:00:00. > :00:21.Now on BBC News - it's time for the Road to Rio.
:00:22. > :00:30.This is the Road To Rio show where every month we take
:00:31. > :00:33.an in-depth look at the preparations for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic
:00:34. > :00:38.Coming up on this programme, we take a look at the highs and lows
:00:39. > :00:41.in athletics and a mixed set of performances by the British team
:00:42. > :00:45.We speak with Rory McIlroy who will be among the world's
:00:46. > :00:48.biggest names in golf computing at the Olympics for the first
:00:49. > :00:52.It's going to be a great experience going down
:00:53. > :00:55.there and being with all the other athletes in Rio and really feeling
:00:56. > :00:58.And it's a family affair for the modern
:00:59. > :01:02.We go behind the scenes with the London
:01:03. > :01:09.2012 silver medallist who is hoping to go one better in Rio.
:01:10. > :01:12.Less than five months to go before the start
:01:13. > :01:20.The 28th summer games of the modern era.
:01:21. > :01:24.The biggest event in the sporting calendar.
:01:25. > :01:26.Athletics is the sport most keenly anticipated,
:01:27. > :01:32.the blue ribbon event of every Olympics.
:01:33. > :01:37.With us now is Olympic double gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes.
:01:38. > :01:39.Dame Kelly, at this stage, can an athlete
:01:40. > :01:41.allow themselves to get excited about the Olympics?
:01:42. > :01:44.I think depending on the discipline or the experience that an athlete
:01:45. > :01:46.has, different people will be dealing
:01:47. > :01:53.At this time of year, I would either be
:01:54. > :01:56.finishing indoors or still in the midst of deep winter training.
:01:57. > :01:59.Actually, it's still a long way to go until the Olympic Games.
:02:00. > :02:02.You mentioned the indoors there, we've
:02:03. > :02:05.seen some of the British athletes in action over at the world indoor
:02:06. > :02:08.What do you make of the performances?
:02:09. > :02:14.Perhaps, could have hoped for a few more.
:02:15. > :02:16.Well, I think the key for everyone to remember
:02:17. > :02:21.So this year the priority was not to be running indoors.
:02:22. > :02:24.Some people would use indoors as a way of breaking the monotony
:02:25. > :02:28.of the winter training, some people need it.
:02:29. > :02:30.Especially, the speed sprints, jumps athletes
:02:31. > :02:33.might need it because it is good to have a competition at this
:02:34. > :02:37.Some athletes wouldn't have taken part, they wouldn't even have
:02:38. > :02:39.entertained it because it is not part of their long-term plan.
:02:40. > :02:41.I don't think you should look too much
:02:42. > :02:46.You are looking at the outdoors and it is
:02:47. > :02:49.all about the right team at the right time for the Olympics.
:02:50. > :02:51.Three big names that weren't there at the
:02:52. > :02:54.indoors, obviously, looking very much forward to seeing them compete
:02:55. > :02:56.Greg Rutherford, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Mo Farah.
:02:57. > :02:59.Phenomenal performances at London 2012 and since then how excited
:03:00. > :03:01.are you about seeing those back in action?
:03:02. > :03:03.It's always great when you get some established athletes
:03:04. > :03:07.They're the people that everyone knows.
:03:08. > :03:09.You're bringing that kudos to the sport.
:03:10. > :03:20.Especially, for athletes and British fans.
:03:21. > :03:26.Ennis-Hill to go out of the sport, have a son and then come back and be
:03:27. > :03:33.She's in a discipline where if you're in the top
:03:34. > :03:37.of the game and you are going to hold it, you are going to be
:03:38. > :03:42.To the doing seven events and to be there at the top of your game
:03:43. > :03:46.in all of those, not many people are going to be able to do it.
:03:47. > :03:51.If she pulls it off and won a gold, or even a medal, that would be
:03:52. > :03:54.Obviously, a very difficult time for athletics
:03:55. > :03:57.Is enough being done to make this a clean sport?
:03:58. > :04:01.Looking back, you start seeing a pattern.
:04:02. > :04:03.Certain countries where lots of athletes are starting to be
:04:04. > :04:12.Because how all the corruption and deceit happened in the first
:04:13. > :04:14.place, under the radar, it baffles me totally.
:04:15. > :04:16.Secondly, unless it all comes out in the open, things
:04:17. > :04:21.The fact that it has actually come out in the open
:04:22. > :04:24.there has been systematic doping, I'm sure more countries than just
:04:25. > :04:30.All the Russian athletes that have been done.
:04:31. > :04:32.In a lot of sports, not just athletics.
:04:33. > :04:43.I'm not the authority to say that but unless they absolutely have
:04:44. > :05:01.The books must say Olympic Games things have changed for the best.
:05:02. > :05:04.Some very big decisions to be made an over the next few months.
:05:05. > :05:07.Thank you very much for your time, Dame Kelly Holmes.
:05:08. > :05:10.From an established Olympic sport to one hoping to make it
:05:11. > :05:13.This summer, golf will feature for the first time in 1904.
:05:14. > :05:16.60 men and 60 women will battle it out for the medals.
:05:17. > :05:19.Places largely depending on world rankings with a maximum of four
:05:20. > :05:22.Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy has opted to compete for Ireland rather
:05:23. > :05:26.He'll be under the captaincy of Paul McGinley and they've been
:05:27. > :05:27.speaking to our reporter Stephen Watson.
:05:28. > :05:30.He's won some of golf 's biggest tournaments.
:05:31. > :05:32.And lifted many of its most famous trophies.
:05:33. > :05:35.Now Rory McIlroy will help showcase golf in Rio this summer.
:05:36. > :05:41.I never, as a golfer, I never thought that I would compete
:05:42. > :05:48.I never dreamed of winning Olympic gold, it was never part
:05:49. > :05:53.I wanted to win majors and play on Ryder Cup teams and be
:05:54. > :05:56.number one in the world but never once did I think about the Olympics.
:05:57. > :05:59.It is going to be a great experience going down
:06:00. > :06:02.there and being with all the other athletes in Rio and really
:06:03. > :06:04.feeling what an Olympic Games is like.
:06:05. > :06:07.The Irish golf team leader is former winning Ryder Cup captain
:06:08. > :06:12.He has just returned from Brazil on a scouting mission
:06:13. > :06:16.and is confident his sport will be an Olympic success.
:06:17. > :06:18.I think they will embrace it and I think it is
:06:19. > :06:24.It is a whole new world to be going over to Rio
:06:25. > :06:28.and competing with all the other sports and tried to represent golf
:06:29. > :06:31.in the best way we can and, of course, try and represent
:06:32. > :06:48.The course in Rio has been purpose-built for the games.
:06:49. > :06:52.It welcome some of golf's major stars in August.
:06:53. > :06:54.McIlroy isn't quite sure how going for gold will feel.
:06:55. > :06:57.I don't really know how to even process that because I've never
:06:58. > :07:00.thought about it I feel everything I've done in my career I dreamed
:07:01. > :07:03.about as a little kid but the Olympics, I didn't.
:07:04. > :07:05.It is such a weird thing to think about.
:07:06. > :07:08.At the same time, I know how much an Olympic gold medal
:07:09. > :07:10.means to a country and not just an individual.
:07:11. > :07:14.If that were to happen, that would obviously
:07:15. > :07:18.McIlroy like most professional players may not swap a major
:07:19. > :07:21.for an Olympic medal but he would still
:07:22. > :07:24.very much like to add one to what is already
:07:25. > :07:30.The women's highest-ranking golfers will also be competing in Rio,
:07:31. > :07:40.according to the current standings the British
:07:41. > :07:42.team would be represented by Charley Hull
:07:43. > :07:47.For them, it's a chance not to only boost the profile of the women's
:07:48. > :07:49.game but also be a part of something special.
:07:50. > :07:51.This would probably be my only chance to
:07:52. > :07:55.make the team so I think it will be a great goal of mine this year
:07:56. > :07:59.As an event, I think you always watch it growing up.
:08:00. > :08:04.It will be a great experience to go and play in them.
:08:05. > :08:07.It would be a buzz to play in the Olympics and be an Olympian.
:08:08. > :08:08.Hopefully, come away winning something.
:08:09. > :08:13.It is not like it is a team event, playing foursomes or a fourball.
:08:14. > :08:15.It still feels like you are playing for yourself as well.
:08:16. > :08:19.I think it is good that if you come away winning a gold medal,
:08:20. > :08:21.you're putting that towards the whole team
:08:22. > :08:24.Britain's cyclists have dominated the track at recent
:08:25. > :08:27.Olympics winning a total of 26 medals across the last two games.
:08:28. > :08:33.The track world championships in early March were seen as key
:08:34. > :08:38.Laura Trott was again the standout performer with scratch and Omnium
:08:39. > :08:41.But they are not the only British successes.
:08:42. > :08:48.We asked Sir Chris Hoy for his views on how the GB team is shaping up.
:08:49. > :08:50.I think the GB team are in great shape moving
:08:51. > :08:57.The last four years has been some ups and downs but it is all coming
:08:58. > :09:01.together at the right time, particularly the sprint squad
:09:02. > :09:04.with a return from Becky James who has had so many injury issues
:09:05. > :09:06.and health issues over the last two years.
:09:07. > :09:10.Jason Kenny becoming world champion in the sprint.
:09:11. > :09:13.Bradley Wiggins, I think, is crucial to the team
:09:14. > :09:18.It's great to have a rider of his talent
:09:19. > :09:28.back in the team but more than that it's his presence,
:09:29. > :09:31.it's the fact that he shoulders a lot of the pressure and the media
:09:32. > :09:34.attention and lets the rest of the team focus on the job at hand.
:09:35. > :09:37.To have somebody of his calibre on your side, it can
:09:38. > :09:49.Whether it happens, or not, I don't know.
:09:50. > :09:56.A great games would be three or four gold medals for the team and maybe
:09:57. > :09:59.one or two silver medals or bronze medals to add to the tally.
:10:00. > :10:02.I still think that GB can be the top nation overall and three
:10:03. > :10:06.or four gold medals would do the job.
:10:07. > :10:10.Great Britain's para-cyclists topped the medal table
:10:11. > :10:17.Dame Sarah Storey won gold to maintain her
:10:18. > :10:25.unbeaten international record in the individual pursuit.
:10:26. > :10:28.Kedina Cox, who's aiming to compete in both
:10:29. > :10:32.athletics and cycling in Rio, set a new world record as she won
:10:33. > :10:40.Britain 18 golds and 17 medals in total at the track
:10:41. > :10:43.Second only to the cyclists in terms of
:10:44. > :10:46.medals won at London 2012 were the rowing team.
:10:47. > :10:47.One of our most successful live exports.
:10:48. > :10:50.In fact, the only sport in which we have won
:10:51. > :10:52.a gold medal at every game since 1984.
:10:53. > :10:54.Rowers have to be all-round athletes.
:10:55. > :10:58.Preparation is not only about spending time on the water.
:10:59. > :11:01.One of the hardest challenges for them is the dreaded Ergo test
:11:02. > :11:03.where they have to go full pelt on an
:11:04. > :11:05.indoor rowing machine over a longer than race distance.
:11:06. > :11:07.The test has a very strange hold over everyone.
:11:08. > :11:13.It is one of the toughest things we do.
:11:14. > :11:20.It is your chance to say to the coach put me in the boat.
:11:21. > :11:23.The test gives the coach a score really for
:11:24. > :11:31.When we're on the water, in crews of two people or more
:11:32. > :11:35.it is hard to see who is doing what and who is making the boat go
:11:36. > :11:38.There's no way of hiding on a rowing machine.
:11:39. > :11:48.They are a test of pure physical effort at the very limit.
:11:49. > :11:52.You push yourself as hard as you can for what
:11:53. > :12:04.You have got to do that for almost 18 minutes.
:12:05. > :12:07.You have to hit it hard and you know it is going to be horrific
:12:08. > :12:11.and you just have two sit there and get through to the end.
:12:12. > :12:13.You've got to give the coach a reason to be
:12:14. > :12:18.You want to have people fighting for seats.
:12:19. > :12:19.You want to have people feeling there's
:12:20. > :12:22.not enough seats to go around and you will do everything to get
:12:23. > :12:26.No seat is ever safe until you are on the start line,
:12:27. > :12:30.I think there is a masochist inside of every rower.
:12:31. > :12:33.Since those tests, the British trials have been held at Caversham.
:12:34. > :12:35.The reigning Olympic world and European champion Helen
:12:36. > :12:37.Glover and Heather Stanning signalled their intent to win
:12:38. > :12:42.Their winning title margin is over ten
:12:43. > :12:56.Among the other notable performances, there was a ninth
:12:57. > :12:58.trials victory for Alan Campbell in the men's single sculls final.
:12:59. > :13:00.Alan Campbell who won Olympic bronze at
:13:01. > :13:04.London 2012 described it as a hard race but said he now felt that
:13:05. > :13:06.a huge weight had been lifted with this performance.
:13:07. > :13:10.Modern pentathlete Samantha Murray won the final medal of London 2012.
:13:11. > :13:14.She will be hoping to turn the silver from
:13:15. > :13:18.In her sport, athletes must tackle five
:13:19. > :13:19.separate disciplines and show-jumping is often
:13:20. > :13:21.the element which makes or breaks medal hopes.
:13:22. > :13:24.Fortunately, Samantha has had a perfect riding coach for a long
:13:25. > :13:36.Samantha Murray is reunited with her first horse
:13:37. > :13:41.Do you remember Sam when you was a baby and she was a baby?
:13:42. > :13:44.We sat her on the horse when she was about six weeks old.
:13:45. > :13:53.Every girl's dream is to have a pony and here
:13:54. > :13:55.there are loads of others, as you can see, the little ponies
:13:56. > :13:58.that we had fun with and it was the best
:13:59. > :14:01.It was priceless, what I had access to.
:14:02. > :14:03.Her grandma also introduced Sam to the sport of
:14:04. > :14:07.I saw this wagon and it said modern pentathlon on the side.
:14:08. > :14:10.So, I said, Sam, ask that man what it is, modern pentathlon?
:14:11. > :14:12.A decade later and Sylvia was in the crowd as her
:14:13. > :14:14.granddaughter won silver at London 2012.
:14:15. > :14:23.Today, Sam trains in Bath but relishes her trips
:14:24. > :14:26.Lovely. Got her on the right leg.
:14:27. > :14:35.Whenever I'm at home in Lancashire I have a trip up
:14:36. > :14:41.I get a cheese pie and then I come here and help out a bit
:14:42. > :14:45.They are still going. They've still got all these ponies.
:14:46. > :14:47.She mocks them out as well and grooms them and cleans
:14:48. > :14:54.You get her working when she comes here?
:14:55. > :15:00.With her sights set on a gold in Rio, Sam knows she can count
:15:01. > :15:03.Get the right lead, please. Good.
:15:04. > :15:05.Now, it's my profession, it's my job.
:15:06. > :15:08.It's crazy but it is quite humbling to think that it all started here.
:15:09. > :15:13.When she is on the horse, do you give her any tips or advice?
:15:14. > :15:16.Oh yeah. I can't keep my mouth shut.
:15:17. > :15:22.Few Olympic games have what you would consider
:15:23. > :15:26.Think of the worries about venues being ready on time,
:15:27. > :15:30.Then there were the pollution problems
:15:31. > :15:34.And, of course, budget cuts pre-London 2012.
:15:35. > :15:41.But Rio is in a rather unique position with problems
:15:42. > :15:46.from all of those areas just months before the games.
:15:47. > :15:49.There is also the rising threat of the Zika virus and serious
:15:50. > :15:54.To bring us up to date on the latest is the BBC's
:15:55. > :15:56.South America correspondent Wyre Davies joins me from Rio.
:15:57. > :16:02.Tell us a little bit more about the political problems
:16:03. > :16:07.Brazil is facing the perfect storm, this country is in the middle
:16:08. > :16:09.of a political crisis, economic crisis, a corruption
:16:10. > :16:11.scandal and we don't even know if the current president
:16:12. > :16:18.of Brazil Dilma Roussef will still be
:16:19. > :16:21.leading this country on August fifth when the opening ceremony takes
:16:22. > :16:36.That she won't because of the pressure on her to resign or to be
:16:37. > :16:41.impeached. Notwithstanding that, building has gone ahead. The venues
:16:42. > :16:45.are looking pretty good in the four zones around Rio but there are
:16:46. > :16:52.serious questions about financing and cuts, all because of the crisis
:16:53. > :16:56.Brazil is facing. The Zico virus has been gathering momentum and
:16:57. > :17:02.increasing concern around the continent about it. What guarantees
:17:03. > :17:06.other government given about the safety of athletes and visiting
:17:07. > :17:12.fans? Although the virus has dropped out of the headlines because of the
:17:13. > :17:16.economic crisis, it is still growing across the continent. The advice is
:17:17. > :17:20.pregnant women should not travel to Brazil for the games and people
:17:21. > :17:26.thinking about getting pregnant should think twice. Officials from
:17:27. > :17:31.the IOC have said that they wouldn't expect to see athletes in the early
:17:32. > :17:37.stages of pregnancy coming to the games. Brazil is placing all its
:17:38. > :17:41.eggs in one basket, hoping that this happening in the winter means that
:17:42. > :17:47.the impact of the virus won't be as great during the games. We have seen
:17:48. > :17:52.significant budget cuts in the city and around the country, in Rio in
:17:53. > :17:56.particularly. A lot of the cleaning up will not be now happening. The
:17:57. > :18:03.Olympic venues are looking pretty good. On a sporting front, the games
:18:04. > :18:07.will be a success. The big question is about infrastructure. Will the
:18:08. > :18:13.metro line linking the city and the Olympic Park be ready? The city has
:18:14. > :18:19.given up on cleaning the waters around the Bay where most of the
:18:20. > :18:24.sailing is taking place. These are going to be the first austerity
:18:25. > :18:28.games. Forced upon them because of the economic crisis. Most of the
:18:29. > :18:33.test events have gone very well and Olympic organisers are very happy.
:18:34. > :18:37.They don't want to see protests. The kind of things that we saw before
:18:38. > :18:42.the Confederations Cup and the World Cup. That is one reason that budgets
:18:43. > :18:46.are being cut. They don't want to give the impression that millions
:18:47. > :18:56.more dollars are being spent on venues and the games. They are very
:18:57. > :18:58.keen to keep within budget. Having said that, the political situation
:18:59. > :19:01.is beyond their control and the politics, the economics might mean
:19:02. > :19:05.that there are more problems on the streets. It will be fascinating to
:19:06. > :19:10.see what happens in the coming months. A fortnight after the
:19:11. > :19:19.Olympics finishes, competition begins for the Paralympic athletes.
:19:20. > :19:26.We caught up with the double champion Hannah Cockroft to find out
:19:27. > :19:32.how preparations are going. Going into London, I was 19, I was
:19:33. > :19:37.unknown. There was no pressure. Everybody was going to cheer for me,
:19:38. > :19:42.whether I came first or last because I was wearing a GB top. Four-year is
:19:43. > :19:48.down the line, I am seven time Olympic champion and I have a big
:19:49. > :19:53.status to uphold and it brings pressure. It is mostly pressure I
:19:54. > :19:59.put on myself. Ticket sales do worry me a little bit. It is soul
:20:00. > :20:02.destroying because you work hard to achieve these things and then you
:20:03. > :20:08.get there and you think that people don't care. It is great that we know
:20:09. > :20:11.we are going out there with a lot of British support but it would be
:20:12. > :20:18.great to have full stadiums as well, please, thanks. I lost my first race
:20:19. > :20:25.in seven years and Carrie was the one to do that. At 14 years old, it
:20:26. > :20:30.was amazing. She watched me at London and decided she wanted to
:20:31. > :20:35.beat me. It is insane and makes me want to kick myself. But it is great
:20:36. > :20:40.to have competition and we have a massively talented team and we can
:20:41. > :20:50.bring home medals. London 2012 established Hannah as one of our
:20:51. > :20:59.leading Paralympic athletes. Now, another athlete has overcome many
:21:00. > :21:05.problems to get to these games. He has suffered depression, injuries,
:21:06. > :21:12.and other disorders to get to the games. I don't think the site loss
:21:13. > :21:21.is a great partner for that. Sometimes I for get my position. I
:21:22. > :21:27.had always had problems with my eyesight but I wasn't willing to
:21:28. > :21:32.accept it. Five years ago during a routine eye check he was told he was
:21:33. > :21:39.losing his sight. There and then, his life changed forever. I thought
:21:40. > :21:46.it couldn't be real. I was very reluctant. I thought it couldn't be
:21:47. > :21:51.right. It seemed very unfair. Despite his apprehension, he has
:21:52. > :21:59.made a seamless transition into visually impaired judo. He became a
:22:00. > :22:03.world bronze medallist in 2014. Nine months ago, he suffered a serious
:22:04. > :22:08.knee injury that threatened his chances of qualifying for Rio. I
:22:09. > :22:13.don't think I dealt with it very well. I went through a very rocky
:22:14. > :22:19.part. The first four months were not about rehabilitating the neat but of
:22:20. > :22:25.the mind. I was in a very sad place. Before my injury, I think I had
:22:26. > :22:30.suffered a lot worse. I suffer from depression and then with the injury,
:22:31. > :22:35.everything seemed so unfair. It was pretty much as far as depression can
:22:36. > :22:41.go. From the darkest days, he has turned it around. Come Rio, he will
:22:42. > :22:46.be battling for gold but now he is focusing on battles closer to home.
:22:47. > :22:50.You always look back on something through the last emotion you
:22:51. > :22:56.experience. At the moment, I am very happy and I only wished to look back
:22:57. > :23:05.at the last five months so it is why I'm hesitant to look forward. That
:23:06. > :23:10.is just about all we have time for. We will be back at the end of April.
:23:11. > :23:13.For now, we will leave you with a flavour of some of the key events
:23:14. > :24:04.coming up over the next month on the road to Rio.
:24:05. > :24:14.Good afternoon. It is a beautiful day out there. A glorious Good
:24:15. > :24:15.Friday for most of us. Beautiful blue skies overhead here in