0:00:02 > 0:00:05'Here comes Kelly Holmes. The crowd are on their feet.'
0:00:05 > 0:00:07'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 > 0:00:26'Great Britain get the gold medal!'
0:00:26 > 0:00:28'Yes. Yes, yes!'
0:00:28 > 0:00:32'Kelly Holmes for Great Britain, what a performance.'
0:00:32 > 0:00:36'You are absolutely brilliant!'
0:00:36 > 0:00:38'Chris Hoy for Great Britain takes gold.'
0:01:26 > 0:01:29'Gold medal number four, Chris Hoy!'
0:01:32 > 0:01:36'This is the moment Paula Radcliffe has waited so long for.'
0:01:42 > 0:01:45'Adlington's going to be the gold medallist!
0:01:45 > 0:01:47'Great Britain have won a gold in the swimming pool.'
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Hello and welcome to British Olympic Dreams.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55In this episode, we revisit London's illustrious Olympic past
0:01:55 > 0:01:58as well as bringing you the inside story of those athletes
0:01:58 > 0:02:03attempting to make history when the Games return in July.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08From here in White City in 1908 to Wembley stadium 40 years later,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12teams gathered from a across the globe to fight for gold
0:02:12 > 0:02:14and a place in sport's hall of fame.
0:02:14 > 0:02:20This summer London will once again become a sporting battleground.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Gymnast Beth Tweddle is a three-time world champion
0:02:23 > 0:02:26but an Olympic medal has so far eluded her.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Helen Skelton joined the 27-year-old for a grand day out.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33With the Olympics fast approaching Britain's athletes
0:02:33 > 0:02:35are training harder than ever
0:02:35 > 0:02:39and one of them hoping to make it third time lucky is Beth Tweddle.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42She's been given a rare day off to take on a special role
0:02:42 > 0:02:45at one of the biggest parties in the north-west.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47And I am tagging along.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51'Fabulous performance from Beth Tweddle.'
0:02:52 > 0:02:57'Beth Tweddle has shown us what she's really capable of.'
0:02:57 > 0:02:58Hello, Beth!
0:03:00 > 0:03:02You have got Union Jacks everywhere.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05It kind of started off as a thing between me and my coach.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08She gave me something GB as a good luck present
0:03:08 > 0:03:10for one of my first internationals,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13and I gave her a thank you thing and it is now a competition of,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16what's the most original thing you can get?
0:03:16 > 0:03:19It's the obvious question, you must be excited about this year.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Everywhere you turn at the minute. I can't even go shopping,
0:03:22 > 0:03:24you can't turn the telly on without seeing
0:03:24 > 0:03:27something to do with London 2012, so it is really exciting.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30How long have you been on the senior circuit now? Ten years?
0:03:30 > 0:03:34About ten years. 2001 I first made my senior debut at a world championships.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39So, sometimes I feel old in the gym. My body can't quite do the numbers
0:03:39 > 0:03:42that the youngsters are doing. But, with that comes experience.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44So I've done a lot more major championships
0:03:44 > 0:03:46and you can use that to your advantage.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50To have a MBE at the age of 25 was a massive achievement.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52World champion, Olympian, MBE.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54What do your parents... Is that your mum and dad?
0:03:54 > 0:03:57- My mum, dad and my brother. - What do they make of it all?
0:03:57 > 0:03:58They are so supportive,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02they've been to every competition apart from about five or six throughout my career.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05They're actually going to be there today watching me do the opening.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12This is meant to be your day off but you're doing all of this,
0:04:12 > 0:04:13you were training this morning.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Do you ever really get to switch off?
0:04:15 > 0:04:18You do get some days but, to be honest, I get bored.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23If I'm just sat at home doing nothing I'm a nightmare, I'm just bouncing off the walls
0:04:23 > 0:04:27It's quite nice to come out, and they say a change is as good as a rest.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30- I hope you have some winners. - I know, and you.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33- You've got those tips hiding. - I'll text you!- Cool. - I won't tell you!
0:04:41 > 0:04:45- Is there more pressure because it's in London?- I think there is a lot more pressure.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48A lot more people know about us,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52they have done a lot more profiling on a lot of the Team GB athlete.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55You've taken big titles before. Do you have to keep upping your game
0:04:55 > 0:04:59and introducing new skills and changing your routine?
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Yeah. The thing is with my routine, the judges get to know it,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04they get to know what deductions to take,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07so sometimes, as long as I go from A-B they kind of know
0:05:07 > 0:05:10what score they're going to give me before I present
0:05:10 > 0:05:14So each time I've sort of come back with another skill, come back with a new thing,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17and this year I've added a new dismount in.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20It's took me three or four years to get it into the routine
0:05:20 > 0:05:23just because it is so hard at the end of such a long routine.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26A very fine line between you walking away with the medal and not, isn't it?
0:05:26 > 0:05:30It is. I mean in Beijing I was 0.025 away from a medal.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35I took a step out of my dismount and that's 0.1, so it really did cost me a medal.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38How do those kind of experiences affect you going into London?
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Beijing I found really hard to get over.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44That was one of the only other competitions that I've ever found hard.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Every other one I have put it to one side and said, I need to work harder in the gym.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52But even now, Beijing, I haven't watched the routine all the way through.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55What's like for you two, sitting in the crowd?
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Do you get nervous, excited? How do you watch it as Beth's parents?
0:05:58 > 0:06:01When we're sitting in the crowd, very often we don't sit together
0:06:01 > 0:06:05- because it's quite difficult sitting next to this one.- Try not to!
0:06:05 > 0:06:06I can tell you, in a competition.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08When I'm swinging round the bars with her.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12We don't volunteer we're Beth's parents, but it becomes pretty obvious pretty soon.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16She's just a normal girl, when it comes down to it.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19It doesn't seem to affect her in any way whatsoever.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22All she's concerned about is getting her training done
0:06:22 > 0:06:24and doing the best she possibly can.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28People talk a lot about her being a role model and we are pleased with that.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Because she puts a lot of time and effort back in with the kids.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41You've been the centre of attention today, how was that? Opening Aintree?
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Bizarre. They've asked me to come to the races for the past couple of years
0:06:44 > 0:06:48but it has always clashed with competitions and me being out of the country,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50so it's really nice to be able to come this year.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53You won once, you've got a little bit of cash to go home with.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57Yeah, not much but my boyfriend can take me out with his winnings.
0:06:57 > 0:06:58All the very best for this year.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Fingers crossed you win big.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03- Confident?- We'll have to see what happens on the day.
0:07:07 > 0:07:101908 and the Olympics were hastily switched to London
0:07:10 > 0:07:14following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius near the original Games' location in Rome.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17and it was here at Windsor Castle where a young Royal audience
0:07:17 > 0:07:20looked forward to a grandstand view of the start of the marathon
0:07:20 > 0:07:21from the private east terrace.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23GUN SHOT
0:07:26 > 0:07:29The finish line eventually ended up here,
0:07:29 > 0:07:3426 miles and 385 yards away from Windsor
0:07:34 > 0:07:37in front of the Royal Box at the White City Stadium.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40It went on to become the standard marathon distance.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44One of Britain's best hopes for a distance running medal
0:07:44 > 0:07:46in London this time around
0:07:46 > 0:07:50is world and European 5,000 metre champion, Mo Farah.
0:08:28 > 0:08:33'Mo Farah's been dominating the 10,000 and now the 5,000.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36'A big win a superb performance.'
0:08:40 > 0:08:43This is Herne Hill Velodrome, the last remaining finals venue
0:08:43 > 0:08:47from the 1948 London Olympics that's still in use.
0:08:47 > 0:08:54Built in 1891, it is one of the oldest cycling venues in the world.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58Sadly there was no home gold medal success in 1948,
0:08:58 > 0:09:03a statistic the modern-day British track cycling team is unlikely to repeat,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07especially if the world championships in Australia are anything to go by.
0:09:13 > 0:09:19# To dream the impossible dream
0:09:20 > 0:09:26# To fight the unbeatable foe
0:09:26 > 0:09:31# To bear with unbearable sorrow
0:09:32 > 0:09:36# The unreachable
0:09:36 > 0:09:44# Star. #
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Here comes Great Britain,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Great Britain are the world champions!
0:09:56 > 0:09:59So six golds, a host of world records
0:09:59 > 0:10:02and a team full of confidence.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04One of the stars of the show, Laura Trott,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06came back from Melbourne with two world titles,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09both in the Olympic events.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12It's a feat the 19-year-old would love to pull off again
0:10:12 > 0:10:14in the London velodrome later this year.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Here comes Trott, up to the line - look at that time!
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Obviously, to come here and win the Omni is just massive,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37I'm just over the moon.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41Now Trott's got the extra power. Yes, she does it.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Coming down the outside again, it's going to be so close.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Laura Trott wins the elimination!
0:10:46 > 0:10:49I'm setting myself up well for London.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53How real does London feel, especially now you've finished
0:10:53 > 0:10:56your last races before the London Olympics
0:10:56 > 0:10:57and won gold medals in both?
0:10:57 > 0:11:01I wouldn't say I've didn't believe that I wouldn't get to 2012,
0:11:01 > 0:11:05but obviously to be 18 last year and win my first world title,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07it was really then when I started to think,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11"Oh, maybe 2012 isn't, like, totally out of the picture,"
0:11:11 > 0:11:13so, yeah, it seems pretty real now and, obviously,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17to finish in this competition winning both the Olympic events -
0:11:17 > 0:11:19I don't think anyone could say
0:11:19 > 0:11:21I'm completely out of the running for it.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Take me inside what it's like to be a part of that team.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26When I first got on to the programme I was pretty nervous
0:11:26 > 0:11:29cos I didn't know how people were going to react to me.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33I mean, I was a little 18-year-old and they were all big names already,
0:11:33 > 0:11:37so I was a bit like, "Oh," really nervous stepping into the track centre for the first time,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40but they just took me under their wing.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43They weren't like, "Oh, she's a nobody at the minute,"
0:11:43 > 0:11:46like, "Leave her out." It wasn't like that at all -
0:11:46 > 0:11:49it's just like one big family down there. Everybody talks to everybody.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51I never thought I could sit there with Sir Chris Hoy
0:11:51 > 0:11:54and have a conversation with him, whereas you can.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57You realise that they are actually just normal people.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00'The journey up into the GB senior team also led Laura to meet
0:12:00 > 0:12:04'her boyfriend, another young British cyclist the same age as her
0:12:04 > 0:12:07'and also on the verge of big things - Sam Harrison.'
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Do you guys actually talk about track cycling much together
0:12:10 > 0:12:14or is that like the one taboo subject away from the velodrome?
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Oh, no, I do talk about it.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Obviously I don't sit there analysing it with him or whatever.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22It's not like how you talk to your team-mates, I just tell him...
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Obviously he asks how my day has been
0:12:24 > 0:12:27and, I mean, cycling is my day, so I guess I have two tell him
0:12:27 > 0:12:31some stuff to a certain extent, but, yeah, we try to steer away from it,
0:12:31 > 0:12:33keep our relationship separate from cycling.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39It's the first time I've been in Australia altogether.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42It's not that often that you get to come to the other side of the world so, yeah, I do...
0:12:42 > 0:12:45But obviously racing comes first for me.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Like, I want to win more than I want to see a country.
0:12:49 > 0:12:50Laura's determination
0:12:50 > 0:12:54and her ability to ride strategic races like nobody else
0:12:54 > 0:12:59has brought her huge success, but it hasn't always been smooth riding.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03In fact, things for Laura are routinely stomach churning -
0:13:03 > 0:13:07she has a condition that makes her physically sick after racing.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09I've got too much acid in my stomach and, obviously,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12when I try hard I, like, tense my muscles
0:13:12 > 0:13:15and it just pushes the acid up and then obviously it gets stuck,
0:13:15 > 0:13:19and it's like it wants to come into my vocal chords and then I throw up.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22I've been taking some tablets to try and calm it down,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25but I'm sick a lot less now than what I used to be.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Is it more fun and more meaningful to go and win, say,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32a world title or an Olympic gold in a team event like the team pursuit
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- or on your own in the Omni? - No, in a team pursuit.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37I'd give anything for my team-mates
0:13:37 > 0:13:39and I love the fact that you can go on the start line
0:13:39 > 0:13:41with so much confidence in two other people.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45We're like a little family, like, Danny and Joe are like two of my best mates,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47so to go out there and win with them was just amazing.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50The feeling you get as well, cos you're all so happy,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53whereas my own I'm like, "Yay, I've won!"
0:13:53 > 0:13:57It's like, only I'm getting that feeling.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01I hope that we repeat what we did in 2008, to be honest.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03If everyone could get a medal - well, everyone bar one
0:14:03 > 0:14:06or whatever it was in 2008 - yeah, that would be awesome.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10Henley-on-Thames, the quintessential home over rowing.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14It's also twice provided a fitting home for an Olympic regatta.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16In 1908, Great Britain swept the board,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19winning all four events contested.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22By the time of the post-war austerity games of 1948,
0:14:22 > 0:14:27the world had caught up somewhat, halving the home team's total to two golds.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Britain also won a silver in the men's eight that year,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33just as they did 60 years on at the Beijing Olympics.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Now, the tricky challenge for today's men's heavyweight rowing squad
0:14:36 > 0:14:41is to upgrade that silver whilst protecting the precious gold they won in the men's four.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46We went behind-the-scenes with the squad as they prepared to board the selection merry-go-round.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54For a rower, winter is hard.
0:14:54 > 0:14:59Long hours in the gym, your boat, the race, feels a long way off.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Battling against friends for seats the threat of injury,
0:15:02 > 0:15:04constant pressure.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07And the Olympic Games just getting closer and closer.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12So we've arrived in the Sierra Nevada.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Just been for a little bit of a walk.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Had quite a long journey today,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21So, you know, get the legs moving, recovery.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25As you can see we're at 2,338m above sea level,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28so that's going to give us a good base high up,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31give us some good altitude training.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34'This is where we do our toughest testing,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36'the altitude making things even harder than normal.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39'But there's always time for a break.'
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Oh, you can see touches everywhere, silky skills.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Oh, and he hits the post.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Hi, I'm Mo Sbihi, five man of the eight.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Just currently up in Sierra Nevada, Spain -
0:15:51 > 0:15:53it's an altitude training camp.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56It's one of the hardest things that we could do.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59The lack of oxygen makes breathing really hard
0:15:59 > 0:16:03and makes getting your power output a lot harder than it is back down at sea level.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07We come up here to get a natural benefit
0:16:07 > 0:16:09and hopefully it'll make us stronger
0:16:09 > 0:16:12and bring us that gold at London 2012.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16It's been a long winter out of the boat
0:16:16 > 0:16:19and as a newcomer to the squad, I'd found it difficult.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23When we first started, the load was so much bigger than I was used to
0:16:23 > 0:16:29and I remember there were a few days when we'd just do what would now be considered pretty standard days,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33not big days, and I'd get home and I'd just sit on the sofa and just crash,
0:16:33 > 0:16:38but, I don't know, I feel a bit more used to it now.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41'This is the time of year when we work the hardest.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44'All we see is the inside of the gym, lifting weights,
0:16:44 > 0:16:46'getting out on the bikes.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49'Just getting as fit as we can be.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52'As you can imagine, our food bill is pretty large.'
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Do we consume more food than your average?
0:16:57 > 0:17:00What you've consumed are 5,000 eggs.
0:17:00 > 0:17:025,000 eggs?!
0:17:09 > 0:17:13But still time for some light relief.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15I found Stan and little mini Stan.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18- All right then, come on. - Go on. Look at that.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Ay!
0:17:24 > 0:17:28Back in Europe, and at last we're out on the water.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33Everyone split down into pairs and we start competing against each other.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35We all want to be in the Olympic squad
0:17:35 > 0:17:37and the best medal chance boat.
0:17:37 > 0:17:38It's been a tough winter for everyone
0:17:38 > 0:17:41and final selection decisions are about to be made.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44I think now I've started thinking
0:17:44 > 0:17:47that for the last three and a half years,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I've been thinking that the Olympics is miles away,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51it's miles away and even in the winter
0:17:51 > 0:17:54we still think it's ages away and now it's literally five months away
0:17:54 > 0:17:57so I've actually started writing a CV
0:17:57 > 0:18:01because I'm probably going to quit rowing after the Olympics
0:18:01 > 0:18:06if I go there, so one of the guys in the eight's been helping me with that.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09So we've managed to pad out the last ten years of my life
0:18:09 > 0:18:11to make it sound like I've been up to something.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14I think the Olympics... at the moment,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17I'm just focusing on selection and getting an Olympic seat
0:18:17 > 0:18:20and then I'll think about the Olympics.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28We come to Eton, the venue for the Olympic Games and our final trials.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Over two days, everyone races everyone else. It's tough.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Yeah, this event is horrible.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38It's definitely my worst event of the year.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41I do not enjoy final trials,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44purely because I'm racing against my friends,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47the guys I spend all day, every day with,
0:18:47 > 0:18:52and this year particularly we're racing against each other for an Olympic seat.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56The pressure to get into the squad
0:18:56 > 0:19:00and get a place in the Olympic team is huge. Performing well at trials is crucial.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06The Olympic Games is down to a small, finite amount of time.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10The final is on, whatever time it is, on a certain day,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13and the person who crosses the line at the end of that 2,000m race,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16in that amount of time, will be Olympic champion.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19It doesn't matter how well you trained for four years beforehand,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22it doesn't matter how many trails races you won,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25how many half-hour ergos you did the best in the team.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28If you cross the finish line first, you're Olympic champion.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Then, finally, the team's announced.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33Pete Reed and Andy Hodge
0:19:33 > 0:19:36move out their pair, back into the four, to defend the Olympic gold,
0:19:36 > 0:19:40along with me, Alex Gregory, and Tom James.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42In the eight, there's a new face.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Constantine Louloudis is just 20,
0:19:44 > 0:19:45and he'll be in the stroke seat.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47A few back, and twice his age, is Greg Searle,
0:19:47 > 0:19:5120 years after his first Olympic gold.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54The winter's over - now we're focused on the summer ahead.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Now onto one of the original sports at the first modern Olympic Games,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02of 1896 - weightlifting.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04It may have taken more than a century for the women's sport
0:20:04 > 0:20:06to be invited to the Olympic party,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09but 36-year-old Welsh lifter, Natasha Perdue,
0:20:09 > 0:20:11is certainly trying to make up for lost time.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Her determination reach London 2012,
0:20:15 > 0:20:16and follow in her late father's footsteps,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20has seen her combined jobs as a council worker and refuse collector
0:20:20 > 0:20:23with the utter dedication needed to win a place at the Games,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25as Nick Hope discovers.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36I get up at five.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38I'm in work for six.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40Good morning!
0:20:40 > 0:20:43CHATTER
0:20:43 > 0:20:45'I look after 700 staff for the PPE.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47'Personal & Protective Equipment.'
0:20:47 > 0:20:50In the mornings, sometimes you're extremely tired,
0:20:50 > 0:20:51and you think, "What's it worth?"
0:20:51 > 0:20:53When they come in, they don't care.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55They just give me banters.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58It sort of lifts you up, really.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00You wouldn't realise she was my girlfriend(!)
0:21:00 > 0:21:01Don't say things like that!
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Don't put that on - I'll kill you!
0:21:04 > 0:21:06I have to work full-time and train,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08because I have bills to pay back home.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10There we go, right?
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Thanks.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15With the London Olympics, we have support that we never had,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18but it's not as good where I can actually give up work.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21It's always close to my heart.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Every day of my life.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28I wake up in the morning dreaming of the five rings.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30OK, time to get my hands dirty.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34You've got to push your body to the limit,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36with the weightlifting,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38where this machine does the work for you.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40- Mind and put it on right! - I bet I do!
0:21:40 > 0:21:42I knew you wouldn't get it there.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44I did it!
0:21:45 > 0:21:49It's great. Sometimes there's days like today - absolutely beautiful.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51You better get to Olympics, right.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53You better go on that podium.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55If you don't get on that podium, I will marry you.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59I'm definitely going to get to the Olympics. Can't marry him!
0:22:02 > 0:22:05I tell people weightlifting has changed me completely.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09I don't know where this...
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Something happens - it's like an animal comes out.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14When you do it, I'll do things on the platform,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17and then I'll sort of
0:22:17 > 0:22:19go off, and as I'm walking off, I'm thinking,
0:22:19 > 0:22:21"Did I just do that? Is it me?"
0:22:21 > 0:22:24It's something inside that just goes crazy, I think.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27My father was a weightlifter.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30I'd never seen him, from, like, when I was born.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32I used to go to the gym with my brother,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35cos my brother was a weightlifter, but I was more into karate.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38My dad passed away, and my brother
0:22:38 > 0:22:40was like, sort of, "If you train, Tash,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42"you can make the Commonwealth Games".
0:22:42 > 0:22:45I was like, "Don't even like the sport - you have no chance!"
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Former Welsh and British karate champion, only took up lifting
0:22:48 > 0:22:50a couple of years ago.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52It gave me butterflies on my inside.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54And I was like,
0:22:54 > 0:22:58"Yeah. Hang on, I can try and get the Olympics".
0:22:58 > 0:23:01From that day on, I've been striving towards that.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05My father came in the top ten twice in two Olympics,
0:23:05 > 0:23:09so when I decided, "Yeah, I want to go for this",
0:23:09 > 0:23:14I was like, "Let's try and get to where my father got".
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Super-heavyweight means Terry Purdue,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20where Great Britain are concerned.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23So this was the Olympic Games? Wow!
0:23:23 > 0:23:27He weighs over 23 stone, trying to lift 28½ now.
0:23:27 > 0:23:33I wonder what he's thinking and feeling there now.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36And with contempt, almost, Terry Purdue pushes
0:23:36 > 0:23:3928½ stone above his head.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42You can see he's just raw.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45He's reminding me a bit of my brother, as well.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48The British champion, the scrap metal dealer from Swansea,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51is not at all happy with that, and neither is John Lee.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Lovely!
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Now, I just sit in here, thinking...
0:24:00 > 0:24:03..I want to go to the Olympic Games.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06I've been saying the last couple of weeks,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09the closer it's getting, the further away it seems.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12But I've got to start thinking positive.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17I can do the weight.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18It's just getting the weights done
0:24:18 > 0:24:20at the right time and the right place.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23CHEERING
0:24:23 > 0:24:24SHE SIGHS
0:24:28 > 0:24:32That film shutter is meant to work.
0:24:32 > 0:24:33At this stage,
0:24:33 > 0:24:36We're pushing ourselves so hard,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39it's sort of surviving, rather than enjoying.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42But I think if I get on that platform,
0:24:42 > 0:24:43that would be enjoying.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45I'll have the biggest smile in the world.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54Swimming in the 1948 Games was held in the Empire Pool,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56which is now Wembley Arena.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59This venue will host the badminton and rhythmic gymnastics,
0:24:59 > 0:25:01this time around.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03There's, of course, a new Olympic pool in London,
0:25:03 > 0:25:07and Fran Halsall has already tasted success in it,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09by qualifying for the summer Games in style.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13She's bounced back after illness at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi,
0:25:13 > 0:25:17and a serious ankle injury at the back end of 2010,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21to find her best form at just the right time.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Fran, head down - is she going to get the touch?
0:25:29 > 0:25:31It will be mighty close - Fran Halsall's got it!
0:25:31 > 0:25:35New British record - 26.24. Gold to England in the 55 for women.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Amazing!
0:25:42 > 0:25:45I was running. It happened at the end of 2009,
0:25:45 > 0:25:47at the start of the 2010 season.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49I went over on it,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51and tore the ligament apart,
0:25:51 > 0:25:52and carried on swimming all year,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54but it didn't feel right,
0:25:54 > 0:25:56and felt really awkward to swim and kick on it,
0:25:56 > 0:26:00so I made the decision - after the Commonwealth Games -
0:26:00 > 0:26:03"I need this sorted and get it right.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05"I want to give myself the best opportunities
0:26:05 > 0:26:07"and best chance possible at the Olympics",
0:26:07 > 0:26:12so I said, "If I have to rule out 2011 completely, then I will do,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15"just so I have everything right for 2012".
0:26:15 > 0:26:20Now, I'm sitting here, and my times on my leg-kicking in the pool
0:26:20 > 0:26:22is like ten seconds quicker than it was.
0:26:22 > 0:26:23It's made a drastic improvement.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25This is so nice, to be able to say
0:26:25 > 0:26:28I've done this - swim in the Olympic pool,
0:26:28 > 0:26:30in front of lots of British people.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33When you walked out, and everything was shiny and new,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36and these pretty little lights sparking on all the lanes,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38and everybody was in the crowd.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40I just smiled to myself.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43It was like, "Wow, this is awesome!"
0:26:43 > 0:26:44What a moment for her!
0:26:44 > 0:26:48Good to see the Brits cheering here in Beijing.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51One of the many things I've learned, performance-wise,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53is that,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55it was the fact that when you're sitting in the cool room
0:26:55 > 0:26:57at the Olympic Games,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59there's eight girls there.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02This is their one shot to win an Olympic medal -
0:27:02 > 0:27:05it's everybody's dream to do that.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08You're kind of living the dream here and now - you have to perform.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10You don't miss her on a dark night, do you?
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Sometimes, my dad
0:27:12 > 0:27:14used to look at the pool.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16He's like, "Oh, Fran's in that lane, Fran's in that lane".
0:27:16 > 0:27:18He's watching the races.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23He's like to my mum, "Diane! Why's Fran looking awful?
0:27:23 > 0:27:24"What's she doing? A stroke?
0:27:24 > 0:27:28"Looks ridiculous! She's not swimming well at all!"
0:27:28 > 0:27:30My mum's like, "Andrew - she's winning!"
0:27:30 > 0:27:32He's looking at the wrong lane - it's not me at all.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34So I thought, "If I'm in a bright pink suit,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36"He can't really miss me!"
0:27:36 > 0:27:37SHE LAUGHS
0:27:37 > 0:27:39At the time of qualifying, I was just like...
0:27:39 > 0:27:41SHE SIGHS
0:27:41 > 0:27:43..but now, it's just, "I'm going to the Olympics".
0:27:43 > 0:27:47Like everybody here - for a national camp, everyone's so excited.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Everyone's working hard, and tired all the time,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51but still really chatty,
0:27:51 > 0:27:53and everyone's really, like, electric.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56When there's 70,000 people go like, "Yeah! Go Fran!"
0:27:56 > 0:27:58It will be like "Yeah! Go Fran!"
0:27:58 > 0:28:00More like that -
0:28:00 > 0:28:02I can stand up now - "Yeah, this is my pool.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04"If you want to come here and beat me,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07"you'll have to swim fast - all these people want me to win".
0:28:07 > 0:28:11Where better to end this history lesson than right here -
0:28:11 > 0:28:17where London's Olympic story all began - way back in 1908?
0:28:17 > 0:28:22Go to our website for more information,
0:28:22 > 0:28:25and to keep up with everything happening
0:28:25 > 0:28:27in the world of Olympic sports.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30- Until next time, it's goodbye from us.- Goodbye.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd