0:00:07 > 0:00:11My name is Samantha Murray and I am a modern pentathlete.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25The earliest memory I have is riding my tricycle
0:00:25 > 0:00:27when I was about four years old.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32My mum and my grandma were just good female role models.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36I look at my early years growing up on the farm. That shaped me
0:00:36 > 0:00:39and that made me ready for things to be thrown at me.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43I was a member of the Brownies and we had a swimming gala.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45I hadn't had many swimming lessons,
0:00:45 > 0:00:47but I got in the pool and my arms
0:00:47 > 0:00:48spun about as fast as possible,
0:00:48 > 0:00:49and I got to the end
0:00:49 > 0:00:51and I won the race!
0:00:51 > 0:00:52And my mum said that Brown Owl
0:00:52 > 0:00:54literally went, "Aah!"
0:00:54 > 0:00:56cos she couldn't believe it,
0:00:56 > 0:01:00that I'd just kind of got some rocket hidden up my costume or something.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04I think it was obvious then that I wasn't just full of energy,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07in trouble and a pretty gutsy girl,
0:01:07 > 0:01:09I was also really competitive
0:01:09 > 0:01:12and I liked the competitive environment.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19I was going to the swimming club, was into running,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22loved the horses and horse-riding,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25and the running coach said, "You know, if you come fencing with us,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28"you can do a pentathlon at the end of summer."
0:01:28 > 0:01:30And I loved it.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33And then at the award ceremony at the end of the day,
0:01:33 > 0:01:36there was a poster of a woman crossing a finish line,
0:01:36 > 0:01:39really muscular, like, strong-looking woman.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43That lady is called Dr Steph Cook and she won the gold medal
0:01:43 > 0:01:46in the modern pentathlon in the Sydney Olympics.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49And then, that was it, she was like my inspiration.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55And I remember my mum sent me this letter.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59She said on the front, "Open this when you feel like you most need it,"
0:01:59 > 0:02:03and inside, she'd put in pictures of me when I was a little girl,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07um, at the farm just messing about,
0:02:07 > 0:02:09and it... Oh!
0:02:09 > 0:02:12..it was like...
0:02:12 > 0:02:15just cos I'm going to the Olympics and doing my dream, I'm still me.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Samantha Murray.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Quite a surprise to some people,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22so many highly-ranked women
0:02:22 > 0:02:24modern pentathletes in this country.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28The fencing, for me, was like... if I could do a good score,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31I'd definitely be able to make the podium,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34and I think that's why walking into the hall, I was really scared.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Sam doesn't want to be rushed into doing something
0:02:36 > 0:02:38that she might regret, but she gets that touch.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Next, we went to the swimming pool
0:02:43 > 0:02:46and I felt a little bit drained, a bit tired.
0:02:46 > 0:02:47Take your marks...
0:02:54 > 0:02:56I came second in the swim,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59and this is when we knew that we were rocking and rolling
0:02:59 > 0:03:02and there was a medal that was possibly going to come.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04It was the riding next,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08so nerve-racking, 24,000 people
0:03:08 > 0:03:10watching you on a horse.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13And then I thought, "No, Samantha, come on, focus, ride,"
0:03:13 > 0:03:15and then I was like, "OK, right turn to the next fence."
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Two fences down
0:03:18 > 0:03:20and 20 time faults as well.
0:03:20 > 0:03:21I got through the riding
0:03:21 > 0:03:23and I was kind of in fourth place
0:03:23 > 0:03:24after the ride, and then we were
0:03:24 > 0:03:26going into the combined event
0:03:26 > 0:03:28of run and shoot. I'm ready to run, but at the same time,
0:03:28 > 0:03:30I'm ready to pick up my pistol.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32It's all about combining precision
0:03:32 > 0:03:33with power and speed,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35which is quite difficult to do.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38So every time I hit the target, the crowd would chant,
0:03:38 > 0:03:42"One, two, three,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45"four, five... Wahey!"
0:03:45 > 0:03:46That really lifted me,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48it kept me really fighting.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50And when she re-enters the arena
0:03:50 > 0:03:51here in Greenwich,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53you will hear the crowd roar her home.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55It's going to be a silver medal
0:03:55 > 0:03:56for Great Britain!
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Samantha Murray, 22 years old,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02a true Lancashire lass.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05I crossed the line and, yeah, I'd done it,
0:04:05 > 0:04:07I'd got what I came for. I'd got the medal, and...
0:04:07 > 0:04:10it's going to be here forever,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12for the rest of time, that it's mine.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Don't limit your opportunities. Don't do something just because
0:04:19 > 0:04:23your friends are doing it, or cos it's cool, or because it's easy.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28Do something that motivates you and actually, somewhere inside you,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31really inspires you and makes you feel excited.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41My name is Etienne Stott, I'm a canoe slalomist,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43and I won the gold medal in the London Olympics
0:04:43 > 0:04:45with my crewmate, Tim Bailey.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47This is looking good for Great Britain.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Tight in, and you see Etienne at the back
0:04:49 > 0:04:53putting the power down as they turn the bow, back down,
0:04:53 > 0:04:54one gate to go.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03When I was younger, I always remember being quite lively,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07but also kind of shy and a little bit uncomfortable with people.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10I wasn't in the cool gang, for sure.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14I think when I was a kid, everyone's looking to try and find
0:05:14 > 0:05:16the sort of person that they want to be,
0:05:16 > 0:05:18and the sort of person that you are,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21it is you, but you can also add things onto that
0:05:21 > 0:05:24and make yourself into a slightly different person.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27When I got involved with canoeing, I met a lot of people
0:05:27 > 0:05:30who I really liked and I thought they were really sound,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32cool and interesting people and they were living a life that
0:05:32 > 0:05:34I suppose I could see myself living.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Canoeing on white water is a dynamic environment,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43there's a lot of power, and it can be dangerous, you know.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45There is white water even now that I would look at and think,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48"There's no way I'm going down that!"
0:05:48 > 0:05:50One of the cool things about canoe slalom is that
0:05:50 > 0:05:53it's a time-trial race, we're not racing in lanes,
0:05:53 > 0:05:55head-to-head, against each other,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57we're basically racing against the rapid.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00So in that way, it kind of sets us free.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02It's not about beating your competitors,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04it's about actually doing your best
0:06:04 > 0:06:06and putting your best out onto the racecourse,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09and if you can do that, you know that you'll be successful.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14I just wanted to do something that was going to take me on a journey,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17I suppose, you know, absorb my energy and absorb my interest.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20So I remember one of my early memories in...
0:06:20 > 0:06:24in canoeing was when we were going on our Scout camp,
0:06:24 > 0:06:28our annual Scout camp, and they let us go down this little rapid,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30a little gravelly shoal rapid.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32My Scout leader Tim said to me,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35"Oh, man, you were brilliant out there, you must be a natural,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38"it must be your Canadian blood. You really know which way to paddle."
0:06:38 > 0:06:41My mum is Canadian, so I am half-Canadian.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44It kind of went in my mind and I was like, "Wow, that's cool,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47"you know, I did actually go down that rapid, I can do this.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49"I could be good at this, and he thinks I'm good."
0:06:49 > 0:06:51And that sort of flicked a little switch in my mind
0:06:51 > 0:06:54and kind of encouraged me and I suppose inspired me, really.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57And that really did change my life at that point.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02In training, we crashed into an obstacle
0:07:02 > 0:07:05and the force tore my shoulder from its socket
0:07:05 > 0:07:07and dislocated my shoulder joint.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09It's a very, very painful injury
0:07:09 > 0:07:13and it's also very, very serious for a canoeist and kayakist.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15At that point, all our plans that we'd made
0:07:15 > 0:07:18going towards the London Olympics just kind of...
0:07:18 > 0:07:20disappeared, went up in smoke.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Great Britain are flying here,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25no penalties whatsoever.
0:07:25 > 0:07:26Valiant Stott,
0:07:26 > 0:07:30through the finish line, 106.41!
0:07:30 > 0:07:32So amazingly, it turned out, you know,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34I managed to win one of these that day,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37but 18 months before, it looked like it was going to be impossible.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Olympic champions in Canoe Slalom.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44And I suppose this gold medal is so special because we won it,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46but a lot of people really helped us,
0:07:46 > 0:07:48so it's divided into lots and lots of small pieces
0:07:48 > 0:07:52and a lot of people own a little piece of this,
0:07:52 > 0:07:54and I think that's what's so cool about it.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Sometimes, you come to a wave and it kicks you one way,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02and sometimes, you seem to come to that exact same wave
0:08:02 > 0:08:04in the same way and it kicks you the other,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06but you're always trying to react to the rapid
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and react to the river in a way that gives you the best outcome.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12That's why I think it is a little bit like life, in some ways,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15that sort of idea of trying to do your absolute best at something,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18and also, the idea of learning from everything that you do.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22So if it turns out good or bad or absolutely terrible,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25I always try and, you know, notice that little thought
0:08:25 > 0:08:27and that little noise in my mind and say to myself,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30actually, nobody knows the future, so it doesn't matter
0:08:30 > 0:08:33where you are at that point, it's where you think you could be,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35or where you have the imagination to end up.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45My name's Gemma Gibbons, I'm an Olympic judo player
0:08:45 > 0:08:47and I fight in the weight category under 78 kilograms.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00I grew up in Charlton, in Greenwich, in South-East London,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02and that's where I've lived my whole life.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04It was just me and my mum growing up.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08When I was young, I had a lot of energy
0:09:08 > 0:09:09and I was running around all the time,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12and I think that's why my mum took me to judo,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14to probably get me to waste a bit of that energy
0:09:14 > 0:09:16so I was a bit more calm when I was at home.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17Go on, Gemma!
0:09:17 > 0:09:20When I first went to the judo club, I was actually really shy,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22but as soon as I stepped on the mat, I loved it,
0:09:22 > 0:09:26and couldn't wait to get to go back each week.
0:09:26 > 0:09:27Go on, Gemma!
0:09:27 > 0:09:30My mum was my biggest supporter, she always took me to training,
0:09:30 > 0:09:32went to all my competitions with me,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and then sadly, when I was 17, she died of cancer.
0:09:41 > 0:09:46I'm actually the first Judo Great Britain Olympic medallist
0:09:46 > 0:09:49in 12 years, and actually, funnily enough,
0:09:49 > 0:09:54the person who won the last Olympic medal for Great Britain in Judo
0:09:54 > 0:09:58was a lady called Kate Howey, who's actually my coach.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Kate's a massive inspiration.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05When I was younger, she was the person that I looked up to,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08the person that I wanted to be like, the person who I'd get excited
0:10:08 > 0:10:10if they were in my magazine,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13and if I ever saw, her I would've been really, really excited.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18I think it's really important to have role models, it was brilliant
0:10:18 > 0:10:21having Kate as a role model growing up, she definitely was to me,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24and I know for thousands of other young girls and boys
0:10:24 > 0:10:27around the country. I don't feel like a role model,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30but I also know that I probably am,
0:10:30 > 0:10:32and I just hope that I do a good job of being one.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Judo's a sport which originated in Japan, it's about...
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Everything in judo is about technique, it's about power,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45it's about strength, speed, and agility.
0:10:45 > 0:10:50Judo is one of the only sports where you need
0:10:50 > 0:10:53every physical attribute going to be good at it.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I think it's really hard when people have high expectations of you,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01because you don't want to let yourself down
0:11:01 > 0:11:04or let anyone else down. But going into the Games,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08I wasn't expected to win, but I knew if I fought my best
0:11:08 > 0:11:11and gave it everything, we could come away with a win.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13And in the quarter-finals,
0:11:13 > 0:11:14I faced a girl from Holland.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19Again, at the time, she was in the top ten in the world, I was ranked
0:11:19 > 0:11:2442nd in the world, and I managed to go out there and win.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27It was a great feeling to make the semi-final.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30It was a pretty close fight, at the end of the five minutes
0:11:30 > 0:11:34and still no score, so it went into something called golden score.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Is this Gemma Gibbons' moment?
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Golden score - it's the first score,
0:11:38 > 0:11:40as small as it is, as big as it is,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43as soon as that score's scored, that person wins.
0:11:43 > 0:11:44- Oh, yes!- She's done it!
0:11:48 > 0:11:51I don't think I ever imagined that I would be in a semi-final
0:11:51 > 0:11:54and win and be on my way to an Olympic final.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I'd imagined it since a young age.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00I try not to think of my mum on competition days,
0:12:00 > 0:12:04cos obviously, it's something that makes me feel sad,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07but after I got through to the Olympic final,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10I was just overcome with different emotions
0:12:10 > 0:12:12and it was something that just came out, that I said,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14"I love you, Mum."
0:12:17 > 0:12:22When my mum died, I realised just how much your parents do for you
0:12:22 > 0:12:24and I just wanted to say, thank you and I love you.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28The Olympic final definitely could've gone the other way,
0:12:28 > 0:12:31but I'm just really happy that
0:12:31 > 0:12:32I was lucky enough for my judo
0:12:32 > 0:12:35to come off at the right time,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37because there's a lot of people out there
0:12:37 > 0:12:39that are as good as...
0:12:39 > 0:12:41at judo as me, probably better,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44and unfortunately, that day wasn't their day, and they didn't
0:12:44 > 0:12:47come away with a medal, so I feel really lucky that I did.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53What I'd say, probably - don't moan as much,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56cos I did definitely love a moan when I was younger,
0:12:56 > 0:13:00and although the majority of the time, I did try my hardest,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03there were times when I didn't, and I'd just like to say to myself
0:13:03 > 0:13:05to always try your best,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08cos then you can never be upset with yourself.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19My name is Carl Hester, I'm from the island of Sark,
0:13:19 > 0:13:20in the Channel Islands.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Dressage means to train a horse,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25and that actually goes back to
0:13:25 > 0:13:28when we used to use horses for fighting in war,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31and they were trained in some of these movements
0:13:31 > 0:13:33to help the riders get out of a situation
0:13:33 > 0:13:34where they might be killed.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41I'm from Sark, which is an island in the Channel Islands,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43very small, 600 people live there,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45and it's only 3.5 miles long
0:13:45 > 0:13:47and 1.5 miles wide.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50My school was just literally one room.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52There was 22 of us in that room
0:13:52 > 0:13:55and we had one teacher, and that teacher taught us all subjects.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59We would finish school at 3:30 on Sark
0:13:59 > 0:14:03and we would be down the beach and often picking up a donkey
0:14:03 > 0:14:05that I used to ride on the way, and we used to lead this donkey
0:14:05 > 0:14:08down to the beach, and without anyone knowing,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11my friend and I would charge ten pence a ride on this donkey,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14so we could make some pocket money.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16We used to do that for a bit of fun,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18and that was our after-school entertainment.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24I was very much inspired by my grandmother.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27When my gran said to me, "You're going to England
0:14:27 > 0:14:29"and you are going to really follow your dream,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32"because you cannot do that in a small place like this,"
0:14:32 > 0:14:35I came to England for a week's work experience.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37I was totally blown away.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40I had never been in stables, I had never been around horses
0:14:40 > 0:14:42that were pampered by lots of people.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45All of our horses, where I come from, lived in fields
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and didn't see brushes, didn't see shampoo.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51When you turn out a horse, if you're competing,
0:14:51 > 0:14:53presentation is so important.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00Grand Prix is the top end of my sport
0:15:00 > 0:15:05and not every horse is actually going to be able to make that level.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07What we're working on is teaching them
0:15:07 > 0:15:09that they go in a straight line
0:15:09 > 0:15:11when you tell them to go in a straight line.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14When we touch them with our legs, that's the accelerator,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17so at that point, the horse has to increase speed.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20And then very subtly, we use the reins,
0:15:20 > 0:15:24which is giving the horse signals either to bend, turn,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27go straight, or start, or stop.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33At international top level, we have seven judges.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38We are being marked on 36 individual movements
0:15:38 > 0:15:41and the first thing we have to do is just canter
0:15:41 > 0:15:45straight up the middle of the arena, we stand still, and we trot off.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52The canter pirouette is the most difficult thing in canter
0:15:52 > 0:15:53and you'll see the horse turning
0:15:53 > 0:15:58and he has to do six to eight steps, in a balance, all the way round.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01Obviously, if you get the difficult things right
0:16:01 > 0:16:03and you get an eight or a nine, or even a ten out of ten,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06which is possible, that can really lift your score
0:16:06 > 0:16:07to gold-medal position.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Take it all in...
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Carl Hester.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19When I started competing,
0:16:19 > 0:16:24I did 15 years of not winning a medal.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29It does go to show that if you stick at it long enough,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32keep trying to get better, watch the other competitors...
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Yes, we all have to have a little bit of luck,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37but I think the harder that I work, the luckier I get.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40None of us have ever reached perfection,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42none of us ever get that 100 per cent,
0:16:42 > 0:16:47it's still unobtainable. So that has made me strive for years
0:16:47 > 0:16:52to try and reach that level, and the fact that this is
0:16:52 > 0:16:56as good as it gets in my sport is very special to me.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02For me to be successful in my career, I had to learn
0:17:02 > 0:17:07in the beginning that it was not about money, it was about hard work.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17My name is Christine Ohuruogu
0:17:17 > 0:17:19and I'm a 400-metre runner for Great Britain.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Christine Ohuruogu has really attacked this first 200!
0:17:27 > 0:17:32I think my real venture into sport, where I started
0:17:32 > 0:17:35thinking about it seriously, would've been in secondary school.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38I became a regular and a feature on the netball team
0:17:38 > 0:17:40and my love for netball just blossomed.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42I really, really stuck at it.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44I think after a while, they said that
0:17:44 > 0:17:46they had trials for the county netball team
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and, to my surprise, I got through!
0:17:49 > 0:17:52And I said, "One day, I'm going to play for England."
0:17:52 > 0:17:57I made the England under-17s, then again for England under-19s.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01So for a lot of my childhood, netball was my first love.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10I didn't start running until I was about 16 years old,
0:18:10 > 0:18:11and I only did 400,
0:18:11 > 0:18:17because at the club I was at, nobody else wanted to do it.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21I was told, it's one lap of a track, just jog the first bit,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24and then try and sprint really hard for the last half.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27I think because I was successful and I didn't complain,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30they put me in for the next race, and the next, and the next,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33and then before you knew, I was a resident 400-metre runner.
0:18:37 > 0:18:43My spark for athletics happened around the school sports day
0:18:43 > 0:18:46and I trained for it, you know,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48I took it really seriously.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50You know, when people run and they say they enjoy, like,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53feeling the wind, I think especially as a kid and you...
0:18:53 > 0:18:56you're running really fast, you actually do feel like you're flying.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59It's an immense sense of freedom.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01It kind of got me thinking, like,
0:19:01 > 0:19:07if I trained as hard as I did for netball, and I was able to...
0:19:07 > 0:19:11go far, what would happen if I did the same thing for athletics?
0:19:14 > 0:19:17The London Olympics was...
0:19:17 > 0:19:22in my mind, approaching with a lot of mixed feelings.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24I was Olympic champion from Beijing,
0:19:24 > 0:19:29I just knew that I couldn't allow this to not work out for me.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32For the final, I was really nervous at the start line,
0:19:32 > 0:19:37thinking, this is it, this is everything I've been working towards.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42So you're standing there waiting,
0:19:42 > 0:19:43getting really nervous on the start line,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46and you get into the blocks, you think,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49"OK, this is it." The man says, "On your marks," you think,
0:19:49 > 0:19:53"OK, getting closer and closer." "Set." Then, "Go," the gun goes.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02I had one focus, which was to try and chase the girl on the outside,
0:20:02 > 0:20:03because I was in lane eight.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06I lost a bit of ground with the girl on the outside
0:20:06 > 0:20:10and I think that's something that I paid for heavily.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13You know, when you're running, you're making decisions all the time.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16You're constantly thinking about your pace
0:20:16 > 0:20:19and your mind's full of the people that are on the inside lane,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21who might be coming through.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23Sanya Richards-Ross coming through
0:20:23 > 0:20:24and Christine Ohuruogu is coming again!
0:20:24 > 0:20:27As I was running, coming down the home straight,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29I believe that I was running really well,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32and I know that when I came off the line, I was a bit disappointed,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35getting a silver medal, but when I did my lap of honour
0:20:35 > 0:20:38and I saw how proud everybody was, it really did get to me.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41I started crying because I just couldn't believe
0:20:41 > 0:20:44that everybody was so happy and, like, I'd made their night.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52It's proven that if people are active and take part in some activity,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55they feel better, and if people feel better, they're more productive
0:20:55 > 0:20:59and they're more likely to go out there, look for opportunities,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01and to go out and push themselves, without saying,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03"Oh, it's too hard."
0:21:03 > 0:21:06They're more likely to go out and feel better about themselves.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09So that's why sport is great on so many levels.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20I would sort of describe myself as a kid that was definitely
0:21:20 > 0:21:22very sort of driven and focused when I was young.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30The first time I did a gym session was in, like, a local leisure centre.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31I sort of walk in quite shy
0:21:31 > 0:21:34and then I'm basically just running round like a nutter.
0:21:34 > 0:21:35I knew I loved it straightaway.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41I was 12 when I did my first international competition
0:21:41 > 0:21:44for Great Britain. Competing with the Union Flag on your chest
0:21:44 > 0:21:46is one of the best feelings in the world.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50I just love competing, you know, for my country and just making,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53like, my family proud, and really thought, this is what I want to do.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Men's gymnastics is split into six apparatus.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03You've got the floor, which is generally all legs.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08You've got the pommel horse, which is all upper-body strength.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10The vault is just absolute power,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13it's almost like the 100-metre sprint for gymnastics.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Parallel bars is very technical.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Lovely stuff. And this is lovely swinging from Sam Oldham.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25And then the high bar is sort of the big event
0:22:25 > 0:22:27at the end that the crowd tend to love the most,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30and it's almost a bit like watching the circus
0:22:30 > 0:22:31and you just throw yourself about
0:22:31 > 0:22:32and you have to...
0:22:32 > 0:22:34catch this bar at two metres high.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39It is really dangerous, what you do.
0:22:39 > 0:22:40If something's just
0:22:40 > 0:22:42a little bit wrong, you know,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44you can get injured very easily,
0:22:44 > 0:22:46and I've had loads of injuries.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48The only sort of way I can describe
0:22:48 > 0:22:50the relationship with my body is almost like -
0:22:50 > 0:22:54a builder has his tools in his toolbox, but my tools is my body.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57The only reason I can do what I'm doing is my body.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00I've got to make sure it's in the best shape it can be in all the time.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06I got goose bumps everywhere, it just went through me.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Can Sam Oldham capitalise?
0:23:13 > 0:23:14I was incredibly nervous
0:23:14 > 0:23:17and trying to just go through my normal routine.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19I was doing my elements and I was just, you know, shaking
0:23:19 > 0:23:22because of the adrenaline and the nerves and excitement.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30As soon as I landed that first dismount, I was on my feet,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33that was it, it was just complete relief,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35and the crowd went absolutely nuts.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38We qualified for the team final for the first time in however many years,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41and it was almost like every hour that went by
0:23:41 > 0:23:43was one hour closer to day of days.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45It was really nerve-racking.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Great Britain take a bronze
0:23:48 > 0:23:50in the men's team final!
0:23:50 > 0:23:54And, look... Royal approval! Royal approval!
0:23:54 > 0:23:56What more could you want?!
0:23:56 > 0:24:00To have an Olympic medal is crazy, it really is.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03It still doesn't feel like I've got one.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07In gymnastics, the Olympics is the pinnacle, it really is.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09When I was 12, 13 years old,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12I was training 45 hours a week.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14You know, adults don't work that much.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18It's just such a massive sense of relief to get to now
0:24:18 > 0:24:21and actually have one, and for it to have all paid off.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27I hope, you know, in the future, in four years' time,
0:24:27 > 0:24:29I'll be able to get my hands on a couple more.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32'This really is a dream come true, we've been working so hard...'
0:24:32 > 0:24:35for so many years, and to repeat what we did in qualifying
0:24:35 > 0:24:36is just unbelievable.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Honestly, it's just a dream come true and I cannot believe this.
0:24:39 > 0:24:40We did amazing today.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46You're always going to have fears, whatever you do.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49You know, whether it's starting a new job or...
0:24:49 > 0:24:51in gymnastics, trying a new skill, or diving,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54jumping off the ten-metre board for the first time.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Whatever it may be, there's always going to be fears,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00but it's how you overcome them and how you get through them
0:25:00 > 0:25:05and that's, you know, it's not always about the end result,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07it's about the journey.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17My name's Katherine Grainger and I refer to myself as Katherine.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Rowing falls into two categories.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23It's called sweep and sculling.
0:25:23 > 0:25:24If it's sweep, you only have one oar,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26and if it's sculling, you have two.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30When I was growing up,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32I'd never thought of sport as a potential career.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34You know, the British team was something that
0:25:34 > 0:25:37I could never be part of. Certainly, when I started rowing,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40I wasn't the best at it, I wasn't the best by a long way.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42In fact, I was one of the worst. But I loved it,
0:25:42 > 0:25:44I loved what I did, and it took someone else
0:25:44 > 0:25:47saying to me, "Go and have a go, just try. Just see, why not?
0:25:47 > 0:25:49"What have you got to lose?"
0:25:52 > 0:25:55When I was at university, I spent the first year rowing,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58but being awful, but then I thought, well, I'm in my second year,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02and was quite confident. I knew how to row now, I'd be fine.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06And they selected four boats and I wasn't in any of them,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09so I completely, completely failed.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12And I left the meeting and I walked up this hill -
0:26:12 > 0:26:14I was in Edinburgh, this hill in the middle of the city -
0:26:14 > 0:26:18and it was quite dark and I just climbed this hill on my own.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22I was so frustrated and so annoyed at myself and so disappointed,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24and I just thought, at that point,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28"I will never find myself back in this situation,"
0:26:28 > 0:26:31and that's still the mentality I have now.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33I never feel I'm good enough,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35I never feel I've got all the answers in my sport,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37I always want to be better at it.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Rowing's all about rhythm. You use all your different muscles.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Your legs are the strongest bit we have, so it's about
0:26:46 > 0:26:49really driving the legs strongly and fast and hard.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52You're creating huge amounts of power and force.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56it's very smooth and it's within time with the boat,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59it's in time with the water. When you create the two together,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01then you get pure speed.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07The start line of the Olympics is an interesting place.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09It's surprisingly quiet.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11I could feel my heart pounding.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13I could hear it, it was so quiet.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15And as terrifying as
0:27:15 > 0:27:16this moment was about to be,
0:27:16 > 0:27:18I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24For the fourth and final time in Katherine Grainger's
0:27:24 > 0:27:25long and established career,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28she leaves the start line now in an Olympic final.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Feels like you're going into battle, taking on the world,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33with this one other person with you.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Ladies and gentleman, what we are seeing right now
0:27:37 > 0:27:38is that dreams do come true,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41and Great Britain's Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins
0:27:41 > 0:27:45are going to win a gold medal in the women's double sculls!
0:27:49 > 0:27:51The last few hundred metres was truly deafening
0:27:51 > 0:27:53cos of the crowds.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57I didn't want to think about winning,
0:27:57 > 0:27:59I didn't want to think about the crowd.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02I just wanted to think about getting the boat still moving
0:28:02 > 0:28:04as well as it could possibly move until we crossed the line.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06So it wasn't until I crossed the line
0:28:06 > 0:28:09that I kind of lifted the lid on the emotional side.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11At long, long last,
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Katherine Grainger is the Olympic champion,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17and the crowd are going mad!
0:28:22 > 0:28:25The biggest thing I would say to anyone is -
0:28:25 > 0:28:29you're all capable of far more than you know right now,
0:28:29 > 0:28:32but you might think there are limits
0:28:32 > 0:28:34and other people might tell you there are limits,
0:28:34 > 0:28:36but you have no idea what you're capable of,
0:28:36 > 0:28:38and the biggest thing you owe yourself
0:28:38 > 0:28:41is the chance to go out there and find out just what you can do.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd