Episode 10

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0:00:30 > 0:00:37.

0:00:42 > 0:00:46Here comes Kelly Holmes, the crowd are on their feet!

0:00:46 > 0:00:49Good footwork by DeGale, what a start.

0:00:49 > 0:00:51Denise Lewis, Olympic champion.

0:00:51 > 0:00:55And Rebecca Adlington is bringing it home for Great Britain.

0:01:04 > 0:01:08Great Britain get the gold medal!

0:01:08 > 0:01:09Yes, yes, yes!

0:01:09 > 0:01:13Kelly Holmes for Great Britain, what a performance!

0:01:13 > 0:01:15James DeGale is the Olympic champion.

0:01:15 > 0:01:17Absolutely brilliant.

0:01:17 > 0:01:19Chris Hoy of Great Britain takes gold.

0:01:33 > 0:01:38The International Olympic Committee has the honour of announcing that

0:01:38 > 0:01:42the Games of the 30th Olympiad in 2012

0:01:42 > 0:01:46are awarded to the city of... London.

0:02:06 > 0:02:112012 is with us and all eyes are on London as the city prepares

0:02:11 > 0:02:14to stage the greatest show on earth.

0:02:24 > 0:02:27Alongside the city's more familiar historic sites,

0:02:27 > 0:02:29new landmarks have grown up to welcome athletes

0:02:29 > 0:02:32and spectators alike to the Olympic Games.

0:02:40 > 0:02:44This will be the main route into the Olympic Park

0:02:44 > 0:02:47for the hundreds of thousands of visitors lucky enough

0:02:47 > 0:02:50to have the chance to come here and see the action in person.

0:02:50 > 0:02:53Hopefully it'll be a lot less icy, though, come July.

0:02:53 > 0:02:57No matter how you're intending on watching the Games, though,

0:02:57 > 0:03:00here on Olympic Dreams, we'll help to get you closer to the athletes

0:03:00 > 0:03:03set to grace this most spectacular of stages.

0:03:03 > 0:03:05In this episode, we'll bring you horse riders,

0:03:05 > 0:03:07beach boys

0:03:07 > 0:03:09and rhythm and blues.

0:03:09 > 0:03:13But first, one of Britain's brightest hopes for gold at the Games,

0:03:13 > 0:03:16open-water swimming world champion Keri-Anne Payne.

0:03:16 > 0:03:19Nick Hope joined her as she headed for crucial altitude training

0:03:19 > 0:03:22at Spain's stunning Sierra Nevada.

0:03:44 > 0:03:46You feel pretty awful.

0:03:46 > 0:03:49Everything you do, walking up the stairs,

0:03:49 > 0:03:51getting up to brush your teeth or something,

0:03:51 > 0:03:54does feel quite difficult because of the lack of oxygen.

0:03:54 > 0:03:55Your heart starts to pound,

0:03:55 > 0:03:58your body just generally getting used to being up here

0:03:58 > 0:04:00and the differences needed to compensate.

0:04:06 > 0:04:09A new stimulus in swimming is fundamental

0:04:09 > 0:04:12because it's what we call the black line fever.

0:04:12 > 0:04:15You're swimming up and down the same pool.

0:04:15 > 0:04:17So, a new pool, a new training environment,

0:04:17 > 0:04:21does create extra motivation for the athletes to help them take that next step.

0:04:21 > 0:04:25One thing you can do, being up a mountain, is focus on what

0:04:25 > 0:04:28you're doing because there's not a right lot else to do.

0:04:28 > 0:04:31So they really can focus on the detail of their stroke,

0:04:31 > 0:04:32of their sets.

0:04:32 > 0:04:36It's a lot harder, but it does create a fitter athlete

0:04:36 > 0:04:37when you get home.

0:04:47 > 0:04:50We're training, we're eating, we're doing gym

0:04:50 > 0:04:52and we're sleeping in the same building,

0:04:52 > 0:04:53so it can be a bit monotonous,

0:04:53 > 0:04:55but it's definitely worth it in the end.

0:04:55 > 0:04:58I wouldn't change it for any other kind of location,

0:04:58 > 0:05:01but it is nice to go down to the town and do different things.

0:05:01 > 0:05:03And when it snows, it's quite nice as well

0:05:03 > 0:05:06cos we can at least try and make some sort of snowman somewhere.

0:05:11 > 0:05:15Now into the Olympic year, interest in Keri-Anne is certainly growing.

0:05:15 > 0:05:18She's been signed up as the face of several leading brands

0:05:18 > 0:05:20and become one of the poster girls for London 2012.

0:05:20 > 0:05:24But it's all very different to her life in sport.

0:05:24 > 0:05:27Open water isn't exactly the most glamorous of sports.

0:05:27 > 0:05:29I've swam in rivers in China

0:05:29 > 0:05:31which was probably the worst thing I've ever done in my life.

0:05:31 > 0:05:34I've swam in the Hudson River where it meets the sea

0:05:34 > 0:05:36and it was really wavy and really dirty,

0:05:36 > 0:05:39but an amazing experience cos I swam past the Statue of Liberty.

0:05:39 > 0:05:41But then, swimming in the sea

0:05:41 > 0:05:44and there's thousands and thousands of jellyfish,

0:05:44 > 0:05:46but we had no choice, but to swim through them

0:05:46 > 0:05:48and get stung constantly for two hours.

0:05:48 > 0:05:52So, yeah, it's not really all that glamorous!

0:05:52 > 0:05:56Keri-Anne's hoping her wedding later this year will, though.

0:05:56 > 0:05:58She's engaged to fellow Stockport swimmer

0:05:58 > 0:06:01and two-time Commonwealth champion David Carry.

0:06:01 > 0:06:04It's really nice to have David on the team with me.

0:06:04 > 0:06:06It's really nice that we both get to experience

0:06:06 > 0:06:08the same kind of atmosphere.

0:06:08 > 0:06:10We get to see different places like this.

0:06:10 > 0:06:13Everybody always talks to us about weddings,

0:06:13 > 0:06:15"I can't believe you're doing it after the Olympics.

0:06:15 > 0:06:19"It's so stressful. Oh, my goodness, you're going to be stressed!"

0:06:19 > 0:06:21We don't class stress, I guess, as what everybody else does

0:06:21 > 0:06:24cos we're so used to this environment of high-performance sports.

0:06:24 > 0:06:28I always see home as like a sanctuary away from swimming

0:06:28 > 0:06:31and we don't often talk about swimming when we're at home.

0:06:31 > 0:06:34We've got that balance between having a real professional,

0:06:34 > 0:06:37dedicated attitude throughout the week

0:06:37 > 0:06:39and then at the weekends, we can kind of...

0:06:39 > 0:06:40We have a semi-normal life,

0:06:40 > 0:06:44although we're not going to bars until whatever...midnight.

0:06:44 > 0:06:47I don't think I've seen midnight for about three years!

0:06:47 > 0:06:50I think it's a pretty good balance and we get on pretty well, as well.

0:06:50 > 0:06:54Keri-Anne and always needs a project before a big competition.

0:06:54 > 0:06:57What better project to have than a wedding?

0:06:57 > 0:07:01The Olympics is important and it is the thing that we train for.

0:07:01 > 0:07:05It is pretty much our job, but at the end of the day, for us,

0:07:05 > 0:07:07I think the Olympic... The Olympics!

0:07:07 > 0:07:09The wedding's more important!

0:07:10 > 0:07:13No, really. Genuinely. Yeah.

0:07:13 > 0:07:18No, it is more important and it is going to be the beginning

0:07:18 > 0:07:22of something very different and new for us, and it's very exciting.

0:07:22 > 0:07:23Well saved.

0:07:26 > 0:07:29Talk me through your experience in Beijing.

0:07:29 > 0:07:32I have absolutely no regrets about that race.

0:07:32 > 0:07:34I did everything I possibly could

0:07:34 > 0:07:36and I got the best result I possibly could out of that swim.

0:07:36 > 0:07:38I find that if I'm in the front,

0:07:38 > 0:07:41I know where I am and I don't have to think.

0:07:41 > 0:07:44I don't have to try and count heads, how many people are in front of me,

0:07:44 > 0:07:47how many people are around me. We led for 9,950 metres of the race.

0:07:47 > 0:07:49I had to do everything I could to make sure that

0:07:49 > 0:07:52not many people passed me and it turned out that only one did.

0:07:52 > 0:07:56FEMALE ANNOUNCER SPEAKS MANDARIN

0:07:56 > 0:07:59- MALE ANNOUNCER:- Keri-Anne Payne.

0:07:59 > 0:08:01In 2008, she got a silver,

0:08:01 > 0:08:03backed it up the next year with the world championship,

0:08:03 > 0:08:07then she got a medal in the pool, which she never got before,

0:08:07 > 0:08:10and then world champion again this year.

0:08:10 > 0:08:13So, Olympics next year, she's going to be clearly one of the favourites,

0:08:13 > 0:08:17but I don't think Keri-Anne and myself will take anything for granted.

0:08:17 > 0:08:19We've got to still do the job.

0:08:19 > 0:08:21Having a successful Games is going to be

0:08:21 > 0:08:24making sure I absolutely enjoy every second of it.

0:08:24 > 0:08:27Making sure I really do savour every moment of a home Olympics

0:08:27 > 0:08:30because everybody says this all the time, it's such a cliche,

0:08:30 > 0:08:33it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and it totally is.

0:08:33 > 0:08:36I'd hate to finish it and get out and think,

0:08:36 > 0:08:38"Hmm, I didn't really enjoy that,"

0:08:38 > 0:08:40or, "I wish I'd done something better,"

0:08:40 > 0:08:41or, "I wish I'd done that."

0:08:41 > 0:08:43So my goal and my aim is to just make sure

0:08:43 > 0:08:45that I have the best possible time I can,

0:08:45 > 0:08:47and really savour every moment of that,

0:08:47 > 0:08:50whether that's disappointment success, or happiness.

0:08:50 > 0:08:53Hopefully, just get a bit of taste of everything,

0:08:53 > 0:08:55something I can remember for ever.

0:08:55 > 0:08:58You can stay right up-to-date with all the latest news from Keri-Anne

0:08:58 > 0:09:01and the rest of her British swimming team-mates

0:09:01 > 0:09:05between now and the Games on the website.

0:09:05 > 0:09:08Now, by its very nature, gymnastics is a sport of ups and downs.

0:09:08 > 0:09:12A complex balancing act between risk and reward.

0:09:12 > 0:09:17One slip can transform joy into agony in just a matter of milliseconds.

0:09:17 > 0:09:19Few know this more than Dan Keatings,

0:09:19 > 0:09:22the all-star British gymnast's medal-winning form

0:09:22 > 0:09:23gave way to an injury nightmare

0:09:23 > 0:09:26that threatened to destroy his Olympic dream.

0:09:28 > 0:09:302009, I was on top of the world.

0:09:30 > 0:09:32I had the greatest achievement of my life,

0:09:32 > 0:09:35picking up the silver medal all-round.

0:09:35 > 0:09:372010 started great, became European champion.

0:09:37 > 0:09:41Two days after, I had a really bad injury and started to doubt myself.

0:09:50 > 0:09:53Would you say after Birmingham and the Euros in 2010,

0:09:53 > 0:09:56you were riding the crest of a wave?

0:09:56 > 0:09:59You were as high on form as you could possibly be?

0:09:59 > 0:10:02Yeah, I mean, cos I'd had the best result I'd ever had all-round

0:10:02 > 0:10:04in the 2009 World Championships,

0:10:04 > 0:10:06straight to the European Championships,

0:10:06 > 0:10:09where I became European champion on pommel.

0:10:09 > 0:10:11I was having the best time in my life, really.

0:10:11 > 0:10:14We were doing great as a team and as individuals.

0:10:14 > 0:10:16But, two days after the Europeans,

0:10:16 > 0:10:21I came back into training to try some new stuff and I got my injury.

0:10:21 > 0:10:24What actually happened, mate, cos it was here in the studio, wasn't it?

0:10:24 > 0:10:26Yeah, it was just over there on the tumble track.

0:10:26 > 0:10:28Come on, I'll show you.

0:10:28 > 0:10:31I was practising a new move for my floor routine

0:10:31 > 0:10:33and I was just doing some preps.

0:10:33 > 0:10:40And I landed, probably, roughly around this area, on straight legs.

0:10:40 > 0:10:43And as soon as I landed like that, my knee just went.

0:10:43 > 0:10:47- And it was a torn cruciate ligament, wasn't it?- Yeah.

0:10:47 > 0:10:51All of a sudden, you can't train, the Olympics at risk.

0:10:51 > 0:10:55It was frustrating coming in here and seeing everybody training as normal,

0:10:55 > 0:10:58myself obviously knowing that the Olympics is just round the corner

0:10:58 > 0:11:02and I can see everyone pushing ahead, learning all these new moves.

0:11:02 > 0:11:06What was it like watching Dan Purvis become the best British all-arounder?

0:11:08 > 0:11:10It was good. It was good, you know.

0:11:10 > 0:11:13He's a great trainer, he's a great friend and training partner.

0:11:13 > 0:11:16Obviously, with my result in 2009,

0:11:16 > 0:11:18and then he got a good all-round result as well,

0:11:18 > 0:11:20it creates a good kind of fighting atmosphere.

0:11:20 > 0:11:24You know, we bounce off each other, we push each other in training.

0:11:24 > 0:11:28That World Championships didn't go well for you guys.

0:11:28 > 0:11:30That image of you in Tokyo, I mean, I'll never forget.

0:11:30 > 0:11:32What was it like for you?

0:11:32 > 0:11:34The build-up to the World Championships was amazing.

0:11:34 > 0:11:37I had a really good build-up and the whole team did.

0:11:37 > 0:11:41Even the podium sessions, two days before the actual competition,

0:11:41 > 0:11:42it's kind of like a dress rehearsal.

0:11:42 > 0:11:47So from there to the competition, I really don't know what happened.

0:11:47 > 0:11:49Nobody expected it. I think it was a shock to everyone.

0:11:49 > 0:11:53Us in the team and everyone back home were like, "What actually happened?"

0:11:53 > 0:11:55But there still is no answer to that.

0:11:55 > 0:11:56And that's the thing -

0:11:56 > 0:11:59you guys were expected to qualify easily in the top eight.

0:11:59 > 0:12:04I think it was fate, a bit of a blessing in disguise,

0:12:04 > 0:12:08because then we had to go to the test event in January.

0:12:08 > 0:12:12I was really nervous and I was first up on high bar as well.

0:12:12 > 0:12:15So there was a loss of nerves in front of the crowd as well,

0:12:15 > 0:12:18obviously being so important because of qualification for the Olympics.

0:12:18 > 0:12:21- Yeah.- But, again, I nailed the routine, nailed the dismount.

0:12:21 > 0:12:23I think that really kick-started our competition

0:12:23 > 0:12:24and we did an amazing job.

0:12:24 > 0:12:27And we got to experience the whole arena there.

0:12:27 > 0:12:28We got to feel the equipment,

0:12:28 > 0:12:30what it's going to be like in the Olympics.

0:12:30 > 0:12:33So we've kind of got an advantage on all the other competitors

0:12:33 > 0:12:36that made it in the top eight and we put in a good performance there,

0:12:36 > 0:12:39and it shows we're still a top, leading team.

0:12:39 > 0:12:43Unfortunately for Dan, another injury meant he wasn't part of the team

0:12:43 > 0:12:47that won their first ever gold at the European Championships this year.

0:12:47 > 0:12:50The selectors really are now spoilt for choice.

0:12:52 > 0:12:56Which felt better, all-around silver medal in 2009

0:12:56 > 0:13:00or qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Games?

0:13:00 > 0:13:01Definitely a close call. Really.

0:13:01 > 0:13:05Obviously, I think my medal still pips it a little bit,

0:13:05 > 0:13:07but definitely a close call because

0:13:07 > 0:13:11it wasn't just me I did it for at this test event,

0:13:11 > 0:13:12it was the whole team.

0:13:12 > 0:13:14You've been to the O2 twice before.

0:13:14 > 0:13:16Both times you've put in a performance.

0:13:16 > 0:13:18What's going to happen the third time?

0:13:18 > 0:13:20HE EXHALES

0:13:20 > 0:13:24I don't want to jinx anything, but I think it's definitely my lucky arena,

0:13:24 > 0:13:26so I'm excited to actually go there and compete

0:13:26 > 0:13:30in front of that home crowd again. Who knows, third time lucky?

0:13:37 > 0:13:38I'm Matthew Pinsent.

0:13:38 > 0:13:42I've won four gold medals, starting in Barcelona in 1992,

0:13:42 > 0:13:45and I finished my career in Athens.

0:13:45 > 0:13:48My one to watch for London 2012 from the sport of rowing

0:13:48 > 0:13:50is Kath Grainger.

0:13:50 > 0:13:54She's won three consecutive Olympic silver medals - Beijing 2008,

0:13:54 > 0:13:59Athens 2004, and she started her career with a silver in Sydney 2000.

0:13:59 > 0:14:01I'm hoping that she can win

0:14:01 > 0:14:07the first women's Olympic gold medal in rowing in London in 2012.

0:14:07 > 0:14:10Katherine Grainger's proved just how much devotion

0:14:10 > 0:14:14and sacrifice it takes to be successful in rowing.

0:14:14 > 0:14:18One man certainly not afraid to put in the hard yards is Alan Campbell.

0:14:18 > 0:14:22For him, a festive trip to see the family back home in Coleraine

0:14:22 > 0:14:25isn't necessarily a cue to relax.

0:14:32 > 0:14:36It's mentally very, very hard and very tough.

0:14:36 > 0:14:39I've given up a comfortable Christmas.

0:14:41 > 0:14:44I've dreamed that final of the race maybe a thousand times.

0:14:44 > 0:14:47I've won it every single one, thankfully.

0:14:47 > 0:14:50Hopefully, the sacrifices will add up to a gold.

0:14:50 > 0:14:54You do dream about standing up on that podium,

0:14:54 > 0:14:57and I think it's at that point you're thinking,

0:14:57 > 0:14:59"Right, I will be overcome with emotion."

0:15:04 > 0:15:06People actually realised I'm quite a big Rocky fan.

0:15:06 > 0:15:09In fact, my favourite film of all time would be Rocky IV.

0:15:09 > 0:15:11I think he appealed to the Rocky in me

0:15:11 > 0:15:14and that was why this boot camp was born.

0:15:14 > 0:15:18The real purpose behind it was not only to toughen up Alan physically,

0:15:18 > 0:15:21but it was indeed to give him that strength in the head,

0:15:21 > 0:15:25the mental willpower, the determination that you need

0:15:25 > 0:15:27in this sport which is so hard,

0:15:27 > 0:15:30especially if you're final in the last 500 metres.

0:15:30 > 0:15:35The guy who really wants it, and the guy who can draw on something,

0:15:35 > 0:15:38be it from God or from his girlfriend or from some thought,

0:15:38 > 0:15:42and, in Alan's case, it could be all of those, but he might just think,

0:15:42 > 0:15:46"I did that boot camp at Christmas. I'm tougher than they are,"

0:15:46 > 0:15:49and he'll just keep going that extra few strokes and defeat them all.

0:15:50 > 0:15:53This is a rare occurrence, me in the kitchen.

0:15:53 > 0:15:56I'm usually treated like a prince when I'm at home.

0:15:56 > 0:15:58Mum's very good to me. I just want to make sure they're runny.

0:15:58 > 0:16:01That's why I'm getting them out early, so they don't get too hard.

0:16:01 > 0:16:05This is my second breakfast. I've already had porridge this morning.

0:16:05 > 0:16:09Mum was up at half six, actually, making it, so she was.

0:16:09 > 0:16:11I just cannot keep this lad fed.

0:16:11 > 0:16:16The supermarket bill has just shot. It's just gone through the roof.

0:16:16 > 0:16:18The whole business of his Christmas training,

0:16:18 > 0:16:21out on Christmas Day, and this year was a pleasure.

0:16:21 > 0:16:23I mean, that was in 12 degrees.

0:16:23 > 0:16:27Last year, it was minus 14, but he is going for this.

0:16:27 > 0:16:30He is not leaving any stone unturned.

0:16:35 > 0:16:39There are people who prefer to row with other people,

0:16:39 > 0:16:42for the camaraderie, the teamwork.

0:16:42 > 0:16:46A single sculler has an ego the size of a warehouse.

0:16:46 > 0:16:51That's difficult to contain sometimes, but it's designed because

0:16:51 > 0:16:54"I want to show what I can do and I want to prove that

0:16:54 > 0:16:56"I could have done this on my own."

0:16:56 > 0:16:59And that's why, so far, we've never done a crew boat.

0:16:59 > 0:17:02I'd rather stand with a gold medal in the single,

0:17:02 > 0:17:05than a gold medal in anything else.

0:17:05 > 0:17:08Not to say that there is a hierarchy as such, but there is.

0:17:08 > 0:17:11I would love to do it in the single.

0:17:11 > 0:17:13I'd love to do it on my own, but if an opportunity does arise

0:17:13 > 0:17:17and it's gold medal without doubt, then I'd definitely go for it.

0:17:17 > 0:17:20So if you see me in anything else, it'll only be for a gold

0:17:20 > 0:17:24He's been through operations in hospitals before the last Olympics,

0:17:24 > 0:17:26he's had glandular fever,

0:17:26 > 0:17:29he's ridden a bike to try to beat Chris Hoy but fell off,

0:17:29 > 0:17:33had concussion for four days and we had to come through that.

0:17:33 > 0:17:35So we've been through a lot of trials and tribulations.

0:17:35 > 0:17:39There's no-one more determined, I think, and committed than Alan.

0:17:39 > 0:17:43If you remember the interview at Karapiro in the World Championships,

0:17:43 > 0:17:46it was the old man Steve Redgrave holding up the young boy.

0:17:46 > 0:17:51I just feel like someone's cut my legs off. It really hurts.

0:17:51 > 0:17:54- JOHN INVERDALE:- That's what you call giving your all, isn't it?

0:17:54 > 0:17:57The gold, what does it mean, what is it worth?

0:17:57 > 0:18:00I mean, for me, I think part of it will be an apology

0:18:00 > 0:18:04to all the people, for all the times

0:18:04 > 0:18:09I've effed off Bill and cursed at him and been a prima donna and all that.

0:18:09 > 0:18:13I think, for Jules, for any times I've made her feel second-best,

0:18:13 > 0:18:17for my parents, for the advice I may have squandered sort of thing.

0:18:17 > 0:18:21And, I think, you know, to friends and family for the times I've missed,

0:18:21 > 0:18:24and to sponsors as well for the times I've just said,

0:18:24 > 0:18:26"I can't come and do that event,"

0:18:26 > 0:18:29or, "I can't come in and see you because I've got to do my training."

0:18:29 > 0:18:32And hopefully you know, they'll accept that gold as an apology

0:18:32 > 0:18:34and hopefully they'll be able to...

0:18:34 > 0:18:38And because they will have played a part in winning that gold for me.

0:18:38 > 0:18:42Regardless of what happens, I want to be able to stand there,

0:18:42 > 0:18:44be proud and know that I did everything I could do

0:18:44 > 0:18:47and I couldn't have taken another stroke.

0:18:50 > 0:18:53Next, let's check in with teenage weightlifter Zoe Smith,

0:18:53 > 0:18:56who's bounced back from the disappointment of having her funding cut

0:18:56 > 0:19:00in a row over her training to make an Olympic qualifying standard lift

0:19:00 > 0:19:01at the World Championships.

0:19:01 > 0:19:05The 17-year-old Londoner is now based at the GB set-up in Leeds

0:19:05 > 0:19:09and has got her eyes firmly set on success at the Games.

0:19:13 > 0:19:19Well, it's been a roller coaster, really, just ups and downs.

0:19:19 > 0:19:22It's been a bit emotional, really, at times.

0:19:22 > 0:19:25Obviously there was the Commonwealths.

0:19:26 > 0:19:28I can't complain about a bronze medal.

0:19:28 > 0:19:29I had a great time there.

0:19:29 > 0:19:31Upon coming home,

0:19:31 > 0:19:33I had my funding taken away which wasn't ideal

0:19:33 > 0:19:35but that's been solved now.

0:19:35 > 0:19:39Then in May, competed in the Youth World Championships.

0:19:39 > 0:19:42I came back with a silver medal from that so I was pretty pleased.

0:19:42 > 0:19:44And then another down - I got a back injury.

0:19:44 > 0:19:47It took me a couple of months to get rid of.

0:19:47 > 0:19:49It's annoying to have to come in here

0:19:49 > 0:19:52and watch everyone else train while I roll around being silly on a mat.

0:19:52 > 0:19:56Dealing with injury is part of being a professional athlete,

0:19:56 > 0:19:58something I'll have to learn to live with.

0:19:58 > 0:19:59Welcome to my home.

0:19:59 > 0:20:02I left London for Leeds.

0:20:02 > 0:20:05I had to leave school as well to train full-time as an athlete,

0:20:05 > 0:20:07but I'm enjoying it so far.

0:20:07 > 0:20:10It's hard work, though. This first room here is my one.

0:20:10 > 0:20:12Slightly messy, could do with a Hoover!

0:20:12 > 0:20:14But, yeah, this is it.

0:20:14 > 0:20:18There's my walk-in wardrobe. I've got bags and shoes everywhere.

0:20:18 > 0:20:20And here are some of my clothes that have been

0:20:20 > 0:20:22so carefully stashed into the wardrobe.

0:20:22 > 0:20:25I miss, obviously, my family. That's a big thing.

0:20:25 > 0:20:27Not many people move out at 17.

0:20:27 > 0:20:30It's learning to do little things, living on your own,

0:20:30 > 0:20:34like the washing up and having to wash up after every meal.

0:20:34 > 0:20:36I just thought it did it itself!

0:20:39 > 0:20:41I had a driving lesson on my birthday.

0:20:41 > 0:20:45I'm not the best driver, but, no, I'm really enjoying it, actually.

0:20:45 > 0:20:48I can't wait to drive because it just gives you so much more freedom.

0:20:48 > 0:20:51Considering that was my first attempt ever,

0:20:51 > 0:20:53I think I did pretty well.

0:21:11 > 0:21:14I've not competed since May because of various injuries,

0:21:14 > 0:21:16so that's really restored a lot of confidence,

0:21:16 > 0:21:18and to get some PBs in at the same time,

0:21:18 > 0:21:20I've had a really good competition.

0:21:20 > 0:21:22It's been a great day. I couldn't have asked for more.

0:21:24 > 0:21:27I can look back and say I've had a really great time now,

0:21:27 > 0:21:30actually, because I did what I came here to do really.

0:21:30 > 0:21:32And I got to go to Disney,

0:21:32 > 0:21:35so it's the cherry on the cake, really, isn't it?

0:21:35 > 0:21:37Obviously, it'd mean the world to me to compete at 2012.

0:21:37 > 0:21:41I am getting quite nervous cos we've not got any time to lose.

0:21:41 > 0:21:43So, yeah, it's quite a scary thought,

0:21:43 > 0:21:46but at the same time I'm excited and can't wait for the Olympics.

0:21:57 > 0:22:02What a new star we have in the women's pole vault,

0:22:02 > 0:22:04Holly Bleasdale.

0:22:31 > 0:22:34We've come to the north of the Olympic Park

0:22:34 > 0:22:37to have a first look at the impressive Eton Manor venue,

0:22:37 > 0:22:41home to Paralympic tennis and the Olympic training pools.

0:22:41 > 0:22:45It's also designed to provide a sporting legacy post-Games,

0:22:45 > 0:22:50with facilities not just for tennis, but hockey and football as well.

0:22:50 > 0:22:54One team which can't think about its post-Games legacy just yet

0:22:54 > 0:22:56is Britain's rhythmic gymnastics.

0:22:56 > 0:22:58Despite some high-profile help,

0:22:58 > 0:23:02their attempt to get to the Olympics really hasn't gone to plan.

0:23:02 > 0:23:05It's a sport close to Gabby Logan's heart.

0:23:05 > 0:23:1016 year old Welsh rhythmic gymnast Gabby Yorath.

0:23:10 > 0:23:13I know how it feels to be a rhythmic gymnast.

0:23:13 > 0:23:18For years, I devoted my life to a regime of intense training.

0:23:18 > 0:23:20It's a sport which demands hours of practice

0:23:20 > 0:23:24and gruelling exercise in order to perfect the most intricate of moves.

0:23:24 > 0:23:27Repetition is the key.

0:23:27 > 0:23:29But even then, mistakes happen.

0:23:29 > 0:23:33Can you cover it up, or was that throw just a centimetre too far out,

0:23:33 > 0:23:36and will it prove costly for you in the end?

0:23:36 > 0:23:38On the eve of their home Olympic year,

0:23:38 > 0:23:41the British rhythmic gymnastics squad are in limbo.

0:23:41 > 0:23:43In one month's time,

0:23:43 > 0:23:46they'll have to produce the performance of their lives

0:23:46 > 0:23:48to reach the London Olympic Games.

0:23:48 > 0:23:50GB as a rhythmic gymnastics team

0:23:50 > 0:23:52deserves to be up with everyone else.

0:23:52 > 0:23:54There won't be pressure to get a certain score

0:23:54 > 0:23:56to get a medal, so we can just go and enjoy it.

0:23:56 > 0:23:59If we do a clean routine, I'm sure we'll be happy.

0:23:59 > 0:24:01This is the climax of my whole career.

0:24:01 > 0:24:04The way that we're improving, I think, definitely,

0:24:04 > 0:24:07we can make the score that we need. Fingers crossed, anyway.

0:24:11 > 0:24:14With no funding, getting there has involved

0:24:14 > 0:24:17the team and their parents paying for everything,

0:24:17 > 0:24:21right down to the rented home four of the teenagers share in Bath.

0:24:21 > 0:24:25We decided if we wanted to be able to train properly,

0:24:25 > 0:24:29and be prepared for the Olympics, that we would, us four,

0:24:29 > 0:24:32have to move to live here in Bath so we could train full-time.

0:24:32 > 0:24:34We normally cook one at a time.

0:24:34 > 0:24:39There's our chore list, making sure everyone's on top of their housework.

0:24:39 > 0:24:41This is my Gibraltar flag, signed by all my friends.

0:24:41 > 0:24:44I've actually got an autograph from Beth Tweddle,

0:24:44 > 0:24:46when I met her when I was little.

0:24:46 > 0:24:48That's quite cool.

0:24:48 > 0:24:52I think the amount of hours we do every week proves it is a sport.

0:24:52 > 0:24:54I mean, we train very hard every day,

0:24:54 > 0:24:57so...just want people to see that it is actually a sport,

0:24:57 > 0:25:01that we need the funding and everything that comes with it as well.

0:25:06 > 0:25:10The two routines they must perform are improving every day,

0:25:10 > 0:25:12but the British Olympic Association

0:25:12 > 0:25:14has decided they need a helping hand.

0:25:15 > 0:25:19Figure skating legends Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean,

0:25:19 > 0:25:23famous, of course, for their perfect scores at the 1984 Winter Olympics,

0:25:23 > 0:25:24have been drafted in.

0:25:24 > 0:25:28- Are you excited about seeing what we're going to be doing today?- Yep.

0:25:28 > 0:25:31Any advice that we can pass on, we'll do our best.

0:25:31 > 0:25:34Rhythmic gymnastics, like ice dancing,

0:25:34 > 0:25:37relies on impressing the judges

0:25:37 > 0:25:41and nobody knows more about that than Torvill and Dean.

0:25:41 > 0:25:43You've got to put the audience and the judges at ease,

0:25:43 > 0:25:45and I know that comes with practice,

0:25:45 > 0:25:49but it also comes through how you interpret and what you present.

0:25:49 > 0:25:52Everybody look in to Rachel.

0:25:52 > 0:25:54Are we ready? Yes!

0:25:54 > 0:25:56Look forward, everybody forward, and let's go.

0:25:56 > 0:26:00You know that moment then when you lined up and the music changes?

0:26:00 > 0:26:03Is there a moment where you all just go,

0:26:03 > 0:26:06"Look, we've just changed," and you give it to the judges?

0:26:06 > 0:26:10The consequences of mistakes are pretty big, you know?

0:26:10 > 0:26:14The ball flies away, the hoop or the ribbon - you've lost it.

0:26:14 > 0:26:17And it's a tragic moment if you're in competition.

0:26:17 > 0:26:20They're not doing it for the money.

0:26:20 > 0:26:22They're doing it for the love of their sport.

0:26:22 > 0:26:24That's something that's great to see.

0:26:24 > 0:26:27Their goal is actually to get into the Olympics.

0:26:27 > 0:26:32They're not qualified yet, so it's a big time ahead of them

0:26:32 > 0:26:37in the test event to actually get in and be a part of Team GB,

0:26:37 > 0:26:39so, fingers crossed.

0:26:42 > 0:26:45January, and London's O2 Arena.

0:26:45 > 0:26:47This is the Olympic test event,

0:26:47 > 0:26:50the biggest home crowd the girls have ever seen.

0:26:50 > 0:26:52The pressure is on.

0:26:57 > 0:27:02Over two days, they have to do better than a score of 45.223 marks.

0:27:02 > 0:27:06That's the target set by the British Gymnastics Association

0:27:06 > 0:27:09to prove they're good enough for the Games.

0:27:09 > 0:27:12Any less, and they won't be sent to their home Olympics.

0:27:15 > 0:27:17With one performance complete,

0:27:17 > 0:27:19the team are more than halfway there.

0:27:24 > 0:27:26Time stands still.

0:27:26 > 0:27:31Has all the time, money, sweat, tears and effort been worth it?

0:27:31 > 0:27:34Have Torvill and Dean's tricks worked?

0:27:34 > 0:27:36Will the team be going to the Games?

0:27:39 > 0:27:41SCREAMS FROM CROWD

0:27:41 > 0:27:46- ANNOUNCER:- Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for Great Britain.

0:27:46 > 0:27:49And the score for Great Britain - 21.85.

0:27:49 > 0:27:52No. It's not enough.

0:27:54 > 0:27:58As soon as we came off, we knew it was going to be a really close call.

0:27:58 > 0:28:02And I think everyone was just hoping and praying that,

0:28:02 > 0:28:05"Come on, just give it to us," kind of thing,

0:28:05 > 0:28:07and it just didn't turn out how we wanted.

0:28:07 > 0:28:09It was a definitive score we agreed

0:28:09 > 0:28:11and it wasn't a score that there was any leeway on.

0:28:13 > 0:28:16ORE: Well, those tears have turned to smiles.

0:28:16 > 0:28:19The end of this story has been a successful appeal,

0:28:19 > 0:28:22ratified by the British Olympic Association.

0:28:22 > 0:28:26We are pretty much at the end of this edition of British Olympic Dreams.

0:28:26 > 0:28:28Join us next time for more moments like this.

0:28:28 > 0:28:31It's lovely to be out of hospital.

0:28:31 > 0:28:34Five weeks on my back was quite a difficult time.

0:28:34 > 0:28:37Something like this is the ignition, if you like,

0:28:37 > 0:28:40to doing better and overcoming something as serious as this.

0:28:40 > 0:28:44So, yes, if anything, it's only lit the furnaces.

0:28:44 > 0:28:48For more information on all of our athletes ahead of the Games,

0:28:48 > 0:28:50log onto the website.

0:28:52 > 0:28:56So, as the country begins the final countdown to the Games,

0:28:56 > 0:28:58join us next time for more Olympic Dreams.

0:28:58 > 0:28:59See you then. Bye.

0:28:59 > 0:29:01# Are you ready?

0:29:01 > 0:29:03# Do you know?

0:29:03 > 0:29:05# I feel it, too

0:29:05 > 0:29:08# Are you ready?

0:29:08 > 0:29:09# I've got to show

0:29:09 > 0:29:12# I feel this for you

0:29:16 > 0:29:19# I feel this for you

0:29:19 > 0:29:24# I feel this for you. #

0:29:24 > 0:29:26Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd