0:00:02 > 0:00:05Here comes Kelly Holmes, the crowd on their feet.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Good footwork by DeGale. What a start!
0:00:08 > 0:00:12- Denise Lewis, Olympic champion. - And Rebecca Adlington is bringing it home for Britain.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27Britain get the gold medal!
0:00:27 > 0:00:31- Yes! Yes, yes!- Kelly Holmes for Great Britain - what a performance!
0:00:31 > 0:00:35James DeGale is the Olympic champion!
0:00:35 > 0:00:36You are absolutely brilliant!
0:00:36 > 0:00:38This is where Great Britain takes gold.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58The waterways of London.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Once a vital resource running through the heart of the capital,
0:01:03 > 0:01:07the River Thames and its surrounding network of canals
0:01:07 > 0:01:11played a crucial role in the development of the host city as we know it today.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17And it's on water here in London this summer
0:01:17 > 0:01:20that many of Great Britain's gold medal hopes lie.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Olympic champions ready to defend titles.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Rebecca Adlington - two gold medals!
0:01:27 > 0:01:32Others determined to claim the ultimate prize.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37In less than 150 days, the world's elite athletes will descend
0:01:37 > 0:01:39in a bid to stop Britain's best.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Oh! Yes, he has! That is unbelievable!
0:01:46 > 0:01:50But, on home shores, a nation expects.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02And on this edition of British Olympic Dreams, we bring you
0:02:02 > 0:02:04one remarkable comeback,
0:02:04 > 0:02:06three world-beaters,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08and a reluctant solo artist.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10But first to Tom Daley,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13the high-diving star who first shot to fame in 2008,
0:02:13 > 0:02:18when he was selected for the Beijing Olympics at the tender age of 14.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22Since then, his celebrity has risen, alongside his sporting prowess,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24leading to criticism from within the GB camp
0:02:24 > 0:02:27over his commitments away from the sport.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Tom's long-time friend and mentor Leon Taylor
0:02:30 > 0:02:32was at diving's Olympic test event,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36in what proved to be a tough week for the teenager.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41What do most 17-year-olds worry about?
0:02:41 > 0:02:45Exams, what they're going to wear, hanging out with mates?
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Just imagine how you'd feel if the whole nation expected you
0:02:48 > 0:02:50to win an Olympic gold medal,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53and you had to do it from up there.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58YES! Come on, Tom.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00What a dive!
0:03:00 > 0:03:01What a dive!
0:03:01 > 0:03:03What a dive!
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Tom Daley, World Championship medallist.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08I was asked to go over to the diving pool
0:03:08 > 0:03:11and watch this kid who everyone was thinking was quite good.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15So I went over, sat down, watched for about 15 minutes,
0:03:15 > 0:03:18and, afterwards, turned round to all the assembled coaches and said,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20"That boy will never make a diver."
0:03:20 > 0:03:21Oops!
0:03:21 > 0:03:24It was obvious that there was a talent there,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26that was going to be worth working with,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28and that's what we've done for the last ten years now.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32I've known Tom since he was ten years old and, even back then,
0:03:32 > 0:03:36I was amazed at how wise above his years he seemed.
0:03:36 > 0:03:41Since then, he's managed to cope with all the challenges thrown his way in and outside of the pool,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45even missing out on the medals at the 2011 World Championships,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48and finishing a disappointing seventh here,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52with my old diving partner Peter Waterfield at the Olympic test event.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55People are putting lots of pressure on me, and things like that,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57but to be honest, I don't really see it as pressure,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59because I can only go to the Olympics, try my best,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01and do the best that I can do.
0:04:01 > 0:04:02And if I don't dive very well,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06it should only be me that gets disappointed, because it's not anyone else's performance.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10So I'm just going to go out there, give it my best shot and hopefully I'll do well.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14But that hasn't stopped the critics.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Unhelpful newspaper headlines has caused some disruption behind the scenes.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Britain's performance director Alexei Evangulov has criticised
0:04:22 > 0:04:23Tom Daley's media commitments,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26saying he's endangering his chance of an Olympic gold.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30Alexei Evangulov has warned that Tom Daley's career could be in danger
0:04:30 > 0:04:33of mirroring that of the retired tennis pin-up Anna Kournikova.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37He's criticised Daley for spending too much time on media commitments.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39But it's a claim rejected by the diver.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47Anna Kournikova is my favourite tennis player and I adore her.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51We actually already put a new strategic plan
0:04:51 > 0:04:54for the last few months, prior to the Olympic Games,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56and we are moving forward.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Now, we are on the track with Thomas Daley.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01We didn't dive badly and miss that dive because of
0:05:01 > 0:05:05anything to do with him doing media, or his sponsors' stuff.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07It's all to do with us not being prepared.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12We've had a few injuries over Christmas and in January,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15that have stopped us training together and training ourselves.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18So, you can't expect us to then come here, at a world event,
0:05:18 > 0:05:20and get medals.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24We tried. We could have been up there, but we just missed one dive.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27With that preparation, hopefully we won't in six months' time.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31Everybody knows who Tom Daley is now. Everybody wants a piece of him,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34and we're trying to make sure that, yes, it's important for him,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37that he does a little bit of media work and sponsorship work,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40because that's how he'll earn his living,
0:05:40 > 0:05:44but it's also important that we do absolutely everything we can do to get him on the rostrum.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49For an elite athlete, the downtime is as important as the training itself.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Without downtime, your head's likely to explode under all the expectation.
0:05:52 > 0:05:58It seems funny to me to imagine the Chinese diving team producing a pop video on the beach.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01MUSIC: "Sexy And I Know It" by LMFAO
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Pretty good to be able to have fun with your teammates
0:06:09 > 0:06:13and not take yourself too seriously, and kind of just have fun.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17That's the thing. When you go way to training camps, although it is a lot of hard work,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19lots of training, we still do have fun.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23If he's going to be the poster boy for London, he's a definite gold medal.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26There is no such thing as a definite gold medal, I don't think,
0:06:26 > 0:06:28particularly in the sport of diving.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33We've sat down with the agent, with Tom and his family, with the sport management, and we've said,
0:06:33 > 0:06:37"Right. This is where we're at, this is where we think we should be going.
0:06:37 > 0:06:38"Let's all agree a game plan."
0:06:38 > 0:06:40That game plan is now agreed
0:06:40 > 0:06:43and I think it's the best possible build-up to London we could hope for.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47I'm really enjoying the build-up so far. It's been an experience.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51I think London 2012 is the first Olympics where I know what it's all going to be like,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55and it's just a matter of going in there and trying to do my best.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00Since Tom Daley won the World Championships in 2009, aged only 15,
0:07:00 > 0:07:05he's grown 15 centimetres and put on about 20 kilos in lean muscle mass.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09He's also increased the degree of difficulty in four of his six dives.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13And Tom's also got a new synchronised diving partner in Peter Waterfield,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16and sometimes it takes a little bit of time to get it just right.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18And if I know Tom the way that I do,
0:07:18 > 0:07:22he'll take this all in his stride and come back even stronger.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26It's a new world record!
0:07:26 > 0:07:27Two gold medals!
0:07:27 > 0:07:29This man is unstoppable.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Now for a quick look at one of Britain's finest athletes,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36and a key medal hope for 2012.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38He's already a world champion
0:07:38 > 0:07:42in the technically complex and physically demanding men's 400 metre hurdles.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Time to find out a bit more about Dai Greene.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12The Olympic triathlon is one event
0:09:12 > 0:09:17which promises to show off London's most iconic sites to the whole world.
0:09:17 > 0:09:22And Britain will be looking to show off a trio of world champions on the starting line, too.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27The Brownlee brothers and Helen Jenkins are happy to share training camp experiences
0:09:27 > 0:09:30but when it comes to the actual race, they like to play their cards close to their chest,
0:09:30 > 0:09:34as Olly Williams discovered when he joined them in Lanzarote.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52If you were gambling, these would be the people to put money on at London 2012.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Sat at this table are triathlon's world number one woman,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58the world number one man,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01and his younger brother, the world's number two man.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05He is the ace in the pack - Alistair Brownlee, 23 years old,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08world and European champion, with an astonishing record.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15- COMMENTATOR:- Alistair Brownlee crosses the line,
0:10:15 > 0:10:19to celebrate victory in the men's competition for Great Britain.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Alistair's won over 50% of the World Champ series.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Every race - he's won over 50%. You think, "That is amazing."
0:10:26 > 0:10:29That's such an achievement.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33- Close to a perfect year?- Very close. You can't have a perfect year.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36I raced 11 times, and I won nine of them.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40I don't think I've been on the line, looked across and thought, "I can beat Alistair."
0:10:40 > 0:10:43I'm not racing for second, I'm racing to win. But at the same time,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45I know that when Alistair is on top form, he will beat me.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47'Alistair Brownlee!'
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Are you the best triathlete in the world?
0:10:50 > 0:10:51I like to think so every so often,
0:10:51 > 0:10:56but triathlon's one of those sports that encompasses so many disciplines
0:10:56 > 0:10:58that I don't really worry about it too much.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02I'm happy doing what I do and winning what I can.
0:11:02 > 0:11:08We take it for granted that triathlon is just something you do. Completing it is not an achievement.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12For some people, completing it is a fantastic achievement.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15These are no ordinary triathletes.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18They proved it on the Olympic course last August.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23Alistair and Helen both won gold in Hyde Park with Jonny on the podium.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27They gave huge crowds a taste of how Britain might dominate the home Games.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44It was pretty incredible, Hyde Park.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47I have not experienced support like that in a race before.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49It has been getting bigger over the past few years,
0:11:49 > 0:11:53but considering we raced at 8.30am, there was a lot of people on the course.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Even at the furthest points of the course, people shouting.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59I remember being in the swim, actually, maybe... Towards the end of the swim,
0:11:59 > 0:12:04round the back of the pontoon, as far as you could see, there were people four abreast coming to watch,
0:12:04 > 0:12:06and I thought, "That's pretty amazing."
0:12:06 > 0:12:10I thought, "Maybe there is something in this home-crowd malarkey."
0:12:10 > 0:12:15It was a massive advantage that we have done well on that course. It is important to keep on winning races.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Some people are beaten before they even start. They turn up, see us and think, "Oh, no, they're here."
0:12:21 > 0:12:24In that Hyde Park race, the rain lashed it down -
0:12:24 > 0:12:27and that really could be a taste of what's coming up this summer.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30You certainly wouldn't catch anyone playing a lazy card game like this
0:12:30 > 0:12:33outdoors in winter in Britain.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37These card sharks are somewhere a bit more exotic.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50We're on the island of Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53This is the greenest part of the whole island and it's not very green.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57This bit's more normal but there's bits that are just volcanic rock -
0:12:57 > 0:12:59just black rock everywhere. You can't see anything else.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04We are used to the Yorkshire Moors. Coming here, it's beautiful in its own way -
0:13:04 > 0:13:06it's got beautiful rock formations -
0:13:06 > 0:13:10- but volcanic rock gets a bit boring after a while.- I wouldn't want to live here. Two weeks is enough!
0:13:12 > 0:13:16'I love coming back here to Lanzarote to train.'
0:13:16 > 0:13:19I didn't expect, at the start of last year, when we were here training,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22to be coming back as world champion.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26At nearly 28, Helen Jenkins is older than the Brownlees.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30She's already been to an Olympics as a world champion - in Beijing, four years ago -
0:13:30 > 0:13:32and seen things go wrong.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36From Alistair, in 2008, coming 12th at the Olympics,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38to winning every race in 2009,
0:13:38 > 0:13:42I haven't had that explosion onto the scene.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46I've been around a bit longer. I'm probably a bit more under the radar.
0:13:46 > 0:13:52I'm not after the media spotlight. I love doing triathlon - I want to do well. I want to win.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Day after day, you do your training -
0:13:55 > 0:13:59that's what's going to make you ready for gold, not reading the papers.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03And training is now a problem for Alistair Brownlee.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06After he left this training camp, he tore his Achilles tendon.
0:14:06 > 0:14:12Right now, he's injured. He says he is confident he will be back well ahead of the Games,
0:14:12 > 0:14:16but even before the injury, he knew that could be the one thing that stops him.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19- Do you worry about injury? - I'm not too much of a worrier, I don't think,
0:14:19 > 0:14:24compared to some athletes, but it is a big worry,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26if I think of the things that could go wrong -
0:14:26 > 0:14:30injury's probably the big one. Fitness and confidence has a lot to do with it.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34If you have got that confidence, you can deal with almost everything.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38All you can ask is that you're on the form of your life on that day
0:14:38 > 0:14:40and can go out, have a bit of luck and give it your all.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45- Three fives. Unlucky! - I knew that was a five.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50So you know his poker face, then? It doesn't work.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Alistair now has even more to smile about.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57He's back from injury and was first over the finish line, along with his brother Jonny,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59in the Blenheim Triathlon.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04Hopefully, that'll be the end of his injury worries in the build-up to his Olympic campaign.
0:15:04 > 0:15:10One of Britain's most high-profile female footballers has also had a training setback
0:15:10 > 0:15:14as Team GB's girls prepared to make their Olympic debut in the sport.
0:15:14 > 0:15:20Kelly Smith has been left high and dry after the suspension of America's Women's Professional Soccer League.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25But she has tackled moments of adversity before, as Jess discovers.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Packing up bits in your house to rent it out for the six months out
0:15:31 > 0:15:33I was going to be away
0:15:33 > 0:15:35and then your life's turned upside down
0:15:35 > 0:15:39because my contract was suspended.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45It was like, "What am I doing now?" Because for that year I was set,
0:15:45 > 0:15:49I was going to move, and my life was going to be in America for six months.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51It was a total shock.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55This is the second time it has happened to me. I played in the professional league before.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01I hope it will be up and running next year but I am not holding my breath.
0:16:09 > 0:16:16The big thing this year is thinking about the upcoming events happening in the summer.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19That is a big motivation, although I'm not playing club football at the minute.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21But excuse me if I make noises.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25It's not ideal that I don't have a club,
0:16:25 > 0:16:30but there is so much focus, long term, to push me in the gym here,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33and running outside and doing my own workouts.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36By myself or with...
0:16:36 > 0:16:41I've been training with Arsenal at the minute to keep ticking over.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Now that we've got the women's Super League,
0:16:44 > 0:16:48it is an option for you to stay in England and play professional football?
0:16:48 > 0:16:54Definitely. One of the reasons that I left was because the league was too easy
0:16:54 > 0:16:59and not challenging. But I am glad they have changed it. I am ecstatic.
0:16:59 > 0:17:04It is now more elite, more challenging.
0:17:04 > 0:17:10It is definitely an option to come back and play in England.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14Kelly's been through some tough times over the years and in 2003,
0:17:14 > 0:17:17a serious knee injury threatened to push her over the edge.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23I abused alcohol a lot during those injury...
0:17:23 > 0:17:26years, shall I say, that I had.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29I hit some very low points and was in a really bad way.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32I sought help through attending the Priory
0:17:32 > 0:17:35and also the Sporting Chance clinic that Tony Adams set up.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37I got a lot of help from that.
0:17:37 > 0:17:43That was part of my career that was a low point, that I am not proud of,
0:17:43 > 0:17:49but it had to happen, in order for me to be the person that I am today,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52and where I am at in my life, at this moment.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58In all the years I have been playing, I only have one medal internationally.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01It is not a lot, so I need to get to the Olympics first.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05I will try to be part of the squad, which I'll strive to do everything I possibly can
0:18:05 > 0:18:09but obviously the goal is to win gold.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18We have never had that opportunity to play in the Olympics,
0:18:18 > 0:18:23whereas Germany, the USA, Sweden, Japan, that is one of their main tournaments.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26It is a mouth-watering prospect,
0:18:26 > 0:18:32thinking that you could play on the biggest stage in the world.
0:18:32 > 0:18:33It is quite tasty.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Now to an athlete enjoying a far better return from his move to
0:19:04 > 0:19:06the USA.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Basketball superstar Luol Deng,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11who will be hoping to do his business in that building this summer.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Having had the honour of becoming the first British player to appear
0:19:15 > 0:19:20in the NBA all-star game, he is not a man who has forgotten his roots.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Leon Mann found him in a relaxed mood.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29I didn't think you were going to show up. On my head.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Welcome home, and when I say home, this really is your home.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36- Yes.- You have a good story about this door?
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Yeah. I used to try to go everywhere.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42My whole day was trying to play basketball
0:19:42 > 0:19:45and I would come here and try to sneak in.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47We would open this door right here.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52It had a low thing to it. If you knew how to do it, you knew how to get in.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54We used to get in and use the court,
0:19:54 > 0:19:58and when the security guards came, we would run out and run back in.
0:19:58 > 0:20:03We did that in a lot of places - we went to Brixton, all the way to east London,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05just to find a court to play.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Wherever we could play we used to go.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10When people say you're opening doors for the next generation,
0:20:10 > 0:20:12you literally are?
0:20:12 > 0:20:14I'm trying to do things that I did not have.
0:20:14 > 0:20:20This camp - there was no stay-over camp when I was growing up.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Kids playing for free on a day like this,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26doing clinics where they play free - I didn't have all of that.
0:20:28 > 0:20:33- You can feel the buzz here, but what about the NBA?- It is the Olympics.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35It doesn't matter what league you're playing in.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39All that goes out of the window when it comes to the Olympics.
0:20:39 > 0:20:46Everyone is excited. For me, it is extra that it is here in London.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48- We're going up there.- Here?- Yeah. - Let's go.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50WHISTLE
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Oh, yes!
0:20:53 > 0:20:57'I was telling those kids I feel like things are going to change,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59'basketball is going to change, after the Olympics.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02'It is a special time for all of us,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06'and we will all take it seriously, we will do whatever it takes.'
0:21:06 > 0:21:09It is the Olympics, but we're playing for a lot more,
0:21:09 > 0:21:13we're trying to change how the game is viewed in the UK,
0:21:13 > 0:21:17and trying to get respect from everyone.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21For us it's bigger than just the Olympics.
0:21:21 > 0:21:22WHISTLE
0:21:22 > 0:21:25LAUGHTER
0:21:25 > 0:21:29- I have got these shoes on. - Make excuses all day!
0:21:31 > 0:21:33Oh!
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Would you be staying in an Olympic village?
0:21:35 > 0:21:38I think you got to experience that.
0:21:38 > 0:21:39You got to do that.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44Every day when I'm playing with the Bulls we stay in a hotel,
0:21:44 > 0:21:51so come the Olympics to stay in a regular hotel, you could do that throughout your career.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54There is only one time in your home town
0:21:54 > 0:21:58you get to stay in the Olympic village and experience it.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01I head you stay in the Olympic village, you have room mates,
0:22:01 > 0:22:06and I do not really want them, but if that is what I have to do
0:22:06 > 0:22:08to stay in the village, then I don't mind it.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10WHISTLE
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- Oh!- We have a winner!
0:22:18 > 0:22:22Anyone ready to write off Sir Chris Hoy's chances of adding
0:22:22 > 0:22:25to his gold medal tally this summer need only look at his dominant
0:22:25 > 0:22:29display of sprinting in the Olympic Velodrome test event.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33But as fellow track cycling champion Chris Boardman now reveals,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36the Real McCoy has a young pretender hot on his heels.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43My one to watch is Jason Kenny.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48He may just be 23 years of age,
0:22:48 > 0:22:50but he has some serious hardware to his name.
0:22:53 > 0:22:59In 2006 he bagged himself multiple European and World junior titles.
0:22:59 > 0:23:05His big break came in 2008, where he forced his way, ahead of Ross Edgar, into the Olympic team.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09He went on to get a gold medal in the Team Sprint event
0:23:09 > 0:23:12and took silver behind countryman Sir Chris Hoy.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18His biggest obstacle for 2012 will be finding his way past his countryman
0:23:18 > 0:23:21because getting his nose in front of Sir Chris Hoy is probably the only way
0:23:21 > 0:23:23he can get an Olympic gold medal.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Here on British Olympic Dreams, we pride ourselves on bringing you
0:23:28 > 0:23:32the stories of athletes battling against the odds to realise their dream.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37But few can match what showjumping's Tim Stockdale has been through.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Despite breaking his neck at the end of 2011, he is refusing to
0:23:40 > 0:23:44give up on his quest to ride in the Olympics this summer.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50I have been riding since the age of seven,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54so that's nearly 40 years - most of my life.
0:23:54 > 0:23:55Showjumping is my life.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59It's one of those sports that's very gladiatorial.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03It has that Neanderthal Man feel about it - raw competition.
0:24:03 > 0:24:10It's also a sport that's very dangerous and you're always on the edge of something going wrong.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16'What do you recall?'
0:24:16 > 0:24:20'Luckily, I do not recall much of the accident.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24'I was trying horses and it was a little bit windy'
0:24:24 > 0:24:28and rain was starting to come and whether something spooked him,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30I don't know but he jolted out of the corner,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32he ran out of the corner.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36My saddle had not been tightened and it slipped off the wrong side,
0:24:36 > 0:24:38so I was coming down.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40I don't remember anything more.
0:24:40 > 0:24:41And lower it nice and slowly.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45'Shrewsbury Hospital was our first port of call.'
0:24:45 > 0:24:49The doctor there examined me and felt my neck.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53As he felt my neck, I realised I was in trouble.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56I've broken a few bones in my time, but I knew...
0:24:56 > 0:25:01As he gently pressed around, I knew there was something serious on my neck.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06In Mr Stockdale's case,
0:25:06 > 0:25:11you've got vertebrae number four, five, is broken.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15And number six - this area has been broken completely.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Fortunately it did not affect the spinal cord,
0:25:18 > 0:25:25so that is why Mr Stockdale, now, has full neurological function.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30- What's he like as a patient? - A nightmare.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34He doesn't understand "keep still", but he is getting there, aren't you?
0:25:34 > 0:25:36- Just about.- Just about.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41What would it mean for you to get that place and go to the Olympics?
0:25:41 > 0:25:45From where I'm sat at the moment, it would be extraordinary.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48'It's lovely to be out of hospital.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53'Five weeks on my back was quite a difficult time.'
0:25:53 > 0:25:56I feel great now, I have been out for two-and-a-half weeks,
0:25:56 > 0:25:59and it is great to be among other riders.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02A little bit frustrating, but it's nice to be here.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10I've been using these pulleys since 15th January
0:26:10 > 0:26:13when I got the collar taken off.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16It has made a massive difference.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18I can even do my shirts now,
0:26:18 > 0:26:22so that's really good. It feels great.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24It's been very beneficial.
0:26:29 > 0:26:30A few little nerves?
0:26:30 > 0:26:34Yes. It is unusual to have been out of the saddle for this long,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36since the age of seven.
0:26:36 > 0:26:42Now I am going to jump some fences, so, er... Yeah, a big day.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46I am a little bit nervous, but I am trying not to show it.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49I am pleased that he is riding again - it is all he wants to do.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51I am pleased.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Here we go. Now.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02Back's slightly sore when I land. Not the neck, but the base of my spine.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05But the feeling is great. It is superb.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11It has been like climbing a mountain already - and I still have a massive one to climb -
0:27:11 > 0:27:14but, at the moment, I feel elated.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20Today has been everything I wanted it to be.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24A few months ago, I would never have thought I would be here. It is great.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29When you've done one Olympic Games it's the pinnacle of any athlete's career.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46Nick Hope reporting there. Good luck to Tim Stockdale on his road to recovery.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49That is almost it for this edition of British Olympic Dreams.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Just enough time to give you a sneak preview
0:27:52 > 0:27:54of what we're planning for the next episode.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57'I do not think I am back to my best yet,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00'but if I can get into the Games, hopefully by the summer I can get to that level.'
0:28:00 > 0:28:04The main thing was saving my career and keeping myself in the sport,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07keeping the enjoyment, the motivation and the hunger,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10but I can't forget that I've had success in the past.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13If you've been there once, there's no reason why you can't do it again.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15You just have to find the right recipe.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18- It has been lovely out here on the water.- Yeah, pretty good.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20We will be back on dry land next time,
0:28:20 > 0:28:25but as we say goodbye from what's set to become an iconic sporting venue,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28we leave you with an iconic sporting tune, courtesy of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31- Bye.- See you.
0:28:33 > 0:28:38MUSIC: "Theme From Chariots Of Fire" by Vangelis