back.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27Just seeing the back of you!
0:32:28 > 0:32:33Libby still has a chance at an A-time in the 200 metres...
0:32:36 > 0:32:39- COMMENTATOR:- So, on the inside, it's Libby Clegg...
0:32:41 > 0:32:43..but again, Lisa is no match for her.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46Libby's now only got the clock to run against.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53She runs another B-time.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56Team Libby must find somewhere to race again
0:32:56 > 0:32:59before the competition season is over.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04Are we going to hoover the inside of this cupboard, Michael,
0:33:04 > 0:33:06or are you just going to leave it?
0:33:06 > 0:33:08- Hoover it. - You're going to hoover it?- Yeah.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15Libby has a day off training to move house.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19She's upgrading her one-bedroom flat to a three-bedroom house
0:33:19 > 0:33:21not far away, so that Michael can move in.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26These are my all-time favourite shoes.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30I told you I was a scary shoe person.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32Michael hates my shoes.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34Did you wipe the wall down?
0:33:34 > 0:33:37Everything's clean, or should be clean, in the bathroom.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40Apart from the floor, but you just need to check that.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44This is one of things Libby finds hard to see.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47- I think it's selective seeing! - I can hear you!
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Olympic and Paralympic athletes
0:34:14 > 0:34:16have to let the anti-doping authorities know
0:34:16 > 0:34:19where they can be found for one hour every day.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23The officials do not have to give notice of their arrival.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26It's the first time Libby has lived with a boyfriend,
0:34:26 > 0:34:30and his services will be useful if she's drugs tested at home.
0:34:32 > 0:34:37I get two people coming to take my urine sample.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39And then I have to have somebody else with me,
0:34:39 > 0:34:42because I can't see properly, can't fill in the forms
0:34:42 > 0:34:44and I need to check that they're not...
0:34:44 > 0:34:48the people that are taking the test aren't tampering with it.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52Um, so I can have like three people watching each other watch me pee!
0:34:53 > 0:34:57Tomorrow we've got to go for a walk and find out the best route for her
0:34:57 > 0:35:00to get to the track, cos in the other house,
0:35:00 > 0:35:04like, I was fine with her walking to the track, she knew the route,
0:35:04 > 0:35:07but, just find out the safest way for her, to be honest,
0:35:07 > 0:35:12and so on, but I think she's fully capable,
0:35:12 > 0:35:17so long as she stays to the pavement and doesn't get run over.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19Bet you never told 'em that one.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22- She had a little incident... - I didn't get run over.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26..a couple of days ago when she thought it was safe to cross,
0:35:26 > 0:35:30not on lights, and it turns out it wasn't, so...
0:35:30 > 0:35:32- What happened? - I got a bit of a fright,
0:35:32 > 0:35:38so... They came through, I couldn't hear them,
0:35:38 > 0:35:43and, er, they came through like my blind spot, and like just missed it.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46So, it's obviously quite dangerous.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49So, I got a bollocking off my dad.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54Maybe everyone else would have to deal with it -
0:35:54 > 0:35:57such a small and simple thing of using lights and...
0:35:57 > 0:36:01- I got the same lecture twice. - It's true though.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04- Exactly the same one twice. - But it's true.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06I know, but I'd already been told,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09I said, "I've already been told this today," and then you told me again.
0:36:17 > 0:36:18As a top Paralympic athlete,
0:36:18 > 0:36:22Libby uses her status to promote disability sport.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24She's involved with Art At The Edge,
0:36:24 > 0:36:27a charity art project for the 2012 Games.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31The organisation has commissioned 30 bronzes depicting various
0:36:31 > 0:36:33Olympic and Paralympic events.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39It's her first meeting with artist Charlotte Barker,
0:36:39 > 0:36:41who is creating a bronze sculpture
0:36:41 > 0:36:45based on visually impaired sprinting.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48I don't know much about art, I'll be honest...
0:36:48 > 0:36:50I don't know much about sport!
0:36:50 > 0:36:53Well, that's fine!
0:36:53 > 0:36:57- So yeah, I don't know, it'll be interesting.- Yeah.
0:36:58 > 0:37:04- OK, um, well, do you mind talking about your sight?- Nope.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08- And stuff, um...- Do you want me to tell you a bit about it?
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Well, I know a little bit, but yeah, that would be great.
0:37:11 > 0:37:16I've got a condition called Stargardt's macular degeneration.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20Don't try and write it down because I don't know how to spell it either!
0:37:20 > 0:37:24Um, but basically it's a loss of central vision,
0:37:24 > 0:37:28and you basically just use your peripheral vision.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30It's kind of weird, my eyesight.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33I'll explain about it because it's quite weird.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35I don't like just see black, um,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38it's not like just a black hole where I can't see,
0:37:38 > 0:37:42it's like really bright colours, like highlighters,
0:37:42 > 0:37:46like loads of little dots, right, and that's what I can't see.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49So that's what's blocking my vision.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53What do you kind of feel, what are the emotions that you feel,
0:37:53 > 0:37:57if you could sum up in like maybe a word or, you know, a few words?
0:37:57 > 0:38:01I don't know. When, even though I'm with a guide, right,
0:38:01 > 0:38:04it sounds really weird, but I feel, like, free.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06Do you know what I mean? Like...
0:38:06 > 0:38:11it does feel individual even though it's not,
0:38:11 > 0:38:13cos me and Lincoln run so well together
0:38:13 > 0:38:17we're perfectly in time, most of the time anyway.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19So it feels like just free.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26There's only one more qualifying race left
0:38:26 > 0:38:28for Libby to compete in this season.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31It's a chance to achieve the elusive A time
0:38:31 > 0:38:34to guarantee her a place on the New Zealand team.
0:38:34 > 0:38:40Tonight's meeting at Watford is 100 miles away, and Tom is late.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42KNOCK AT DOOR
0:38:51 > 0:38:53I was just ringing you.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56- Yep, sorry, it was in the back of my van.- It's all right.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01The Watford meeting is an amateur open field -
0:39:01 > 0:39:04able-bodied, men and women.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07I have run against able-bodied athletes before
0:39:07 > 0:39:09but not in a very long time.
0:39:09 > 0:39:14It's not exactly like a, I don't know, a level playing field really,
0:39:14 > 0:39:18if they can all see, so the time, but like time-wise
0:39:18 > 0:39:21that'll be good, definitely, a good opportunity.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23In terms of a level playing field though
0:39:23 > 0:39:27the 200m might end up being run at about eight o'clock at night,
0:39:27 > 0:39:29when it might be starting to get dark,
0:39:29 > 0:39:31so it might level the playing field a little bit
0:39:31 > 0:39:34if the other athletes can't see where the finish line is!
0:39:37 > 0:39:39Already the weather is closing in,
0:39:39 > 0:39:43and it deteriorates the further south they drive.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01CHATTER
0:40:01 > 0:40:06The two is at 7:50, so call it eight o'clock.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08That's not long in between, is it?
0:40:08 > 0:40:09No.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13This is our first, er, swimming gala of the year.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17So, Libby's looking forward to swimming 100 and 200 metres.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22- Libby, your numbers.- Oh, thanks.
0:40:25 > 0:40:30In the 100 metres, Libby races against able-bodied men.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35STARTING GUN FIRES
0:40:44 > 0:40:47HE SHOUTS ENCOURAGEMENT
0:40:47 > 0:40:49She comes second.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53But it's not a good time - 13.38 seconds.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58STARTING GUN FIRES
0:40:58 > 0:41:00The rain delays the schedule,
0:41:00 > 0:41:04and Libby is forced to wait longer than expected for her second event.
0:41:09 > 0:41:14By nine o'clock, she's tired, her adrenalin is flat,
0:41:14 > 0:41:16and she comes last in the 200 metres.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31She's two seconds outside her target time.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35Libby fails to achieve her A standard.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39A place on the team for New Zealand remains uncertain.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59You've got a really bad bit there.
0:41:59 > 0:42:04Mm, yeah, it's a little sore, yeah.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08No athlete's career lasts forever.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12With an eye to her future and jobs she is capable of doing,
0:42:12 > 0:42:17last year Libby took a college course in sports massage.
0:42:17 > 0:42:23I'd like to be able to treat people that are amputees, or, you know,
0:42:23 > 0:42:27have had some other injury or had like a muscle imbalance
0:42:27 > 0:42:31somewhere else, I want to be able to work with that kind of thing.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Your massage is all about your preparation
0:42:34 > 0:42:39and my upper body compensates for the lack of
0:42:39 > 0:42:42my lower part of my legs, so,
0:42:42 > 0:42:46I use quite a lot of my shoulders and my arms and my back
0:42:46 > 0:42:50to propel me forward, so it adds to momentum for when I run.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53Yeah, you're really, really tight.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56All my mates say that when I'm at the bar.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01I can actually feel, like, your muscle, like, creaking.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05Practical massage is one thing,
0:43:05 > 0:43:09but the theory side of her course posed real problems.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13This is size 48 print.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18So, I can kind of read it but it's really slow.
0:43:18 > 0:43:19Go on, then.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23OK, right, so I'll start from the beginning.
0:43:23 > 0:43:29OK, so it says "The... skin... is... an..."
0:43:33 > 0:43:37"..elastic... flexible...
0:43:37 > 0:43:39"membrane."
0:43:39 > 0:43:42But I don't really know if that says membrane,
0:43:42 > 0:43:44I'm just guessing it says membrane.
0:43:44 > 0:43:46And it does say membrane, yep.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49Um, "..which...is..."
0:43:51 > 0:43:56Oh, God. Right. Which is...
0:43:59 > 0:44:02"..thinnest...on...
0:44:02 > 0:44:05"the...face...
0:44:07 > 0:44:09"..and...is..."
0:44:12 > 0:44:16"..thickest...on...the..."
0:44:19 > 0:44:26"..palms...and...soles," yeah, soles.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35On 24th September, UK Athletics announces
0:44:35 > 0:44:39the selection for New Zealand. Libby hasn't heard yet.
0:44:39 > 0:44:43It's a bit nerve-wracking when you know everyone else has heard already
0:44:43 > 0:44:46and you're still waiting. It's a bit like, "Oh..."
0:44:49 > 0:44:51- Hello.- Hello!- Sorry,
0:44:51 > 0:44:54- I was looking for you downstairs, but you're up here.- Oh, sorry.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57- I just got the phone call. - Oh, did you get the phone call?
0:44:57 > 0:44:59Literally that's I was doing downstairs. So you got in.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02- Right, that's good. - The 100 and the 200.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04Ah!
0:45:06 > 0:45:09Based on past competitions and her consistent B times this season,
0:45:09 > 0:45:11Libby gets a place on the team.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15But the good news is immediately tempered by bad.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20UK Athletics's budget is overstretched,
0:45:20 > 0:45:21which affects Team Libby.
0:45:23 > 0:45:25I'm entitled to two guides.
0:45:25 > 0:45:29Um, and if one guide gets injured it's, you know,
0:45:29 > 0:45:31you should have a backup guide, um,
0:45:31 > 0:45:34but basically I might not have that option.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38I might have to choose between Lincoln and Mikail,
0:45:38 > 0:45:41which isn't really fair on either of them, so...
0:45:43 > 0:45:48Like, Mikail's never competed in front of like, er..
0:45:48 > 0:45:50Well, he's never competed at a major event before,
0:45:50 > 0:45:54and obviously its not the same as being at Crystal Palace or anything,
0:45:54 > 0:45:58because my funding depends on, um, this competition in New Zealand.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00So it all hangs on one race?
0:46:00 > 0:46:01Pretty much, yeah.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06Pretty much, yeah, well, basically if you don't perform
0:46:06 > 0:46:08you don't get funded any more, do you?
0:46:14 > 0:46:16Her guides Mikail and Lincoln
0:46:16 > 0:46:19will have to decide who goes to the Championships.
0:46:19 > 0:46:22Libby must focus on winning in New Zealand.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27It's her determination.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29I've seen the stage where she had to
0:46:29 > 0:46:33get through all of her education and train at the same time.
0:46:33 > 0:46:37I couldn't get up and run up a wet hill.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40I've seen her run in snow, I've seen her legs blue.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44But she never boasts about anything she's achieved.
0:46:45 > 0:46:46She never does.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54Sometimes I think people sort of think, "Libby? Passionate?
0:46:54 > 0:46:55"What's she passionate about?"
0:46:55 > 0:47:00But she is - it's just it doesn't come across in that normal "YES!",
0:47:00 > 0:47:02it's much more self-contained.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07She was an angry young woman and I think she would admit that now,
0:47:07 > 0:47:10but at the time I think she managed really well
0:47:10 > 0:47:13because she took the energy, she used that to find other ways
0:47:13 > 0:47:17to channel that, and that for her eventually became her running.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28Libby's drive to be the best has come at a cost.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31She's picked up an ankle injury and can't run.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34She's confined to training on a bike.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36It was almost like it came out of nowhere.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39She'd had a couple of days off. Came back and said "My ankle's stiff,"
0:47:39 > 0:47:42went to physio, "Feels better", the next day, "Oh, my ankle's stiff."
0:47:42 > 0:47:46By like about day three we're starting to get a bit, like, "This isn't right."
0:47:46 > 0:47:48So now she hasn't properly trained for three weeks.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51Which is a bit worrying thinking that we've only got
0:47:51 > 0:47:54eight or nine weeks left till the world championships,
0:47:54 > 0:47:55and normally you want about
0:47:55 > 0:47:59a ten-week development period for a sprinter before a major competition,
0:47:59 > 0:48:00so we're short of time.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06UK Athletics sends Libby for an MRI scan
0:48:06 > 0:48:08to check what's going on inside her ankle.
0:48:12 > 0:48:16It isn't a season-stopper, but it is a potential medal-stopper.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19Physically she's in the best shape she has been, but it takes a number of weeks
0:48:19 > 0:48:22to develop the skill of running in order to perform your best,
0:48:22 > 0:48:24and that's what I'm worried about.
0:48:31 > 0:48:33There's nothing anyone can do.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36Libby must rest her ankle, and wait for it to heal.
0:48:41 > 0:48:44Hello?
0:48:44 > 0:48:45Michael?
0:48:45 > 0:48:48It's really gutting. I feel so bad for her.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51To think that one of the biggest competitions of her whole life
0:48:51 > 0:48:54is two months away and she can't run.
0:48:54 > 0:48:59The pressure's so hard, um, especially for Libby,
0:48:59 > 0:49:02I mean knowing that you're going to be
0:49:02 > 0:49:05competing in something as big as the Worlds, I mean...
0:49:05 > 0:49:09"World" in the title just explains itself, it's massive.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17I need to make sure that I do everything in my power
0:49:17 > 0:49:19to be ready for January.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29You know, Michael doesn't go out, and I don't really go out.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32It's not that we don't want to go out, it's just we know that
0:49:32 > 0:49:36if we want to be the best, that that's what you have to do.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39And it means that we don't really have a life.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41INAUDIBLE CHATTER ON TV
0:49:46 > 0:49:50- TV:- It's one of those things - championships can make people.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02Hello, come in! All right?
0:50:02 > 0:50:04Do you need a hand or are you OK?
0:50:04 > 0:50:08Artist Charlotte has finished the model for the bronze sculpture.
0:50:08 > 0:50:12- How are you anyway, are you all right?- I'm all right, yeah.
0:50:18 > 0:50:19Oh, wow!
0:50:21 > 0:50:23Right, the idea is that this is you
0:50:23 > 0:50:27and this is either Lincoln or Mikail,
0:50:27 > 0:50:29cos that was one of the things,
0:50:29 > 0:50:33when I watching the footage of you running with Lincoln,
0:50:33 > 0:50:37just like how synchronised you were, it was just amazing, like...
0:50:37 > 0:50:40Oh, no, I think that's really good.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43What's the eye shape made of?
0:50:43 > 0:50:46This is in wood at the moment, obviously it'll be cast in bronze,
0:50:46 > 0:50:50um, and we've got some Braille here...
0:50:50 > 0:50:52There a bit, yeah, it starts there.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55Yeah. I'm not very good at Braille, you know.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57Just to inform everyone.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03I think it's amazing. An inspirational thing.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06If you put that in the blind school the kids would love it -
0:51:06 > 0:51:09you know, ex-pupil who has went the distance
0:51:09 > 0:51:14and got an artwork for her running, you know, it's great.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16Such an achievement.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20Libby thinks it, she'll say it all tonight later, once everyone's left.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24Some people are inspired by me,
0:51:24 > 0:51:30but I really don't understand why sometimes,
0:51:30 > 0:51:35cos I don't see myself as being, um, better than anyone or anything.
0:51:38 > 0:51:42I think in some ways she's sort of, not wants people to know
0:51:42 > 0:51:45she's blind, but I think she wants to let people know
0:51:45 > 0:51:47what you can achieve by being blind,
0:51:47 > 0:51:51so it's a really difficult thing for her I think because she, you know,
0:51:51 > 0:51:53she doesn't want people to think "Oh, blind,"
0:51:53 > 0:51:56or people to feel sorry for her but she wants people to see
0:51:56 > 0:52:00that you don't have to be wrapped up in cotton wool if you're blind.
0:52:09 > 0:52:13The ankle injury only stops Libby from track training,
0:52:13 > 0:52:16but there are other drills Tom can concentrate on.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19He pushes her hard with strength and conditioning exercises
0:52:19 > 0:52:23for Libby to be in with a chance at the Championships.
0:52:32 > 0:52:33With three weeks to go,
0:52:33 > 0:52:37Libby is called in to see the UK Athletics doctor for a check-up.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39Your office has changed.
0:52:39 > 0:52:44You can squeeze the soft tissue just in front of that bone there,
0:52:44 > 0:52:48and, um, just in front of the fibula here, see all this white,
0:52:48 > 0:52:51- this is just inflamed tissue. - Oh, OK.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54- And that's where you had your injection a few weeks ago.- OK.
0:52:54 > 0:52:58So that's fine. Shall we have a quick look at that?
0:53:01 > 0:53:03- Anything?- No, it's not sore at all.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08- Hurting there?- No.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16- If I dig my thumb in? - Nope, nothing at all.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20- That's settled, isn't it?- It has, yeah.- OK, that's brilliant.- OK?
0:53:20 > 0:53:24After six weeks of uncertainty, she gets the all-clear.
0:53:24 > 0:53:29There's just time left to fit in one training session with her guides.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32Hello, you, how are you?
0:53:32 > 0:53:34Ah, not too bad.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43- Down there, yeah. - I'll be back in a second.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47Lincoln has made the decision who will accompany her to New Zealand.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49It wasn't a hard decision.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51I can assure you, it wasn't a hard decision.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54And it's not that I'm injured or anything like that,
0:53:54 > 0:53:57I just think that it's important for these two young people
0:53:57 > 0:54:01to really move on and do something, and I'm there as a supporting role.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04I'm very happy and very confident at his ability,
0:54:04 > 0:54:08and if there's any problem he can always ring me.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12With Libby, Libby's now mature enough to be able to take things on.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14I wouldn't have made this decision
0:54:14 > 0:54:16if I felt that Libby wasn't able to handle it.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19Obviously I'll be nervous when I see it on TV
0:54:19 > 0:54:21because two people I really care about will be there.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26Gold. We're going there for gold.
0:54:26 > 0:54:31Silver, bronze, you know, we'll take the medal home if that comes,
0:54:31 > 0:54:35but, you know, I'm aspiring for gold for her as well
0:54:35 > 0:54:38cos I think she deserves it.
0:54:38 > 0:54:43So, number one spot, definitely.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55Yeah, of course I'll be nervous about it,
0:54:55 > 0:54:57I always am nervous about competitions,
0:54:57 > 0:54:59but at the same time, you know,
0:54:59 > 0:55:01the fight is won, as Muhammad Ali would say,
0:55:01 > 0:55:04now in the training period, it's not won on the day.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07So as long as we're doing everything we possibly can do now,
0:55:07 > 0:55:10then that will give us the best opportunity to win on the day.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12And of course, you know, with a guide runner
0:55:12 > 0:55:14anything can go wrong or can go right,
0:55:14 > 0:55:17so there is that extra, you know, fluctuation there
0:55:17 > 0:55:19that we would not normally have to deal with.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24I think if we'd had ten weeks she would be on for a Beijing time.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26As it goes I think we're still going to do well,
0:55:26 > 0:55:30but I just can't be as confident as if we'd had ten weeks build-up here
0:55:30 > 0:55:34because doing something in six weeks, I've never done it before.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54On 6th January 2011, Team Libby arrives in New Zealand.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58She's the only Scot competing.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04At the intensive training camp before the Championships start,
0:56:04 > 0:56:06Mikail tears a hamstring.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10There are only eight days to go.
0:56:12 > 0:56:14Well, the doctors have had him in all night,
0:56:14 > 0:56:17they're doing absolutely everything they possibly can do.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20I think it's, er, touch and go. I don't think it's a serious injury,
0:56:20 > 0:56:23it's the timing of the injury, er, that's the problem.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25I felt really bad for Libby.
0:56:25 > 0:56:29I feel as though I've let my team-mate down.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31She's pretty upset. I don't want to get it on camera
0:56:31 > 0:56:33because she's so upset, she's crying.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37Plan B is Libby has her...
0:56:37 > 0:56:40another guide runner that she's familiar with
0:56:40 > 0:56:43which is, er, Lincoln Asquith,
0:56:43 > 0:56:45and we've already been on the phone to him.
0:56:45 > 0:56:50UK Athletics's budget goes out the window. Libby must race.
0:56:50 > 0:56:54Lincoln jumps on the first flight to New Zealand.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57With no time to practise, it's all down to trust.
0:56:58 > 0:57:02On 23rd January, Lincoln guides Libby in the 200 metres final.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06She wins bronze.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09Lincoln's a star! Aren't you, Lincoln?
0:57:09 > 0:57:10Two days later,
0:57:10 > 0:57:15Mikail is declared sufficiently fit to guide Libby in the 100 metres.
0:57:17 > 0:57:21- COMMENTATOR:- Kolnikova of Slovakia in lane five
0:57:21 > 0:57:25and Elizabeth Clegg of Great Britain.
0:57:30 > 0:57:32STARTING GUN FIRES
0:57:43 > 0:57:44CHEERING
0:57:48 > 0:57:51First gold medal ever in a World Champs,
0:57:51 > 0:57:52so I'm super-happy.
0:57:52 > 0:57:55It feels amazing, man.
0:57:56 > 0:58:02- ANNOUNCER:- Gold medallist and 2011 IPC Athletics World Champion,
0:58:02 > 0:58:06representing Great Britain, Elizabeth Clegg.
0:58:06 > 0:58:09CHEERING
0:58:12 > 0:58:14She's world champion,
0:58:14 > 0:58:16with the hardest year's training still to come.
0:58:16 > 0:58:20Libby's next world-class event will be in front of a home crowd -
0:58:20 > 0:58:23the London Paralympics 2012.
0:58:23 > 0:58:27# I can see for miles and miles
0:58:27 > 0:58:35# I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles
0:58:35 > 0:58:42# And miles and miles and miles and miles. #
0:58:47 > 0:58:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:51 > 0:58:54Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk