0:00:01 > 0:00:04- COMMENTATOR:- Here comes Kelly Holmes! The crowd are on their feet!
0:00:04 > 0:00:07'Good footwork by DeGale, what a start!'
0:00:07 > 0:00:09'Denise Lewis, Olympic champion!'
0:00:09 > 0:00:12'Rebecca Adlington is bringing it home for Britain!'
0:00:23 > 0:00:27'Great Britain get the gold medal!'
0:00:27 > 0:00:30'Yes! Kelly Holmes for Great Britain! What a performance!'
0:00:30 > 0:00:34'James DeGale is the Olympic champion!
0:00:34 > 0:00:38'You are absolutely brilliant! Great Britain takes gold!'
0:00:53 > 0:00:55'All my dreams came true.'
0:00:55 > 0:00:56'Representing your country in a major event,
0:00:56 > 0:00:58'especially at your home Games,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01'there's no words to describe the feeling, to be honest.'
0:01:02 > 0:01:05'Representing your country, you should be very proud of that.'
0:01:05 > 0:01:08'To put it into words, this one's going to be breath-taking.'
0:01:08 > 0:01:13'To be part of Team GB, full stop, is just amazing. Add on another ten "amazings" to that!'
0:01:14 > 0:01:20'I feel I'm ready to compete now. It definitely builds anticipation for the Olympics.'
0:01:20 > 0:01:23'We don't lack motivation. We're just preparing ourselves 100%.'
0:01:23 > 0:01:27'It's got me in the mood to get in there and get the job done. I'm very motivated.'
0:01:27 > 0:01:33'I'm really looking forward to that moment when I'm sat on that start line, ready to do my very best.'
0:01:35 > 0:01:37'Very anxious and a little bit excited, yeah.'
0:01:37 > 0:01:39'This is what I'm about, what I train for.'
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Welcome to British Olympic Dreams. In this edition,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48I'll be joining some of Britain's brightest hopes
0:01:48 > 0:01:50in the iconic Tower of London,
0:01:50 > 0:01:56as they get their first chance to showcase the kit that they'll be wearing in action this summer.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58And I'm here at Loughborough University,
0:01:58 > 0:02:00where the athletes will collect that coveted kit
0:02:00 > 0:02:03and truly become Team GB.
0:02:03 > 0:02:09It's also where several sports will base themselves for their final preparations ahead of the Games.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11But first, we head to Cardiff, to visit a swimmer who,
0:02:11 > 0:02:15despite having won a medal at two successive Olympic Games,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18is having a tough time preparing to win a third.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Nick Hope caught up with David Davies.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30- COMMENTATOR:- 'Magnificent swim by David Davies. He gets silver.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32'But my goodness me, that should have been gold!'
0:02:34 > 0:02:39'Since Beijing, it's not been the best of times. I got myself in a bit of a mess and over-trained.'
0:02:39 > 0:02:40It was a vicious circle then
0:02:40 > 0:02:43because I was unhappy that I was training poorly,
0:02:43 > 0:02:44so I'd come back the next day
0:02:44 > 0:02:46and try and perform and try and train harder.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50And ended up swimming even worse and being even more miserable.
0:02:50 > 0:02:51It was this vicious circle.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55I had to accept that what I'd done for a couple of years
0:02:55 > 0:02:58was the wrong type of work and my muscles were completely shot.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02My body wasn't really coping with it and I couldn't do any type of work to progress.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06And in the end the best thing to cure it was to clear the slate
0:03:06 > 0:03:09and start from scratch and have that big six-week break.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13I did question whether, you know, have I had my time,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15I've got two Olympic medals I've had success.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19I didn't want to be turning up to swim meets and not making British Champ finals, for example.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23It was almost embarrassing for me, I didn't want to be remembered and go out like that.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26So I thought if I've had my peak, maybe I should walk away.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32< Off you go, then. 200 easy. Stretch it out.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35'It's definitely had the right outcome of what I wanted to happen.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37'My coach, Dave, was brilliant through the whole thing.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41'For a coach to say, "Take two months off, bypass the World Championships" is a massive call
0:03:41 > 0:03:43and it takes guts to say, you know,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45"We'll be OK, we'll get it right. We're looking long term."'
0:03:45 > 0:03:51Last summer, the reason why I pulled him out was because he was really hurting physically and mentally.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55He was on a treadmill to nowhere, basically. To extinction.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57I said, "Look, you've got to get off this treadmill
0:03:57 > 0:04:03"and just take time out and reflect and relax and just build yourself back up."
0:04:04 > 0:04:09'Just by looking at me, he's got a very good eye for knowing what's right and wrong.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13'He doesn't say a great deal, he doesn't need to shout and wave his hands around.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15'He just says the right things at the right time.'
0:04:15 > 0:04:20So I've been working an awful lot on restoring his technique,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22the fluidity of his stroke.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26And trying to make sure he's not stressing too much.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30He tends to try and prove that he can do it, you know.
0:04:30 > 0:04:31And I know he can do it.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35There you are. Enjoy.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38'If I was listing down factors of what makes a successful athlete,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41'I'd put parental support right up there.'
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Took him swimming from quite a young age.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47He started then with Barry Swimming Club about seven.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52Saw he had quite a good talent and he moved over to Cardiff at nine.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55He was just fearless in the water.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Yeah, he won no end of races all round South Wales,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02eventually into England. Heavy, wasn't it?
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Mum and Dad don't talk about swimming every time I come home.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09They obviously ask how it's going and they can often tell by the mood if it's going good or bad.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11And last summer, they knew something was up
0:05:11 > 0:05:15and I did open up to them about it and they were the first ones I went to in terms of advice.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18It was heartbreaking to see him go through that period of time.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21And he stuck with it and he stuck with it, but he was going backwards.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24I've probably been as low as it's ever going to be, last summer.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27And I'm on the way back now and I'm excited to be on the way back.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31'This will be my third Olympic trials and I'm almost like I was when I was 19 again.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35'I'm a bit of a dark horse, I don't really know how I'm going to perform.'
0:05:38 > 0:05:42'Things have been going better, but I have no idea how I'm going to swim.'
0:05:42 > 0:05:46- COMMENTATOR:- 'Last few minutes. Daniel Fogg's going to beat David Davies. Quite a rare thing.'
0:05:46 > 0:05:51'Now, come on, David. 15:07 is what we need. Yes! 15:073!'
0:05:51 > 0:05:55'Two men on the 1,500 team for the Olympic Games.'
0:05:55 > 0:05:59'I do this sport to win and I don't like coming second.'
0:05:59 > 0:06:02But I've been beaten by a fantastic performer, I can't complain.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05I would like to have pipped him at 15 minutes. I was close to it.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08So any time you're round that mark, it's not shabby.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10So I'm not turning my nose up at it, but I want to go better
0:06:10 > 0:06:13and I'll look to see how I can improve for the summer.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15But three Olympics in a row is a fantastic achievement,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18something I never thought I'd do when I was growing up.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20So it would be a dream to go there and be successful again.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23David Davies was himself a Loughborough athlete
0:06:23 > 0:06:26as he prepared for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing
0:06:26 > 0:06:29and the University is where many of Britain's swimmers prepared
0:06:29 > 0:06:32as they got themselves their Olympic spots for 2012.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36Including, now double Olympian, Kate Haywood.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37It was never in doubt, was it, Kate?
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Well, to be honest, you never know.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41We all have to go to trials and compete for a spot
0:06:41 > 0:06:45and, you know, I just worked so hard and I won it and I'm on the team.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47You know all about wearing that badge for Great Britain.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50What's it going to be like wearing it in the London pool, at the Olympics?
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Oh, it's going to be amazing.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55I think there was about 3,000 people at the Olympic pool when we were there for trials
0:06:55 > 0:06:59and there's going to be 17,500 people at the Olympics.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02So it's just going to be amazing walking out in front of that crowd
0:07:02 > 0:07:04and pretty much everyone is going to be cheering for us.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07So I can't wait and I'm really, really excited about it.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Fantastic. Kate, look forward to seeing you in London.
0:07:10 > 0:07:15Now it's time to hear from Britain's most successful ever Olympic sprint canoeist,
0:07:15 > 0:07:17and hear his tip for success at the Games.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22My name's Tim Brabants, I'm Olympic gold medallist from Beijing in 2008.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25- COMMENTARY:- 'Gold for Tim Brabants and Great Britain!'
0:07:25 > 0:07:29'First gold medal in canoe, kayak sport. That is brilliant.'
0:07:30 > 0:07:34And my one to watch for London 2012 is Rachel Cawthorn.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Rachel is an amazing athlete.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40She's like a bit of a fairy off the water, a really soppy thing.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42But on the water, she's got a real fire in her belly.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48For Rachel to win in London 2012, she's going to have to have the race of her life.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52She's got a lot of talent behind her, her training, her experience at major competition.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57And it's just putting all those things together and making sure it all happens and works on the day.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00And I'm pretty confident that Rachel will achieve that.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Rachel isn't Britain's only sprint canoeist in the medal hunt.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07Some of the team are taking a high-tech approach to their campaign
0:08:07 > 0:08:11inside a giant Naval testing tank on the South Coast.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21This used to be a top-secret facility.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26They're testing out more important things and then we get on with our little boats!
0:08:26 > 0:08:29It's a 260 metre lake, indoors.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32No wind. Perfectly flat water.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34It's a bit awe-inspiring.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36It feels like you're going really fast, as well.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38'Ready, set, go!'
0:08:44 > 0:08:49It's over in a flash. There's no real strategy going into the racing.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Be as fast as you can.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55- I'm Liam Heath. - My name's Jon Schofield.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58- We are reigning double European champions.- And second in the world.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02They're very interesting guys. They're the kind of people you want to get to know more.
0:09:02 > 0:09:03They're into all their little gadgets.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Normally there's a camera fitted to the boat.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10It's just something to occupy your mind other than the training, otherwise we'd probably go mad!
0:09:10 > 0:09:13We do get flown around the world, which is a perk.
0:09:13 > 0:09:19We went south of Durban in Port Edward, it's a starting place.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22It's something that makes training a little bit easier,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24changing your surroundings, being somewhere it's a joy to be.
0:09:24 > 0:09:30# And it feels like this new life can start
0:09:30 > 0:09:34# And if feels like heaven... #
0:09:35 > 0:09:38There aren't that many distractions around, except for the wildlife.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Big spiders, monkeys, deer walking around.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Birds, lizards. Big lizards! Geckos.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Johnny freaked out a little bit
0:09:47 > 0:09:52with the spider that was the size of a place mat in the boat!
0:09:52 > 0:09:54We had to rinse the boat out several times!
0:10:00 > 0:10:02We train as hard as we can all the time,
0:10:02 > 0:10:06we know that's just going to be what you need to do to maintain pace.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09The Olympics is going to be where everyone brings their A game.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11We're planning to do the same.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Rule number one, you have to look good before you start performing!
0:10:29 > 0:10:32So when you get on the start line and you look good, that's one thing out of the way!
0:10:34 > 0:10:37It's not just a kit, it's a kit that we've helped develop, with Stella McCartney.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40And what better person would you want to develop your kit with?
0:10:40 > 0:10:43To put it on today and just to feel a part of it and looking at everybody else's kit
0:10:43 > 0:10:46and just to think we're all going to enter that Village
0:10:46 > 0:10:49being super prepared and, you know, looking good.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54Everyone was in their competitive kit so I think we all looked really smart
0:10:54 > 0:10:56and we're really happy with how it's turned out.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01It makes you look forward to wearing it and being on the podium, hopefully, and wearing the kit.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Just seeing everybody together on the stage, in the kit,
0:11:03 > 0:11:06from all different Olympic events, it's a great feeling.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Now, one athlete on a fast track to success is Helen Glover.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Despite having never rowed before,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17she was spotted by the Sporting Giants scheme in 2008
0:11:17 > 0:11:20and has since stormed to the top of the rankings.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23When she's not training with pairs partner, Heather Stanning,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Helen likes to get away from it all at the family home in Cornwall.
0:11:33 > 0:11:40Some days, it's hard to get my head around the fact that just four years ago I wasn't a rower.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43I wasn't going to the Olympics, I wasn't competing.
0:11:43 > 0:11:44And here I am.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49It's happened through hard work, with the help of brilliant, brilliant coaches.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53But it's just exciting. It's a dream that I've had since I was tiny.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58I've wanted to be an Olympic athlete and wanted to compete in the greatest sporting arena.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04My mum saw an advert
0:12:04 > 0:12:07which was in a newspaper and it was looking for tall people.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09And Steve Redgrave, I think,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12had spearheaded something called Sporting Giants.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16He was looking for people over 5'9" for girls,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18to try different sports that you need long levers for.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21And rowing was one of them, so I got tested.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24And Paul Stannard was my first coach and he asked me to move to Bath,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26drop everything and try to become an Olympian!
0:12:28 > 0:12:31I was training to be a PE teacher, so for the first six months,
0:12:31 > 0:12:36I carried on training and got a teaching job, which helped me fund my training for my rowing.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Now, looking back, I don't know how I did it.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41I was teaching all day and then having to get up
0:12:41 > 0:12:43at about five in the morning to do my first session training.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48And then after school I would do my second session late into the night.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50And it was really, really tough.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55I've got a really, really supportive family. They're absolutely brilliant.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59There's my mum and my dad and I've got two brothers and two sisters.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01My gran, who's 92, she lives at home with us now
0:13:01 > 0:13:05and she's probably the most excited out of everyone about the Olympics.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09My boyfriend, Paddy, is a canoeist and he trains in Nottingham.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12I don't think they train as hard as the rowers!
0:13:12 > 0:13:15No, they do. He trains really, really hard!
0:13:15 > 0:13:17THEY LAUGH
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Nana!
0:13:20 > 0:13:22We're a very competitive family.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26It's my husband - he's the sportsman, the competitor,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29but I think it's brought it out in all of us.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33We played lots of games together.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38It's something they always accepted as a big part of their life.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40Oh, I'm stuck between two!
0:13:40 > 0:13:43'I've always, always been really competitive.'
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Everything was made into a competition when I was little!
0:13:47 > 0:13:51I ran international cross country, played hockey for my county.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55I did everything. Every sport I did, I did to be the best I could be.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01When I first watched the Olympics,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04I watched the rowing and I hadn't really taken much interest until then.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07And it was a bit of a wake-up call because I realised,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10"OK, wow, I've got four years to beat these people,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13"to be as good as these people and to make it onto the British team
0:14:13 > 0:14:15"and hopefully go to the 2012 Olympics."
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Heather Stanning and myself, who I row in a pair with,
0:14:18 > 0:14:23We got invited onto the team in 2010, so it was two years after I started rowing.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Heather's just brilliant to row with, she's phenomenally strong and fit
0:14:26 > 0:14:28and she's got a really good racing head.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30We pretty much live in each other's pockets,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33so it's important to get on, although we're quite different.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37I'm the messy one and she's in the army, so she's very tidy!
0:14:38 > 0:14:40'It's an incredible achievement
0:14:40 > 0:14:43'to do what she has done in such a short time.'
0:14:43 > 0:14:47I don't think anyone really expected them to do so well.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50We were definitely the underdogs that season.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54From coming ninth and fifth in two separate regattas in 2012,
0:14:54 > 0:14:58you know, I don't people were really looking at us for medal potential.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02We had no idea how well they'd do. My daughter Ruth and I were sitting
0:15:02 > 0:15:07surrounded by it seemed like thousands of New Zealanders, cheering their New Zealand boat on.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12And we seemed to be two lone voices, shouting for Helen and Heather.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16COMMENTATOR: This is very impressive from the British pair. They've got great strength.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21I had a lump in my throat. Even when I think about it and talk about it now,
0:15:21 > 0:15:22I get very emotional.
0:15:22 > 0:15:28COMMENTATOR: Holding on for a well-deserved silver medal. Well done, Great Britain!
0:15:28 > 0:15:31We just both cried when they crossed the finishing line.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33And we both had very sore throats!
0:15:35 > 0:15:40It was just an incredible feeling. We had said the night before, that's what we wanted.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45That was a very realistic goal for us, but doing it, and doing it in such a short time frame,
0:15:45 > 0:15:50I think the fact that we surprised so many people as well, it was just a really nice feeling.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56The next season was very different for us because nobody knew us in 2010.
0:15:56 > 0:15:582011, we were the ones that were going to be hunted down.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03And I think we really relished that. We went out to the first World Cup in Munich and won that really well.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06We won it like the best crew in the world.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10We said, "We've really set the stakes high for ourselves, we have to deal with that."
0:16:13 > 0:16:16I mean, we went into that race as World Cup winners
0:16:16 > 0:16:18and unbeaten that season.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22- COMMENTATOR:- It's going to be a photo finish, right on the line!
0:16:22 > 0:16:25I was pretty devastated after that race.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27However, looking back at where I've come from,
0:16:27 > 0:16:32I think another silver medal, two times World silver medal,
0:16:32 > 0:16:36this is actually a really, really good title that I'm proud of.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39In 2012, everyone's going to be going for the same thing.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41It's the dream, it's Olympic gold.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44But I think I've got to take it back to today and tomorrow and next week
0:16:44 > 0:16:49and the training that I do now is going to create that performance in the summer.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55And if I train hard and if I train well, and if Heather and I keep progressing,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58then we're going to be in a brilliant place on the start line.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02And if we put together a good race, we've got to be pleased with that.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Now, as well as its famous alumni and current crop of elite athletes,
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Loughborough will also be a holding camp
0:17:14 > 0:17:17for the Great Britain handball teams ahead of the Games in the summer.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20And today the women's team is getting a taste of things to come,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22with a Euro qualifier against Poland.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25It's not quite what it will be like in London, but I can tell you,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28the atmosphere... is incredible!
0:17:37 > 0:17:39We heard from Helen Glover earlier
0:17:39 > 0:17:42and Great Britain's handball teams also have products from the Sporting Giants scheme,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45including goalkeeper, Laura Innes.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48- Hi.- Hi. Tell us what your journey's been like to where you are now.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52Well, if you'd asked me five years ago if I'd be playing a Euro qualifier against Poland today,
0:17:52 > 0:17:56then I would not have had a clue. I didn't even know what handball was.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01So I found out from the radio about the Sporting Giants campaign
0:18:01 > 0:18:04and applied and then I got a letter from the Handball Federation,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07saying, "Would you like to have a go at handball?"
0:18:07 > 0:18:11Quick homework on YouTube, and then turned up at a trial and I was like, "Yes, definitely."
0:18:11 > 0:18:17And within eight months I had my first cap for GB and I'd moved out to Denmark to play full time.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19I'd left school, left home.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22To compete in front of a home crowd at the Olympic Games,
0:18:22 > 0:18:25it is the pinnacle of every athlete's career.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27And it's really exciting.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Well, we're excited for you, Laura. Good luck at the Olympics.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Now, though, let's hit the road
0:18:32 > 0:18:35and find out what makes sprint specialist, Mark Cavendish,
0:18:35 > 0:18:37one of the finest road cyclists in the world.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39From the Tour de France to the World Championships,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42he's literally swept the rest of the field away.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53# You shout it loud
0:18:53 > 0:18:58# But I can't hear a word you say
0:18:58 > 0:19:02# I'm talking loud, not saying much
0:19:06 > 0:19:08# I'm criticised
0:19:08 > 0:19:13# but all your bullets ricochet
0:19:13 > 0:19:16# You shoot me down
0:19:16 > 0:19:17# But I get up
0:19:21 > 0:19:25# You shoot me down But I won't fall
0:19:25 > 0:19:30# I am titanium!
0:19:35 > 0:19:40COMMENTATOR: Mark Cavendish has won the world title for Great Britain!
0:19:40 > 0:19:44# I am titanium! #
0:19:47 > 0:19:51We stay on two wheels for the story of a remarkable athlete
0:19:51 > 0:19:56who is currently in training for a sixth consecutive Paralympic Games.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Having started out as a swimmer, she's since enjoyed cycling success
0:20:00 > 0:20:03in both Paralympic and able-bodied competition.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05It can only be Sarah Storey.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10'The island of Majorca, with it's rolling hills,
0:20:10 > 0:20:16'often pretty favourable climate, and a healthy respect for those on two wheels by those on four,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20'which means it's the perfect place for Sarah Storey
0:20:20 > 0:20:23'and British Para-cyclists to put in some serious road miles
0:20:23 > 0:20:25'at their endurance training camp.'
0:20:25 > 0:20:29I love training. I think hard work is part of what gives you the confidence
0:20:29 > 0:20:31to get on the start line and be able to say,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33"I might be able to win this race, you know!"
0:20:33 > 0:20:35A lot of the confidence I've had over the years
0:20:35 > 0:20:39has been because I've sat on a start gate or stood in the blocks in swimming
0:20:39 > 0:20:44and known that I've done more work than anyone else who's going to be racing against me.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47If you train hard, then you can race easy.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Racing isn't easy, but it makes your life easier
0:20:49 > 0:20:52because every pedal rev in training is towards that competition day.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55The training plan for today is two two-hour rides.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58And this morning it's based on this bike, a time trial bike.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02So I've been mainly down on the skis here, just getting some power down.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05This afternoon, I'll be using this bike here, my road bike.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10This is what you do most of your training on, this kind of road bike.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13It's a slightly different set up, obviously.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16That will be some hilly ride, putting some power down towards the end
0:21:16 > 0:21:18just to do a little bit of overload.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22'Sarah is training to compete in potentially five events at the Paralympics
0:21:22 > 0:21:27'and narrowly missed out on a place competing for Team GB at the Olympics as well.'
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Yeah, at one point the Team Pursuit was on the cards as well.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35I'd had an amazing run, I'd not been beaten in the Team Pursuit in any of the events I'd done.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37But I wasn't wanted within the squad, they didn't need me,
0:21:37 > 0:21:42they had four riders that were already concentrating on the Olympics and only the Olympics.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44So I had to take a side step away from that
0:21:44 > 0:21:48and just concentrate on the Paralympics, which, for me, is fantastic
0:21:48 > 0:21:51as it's going to be tough enough as it is with the Paralympic Game events.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54You know, it's just one of those situations.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57I'm potentially better as a cyclist than I was as a swimmer.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01And, you know, if I can continue to build on that beyond London,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04then the chances are people will remember me more as a cyclist than as a swimmer.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Which seems crazy, because I was obviously on that swim team for 13, 14 years.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11Now she's in the running for five gold medals,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14in the five events which she's competing for,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17which is absolutely phenomenal. You know, one or two of those events
0:22:17 > 0:22:21are going to be incredibly challenging for her to return that gold medal.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25And one of those is the Team Sprint where we have just such depth of talent within our own squad.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Part of the battle is going to be actually getting in the team.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29So that's going to be a big challenge.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32It's great that we've got a home games, but the most important thing
0:22:32 > 0:22:37is that we win the gold medals and we're, you know, very business-like about what we do.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42We're very fortunate to have it at home, but that's not the only thing that's important.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45It's for the spectators and the supporters to get excited about,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48and that emotion is for them, really, now.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52And the emotion for us will come out once we've done the job.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56Believe it or not, a few years ago, this was a very familiar sight...
0:22:56 > 0:22:59That's right. I used to be a hockey goalkeeper on this very pitch.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02It's been re-laid to be exactly the same surface
0:23:02 > 0:23:04on which Team GB compete in London in the summer.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09And today, I roped in a couple of the players to show me what I've been missing since my retirement.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Take it easy on me, guys, will you?!
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Let's do this thing!
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Well, that went better than planned!
0:23:30 > 0:23:32But I'm not the only one who's been rolling back the years.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37The Duchess of Cambridge recently relived her days as captain of her school team at the Olympic Park.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40But it's another Kate we're focussing on now.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Kate Walsh, captain of the GB Women's Hockey side who, unlike me,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46have a very realistic chance of a medal in London.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52I'm 31 years old, I'm the England and Great Britain Women's Hockey Captain, have been for the last nine years.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57In 2004, when I was captain, we failed to qualify for the Athens Olympic Games.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00I still get upset about it now. Now, things are looking much rosier!
0:24:00 > 0:24:04We've now risen to fourth in the world rankings.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11It's a Friday morning in April, and I'm here at the pitch by myself
0:24:11 > 0:24:14to do some extra drag-flicking practice.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18Squirrel!
0:24:20 > 0:24:21Oh, he's loving the pitch!
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Maybe he thinks it's water!
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Hopefully we won't have this problem at the London Olympics,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28when the whole pitch is going to be this colour!
0:24:28 > 0:24:30Squirrels coming down for a drink!
0:24:33 > 0:24:35That was my tenth training session of the week.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38And I've got two games this weekend.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41So now it's time to go home and get some rest and get ready for the weekend.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46I'm pretty tired, to be honest, and drag-flicking on your own can be quite demoralising.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51Initially, when I was captain, I thought it was about, you know,
0:24:51 > 0:24:56rousing speeches and making quotes and really getting people going.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59And sometimes it is about that. But actually, not very often.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04And at this level, players often can motivate themselves and they should motivate themselves.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07And for me, it's just, you know, making sure the icing's on the cake,
0:25:07 > 0:25:11just making sure everybody's where they need to be at the right time.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14But it has taken me a while to learn that!
0:25:14 > 0:25:17And how often are you going to swap on your subs?
0:25:17 > 0:25:22It's making sure that I'm being the best that I can be and everybody else is doing the same thing.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24The thing that I love about hockey,
0:25:24 > 0:25:28the thing that I wouldn't change for the world is just being part of a team.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Hi, girls!
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Being part of this team has been one of the best experiences in my life.
0:25:33 > 0:25:39First to tee off on the Great Britain Women's Golf Day... Ashleigh Ball!
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Loud and proud, Dave, loud and proud!
0:25:42 > 0:25:45The very famous iPod game..
0:25:45 > 0:25:50# Today this could be the greatest day of our lives! #
0:25:50 > 0:25:57You're on the coach, you put your noise-cancelling headphones on and belt it out as loud as you can!
0:25:57 > 0:26:01# Can you see it in my eyes? #
0:26:01 > 0:26:04So, here we are in Bisham Abbey gym, which you can just see there.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08So this is where we do our weight training.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10If we crack, it'll be in the gym.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12That can be the time when you just break.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15I might be having the worst day of my life, but I need to just crack on
0:26:15 > 0:26:18because it's not good for the other players to see that.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22They need to see this is where we're going, what we're doing. Not, "What's wrong with Kate?"
0:26:22 > 0:26:26I don't want them to be thinking about that, I just want them to be thinking about their job.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29It's the first time I've ever done this exercise.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31It's hurting my groin and my abs.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40Champions Trophy in January 2012, we cracked it and we beat Germany in the semi-final.
0:26:43 > 0:26:48It meant everything to the team to win that semi-final and to get into a final.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51We knew that we could do it and we believed that we could,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53but it was almost to prove to the outside world
0:26:53 > 0:26:57and the other teams that this team is good enough to win a semi-final.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00And good enough to get in a final and good enough to compete in a final.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05And now we have that belief instilled in us and I've heard the opposition say it about us now.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09And so it gives us a lot of confidence going into the Olympics in the summer.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16The support we had on Twitter, and watching the hockey on the Red Button, was just phenomenal.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19You know, I started the tournament trying to reply to my tweets.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23And by the end, I was like, "Sorry, there's just no way I can do it!"
0:27:23 > 0:27:24The support was amazing.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27And just to come to schools and talk to the girls,
0:27:27 > 0:27:33they think it's some magical way that you've managed to play for England and Great Britain,
0:27:33 > 0:27:35and it's not, I started exactly the same as them.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37I was 11 when I first picked up a hockey stick.
0:27:37 > 0:27:42And I was in the Olympic Games in 2000. It's like nine years.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45You know, and to try and pass that one and pass that message on
0:27:45 > 0:27:48and say, "Girls, you know, this can be you."
0:27:48 > 0:27:52You know, it doesn't have to be hockey. Anything. Just go out there and believe in yourselves.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Right, I think I'm with you.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Time to hear from one of the more fashionable members of Team GB, I think.
0:28:02 > 0:28:07Philips Idowu. What was the kind of vibe like backstage?
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Everyone putting the Team GB kit on together. Was there a real buzz?
0:28:10 > 0:28:14There definitely is. Just seeing everybody together on the stage,
0:28:14 > 0:28:19in the kit, from all different Olympic events, it's a great feeling. I feel like I'm ready to compete now.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22I'm looking around and seeing the guys in the kit, and it's amazing.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25I think Stella's done a great job designing this.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27It definitely builds anticipation towards the Olympics.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Well, we're looking forward to seeing you compete.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33That is almost it for this edition of British Olympic Dreams.
0:28:33 > 0:28:39Head to our website on bbc.co.uk/olympics for more information
0:28:39 > 0:28:43and to keep up with everything that's happening in the world of Olympic sports.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47So until next time, it's goodbye from the Tower of London.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51And it's goodbye from me, here in Loughborough. See you!
0:28:55 > 0:28:57Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd