:00:17. > :00:20.COMMENTATOR: Here come Kelly Holmes. The crowd are on their feet. Denise
:00:20. > :00:30.Lewis, Olympic champion. Rebecca Adlington is bringing it home for
:00:30. > :00:38.
:00:38. > :00:46.Britain. Great Britain get the gold medal! Yes, yes, yes. Kelly Holmes
:00:46. > :00:56.is there. What a performance. Absolutely brilliant! Britain takes
:00:56. > :01:07.
:01:07. > :01:17.# We got to keep this fire # Burning love
:01:17. > :01:56.
:01:56. > :02:00.# We got to keep this fire # We got to keep this fire burning
:02:00. > :02:03.on... # As the Olympic Flame continues its journey around the
:02:03. > :02:13.country, the list of British athletes who have booked a place at
:02:13. > :02:14.
:02:14. > :02:18.the Games is growing by the day. Several of them will make their
:02:18. > :02:24.first appearance at the Games, while many others will see it as a
:02:24. > :02:28.chance to improve on former glories or rectify past mistake. For some,
:02:28. > :02:33.their sport will be making its debut and for others it could be
:02:33. > :02:37.the last time it's welcomed into the Olympic family. One sport where
:02:38. > :02:43.we have had success is boxing - Harrison and Khan, but now a whole
:02:43. > :02:53.new group are looking to secure their place in Olympic history.
:02:53. > :03:03.
:03:03. > :03:10.Leon Mann has been to meet one of Nicola Owens, 15 kilos. I was 13
:03:10. > :03:14.and I wasn't nervous at all. I couldn't wait to get in there.
:03:14. > :03:19.Nicola started coming down to the gym. Was it your intention to take
:03:19. > :03:23.her to a boxing session? No, I didn't realise they had that. They
:03:23. > :03:26.did her own thing. I know she wasn't going to get hurt, because
:03:26. > :03:31.you have the trainers and coaches, so it was basically something for
:03:31. > :03:39.the kids to do. It's been touch. The choices we had to make, but
:03:39. > :03:44.it's very expensive, all the equipment, so it hasn't been easy.
:03:44. > :03:50.The days of boxing being an Olympic sport for men only are over. Women
:03:50. > :04:00.boxers will be able to compete at the London Olympics. Is this really
:04:00. > :04:00.
:04:00. > :04:07.what we want? If women want to box they should be allowed to. I didn't
:04:07. > :04:12.like to see young girls getting hit. Keen as mustard, they were. I could
:04:12. > :04:17.see the determination in the girls, but they were lacking the skill.
:04:17. > :04:23.Within 18 months we have five in the world's top ten at their
:04:23. > :04:27.weights. In 2008, the European championships, we got seven medals.
:04:27. > :04:33.How do you feel about it now if love it. Everything you ask of them
:04:33. > :04:38.they do it. She has this amazing smile and fairly slight frame and
:04:38. > :04:43.doesn't strike you as someone you would associate with boxing?
:04:43. > :04:47.has got flat feet and not a good runner and as asthma, but it's
:04:47. > :04:52.sheer determination and will power. If it hadn't been for boxing, I
:04:52. > :04:56.think she would have been a little villain? Really? I do. There was a
:04:56. > :05:01.time not so long ago when it was nearly all over for you. I know. A
:05:01. > :05:05.really serious back injury when left me in bed for three months.
:05:05. > :05:08.Really frustrating, because I'm a get up and go person, so at the
:05:08. > :05:14.time the GB selections were going on and I couldn't train. I went
:05:14. > :05:18.from being able to do 300 sittups a day and then not doing one. Did you
:05:18. > :05:23.think that was it? That thought crossed my mind a few times. The
:05:23. > :05:27.first time I started punching again and I felt so slow and I was a bit
:05:27. > :05:32.overweight and I just saw everybody else on the GB team flying up and
:05:32. > :05:37.down. They were punching so fast. I thought how will I get back to how
:05:37. > :05:41.I was before. I was saying to the coaches, "I'm not ready." I
:05:41. > :05:46.wondered if I would be ready at this level. They thought I could do
:05:46. > :05:49.this. She wants to become the Olympic champion and the world
:05:49. > :05:59.champion. What Nicola does is she works hard to do that. It's because
:05:59. > :06:04.
:06:04. > :06:09.of the Nicolas that the game is going into another fight. -- Nicola.
:06:09. > :06:13.I have won a lot of tournaments. I've been boxing for so long. The
:06:13. > :06:18.Europeans getting gold and silvers at the Worlds. I couldn't have
:06:18. > :06:25.asked for a better career. What would it mean to have an Olympic
:06:25. > :06:30.gold medal, maybe about there? would give it a whole shelve. I
:06:30. > :06:34.knew I was up against it. Five-time world champion. I was confident in
:06:34. > :06:40.myself, and I thought this is my dream and time and the bell went
:06:40. > :06:44.and I went out. I did the business. Talk us through the moment you knew
:06:44. > :06:47.you'd qualified? I don't think words can express how I felt. It
:06:47. > :06:56.was basically all the hard work and tears and all the ups and downs. It
:06:56. > :07:05.was all for that moment. The winner of this will set themselves up as
:07:05. > :07:11.favourite for the gold in London. Do you believe you can beat Ren?
:07:11. > :07:14.I've done it once already and I can do it again. 2005 there were 70
:07:14. > :07:24.women registered and now there are 1,000. What do you think will
:07:24. > :07:24.
:07:24. > :07:31.happen if you win gold? There will be millions! Greenwich park. 183
:07:31. > :07:35.acres of glorious landscape with Royal connections dating back to
:07:35. > :07:42.the 1400s. Birthplace of king Henry VIII and home to the Royal
:07:42. > :07:48.Observatory. It now becomes an Olympic venue to its rich and
:07:48. > :07:51.famous history. There will be dris arge and show jumping, but it's the
:07:51. > :08:01.three -- dressage and show jumping, but it's the three-day eventing
:08:01. > :08:02.
:08:02. > :08:06.that we focus on now and one of our best riders. These are some serious
:08:06. > :08:16.stables. This horse haven in Dorset belongs to British riding star
:08:16. > :08:16.
:08:16. > :08:21.William Fox-Pitt. William is already a three-time Olympian. He
:08:21. > :08:29.made his debut in Atlanta. Won team silver in Athens, followed by
:08:29. > :08:36.bronze in Beijing four years ago. He's also been world number one
:08:36. > :08:40.three times and British number one ten times. William, this is some
:08:40. > :08:44.pad here. I'm very impressed. Tell us about it. What was the
:08:44. > :08:48.inspiration? Why did you set it up? We were lucky to design it. It's
:08:48. > :08:53.quite a luxury. Having a facility like this is a massive advantage.
:08:53. > :08:58.It's a great working environment. It's excellent for the horses and
:08:59. > :09:02.great to train here. What stuff do you have? We have 24 stables under
:09:02. > :09:12.this barn. They spent a lot -- spend a lot of time in the field.
:09:12. > :09:15.Ar reign thats and horse walking -- arenas and horse walkinger. I love
:09:15. > :09:20.that. Good for children. They can burn off some energy. We have a
:09:20. > :09:23.really good gallop, which is a fantastic bonus to have on your
:09:23. > :09:27.doorstep. It's keeping the horses feet and getting them fit without
:09:27. > :09:33.having to travel. You love this place obviously. Is that why you're
:09:33. > :09:37.doing this? I love horses and working with them. The excitement
:09:37. > :09:41.that goes with that, it's nearly a disease. It's something that is in
:09:41. > :09:45.you. I was brought up with horses and to be able to have a place like
:09:45. > :09:49.this and to be working with them, as I said and training them, and
:09:49. > :09:59.then competing and hopefully going to the Games on a horse, what
:09:59. > :10:04.
:10:04. > :10:07.better way to do it? A good disease? Yes. We have had the
:10:07. > :10:11.cancellation of badminton and Chatsworth, so how has that
:10:11. > :10:16.affected what you are trying to do it year? It's been a devastating
:10:16. > :10:19.blow to the whole sport. It's got the year off to a bad start. We can
:10:20. > :10:23.hardly believe two weeks ago we were under water and it's dried out
:10:23. > :10:27.and beautiful day here. The season's up and running again,
:10:27. > :10:31.which is great. I'm the only person so far this year to have done a
:10:31. > :10:34.three-day event and to have had a good result. Olympic selectors had
:10:34. > :10:38.to delay their decision because of the cancellation of the horse
:10:38. > :10:41.trials? They had good intentions of giving us a nice chance of knowing
:10:41. > :10:46.in May and therefore time to prepare, but that possibility has
:10:46. > :10:49.gone, so now we are waiting until the middle of June, which is quite
:10:49. > :10:55.right. They can't choose. We haven't done anything. They haven't
:10:55. > :10:59.seen some of the horses out in any big competitions. One of my
:10:59. > :11:06.favourite facts is men and women are equal in this? The horse is the
:11:06. > :11:10.equal aizer. -- equaliser. It's how you perform. You never look at
:11:10. > :11:16.another girl and think because you are a man you'll beat her. That's
:11:16. > :11:22.just rubbish. It's true. No chance. What's your ambition this year with
:11:22. > :11:27.London 2012, a home Games? I've won a silver and bronze. But I've never
:11:27. > :11:31.won a gold. So far, you would have to say that the performances
:11:31. > :11:35.haven't been good enough and things haven't gone to plan and in London
:11:35. > :11:39.I would and certainly the British team would dearly love to put that
:11:39. > :11:43.right and stamp our mark on the eventing world. How do you rate
:11:43. > :11:47.your chances? I don't know what the team is yet, so if we get the right
:11:47. > :11:51.team to the Olympics, on good form, on the right horses, I think we
:11:51. > :11:57.have a very good chance. If things go our way, I would be quite
:11:57. > :12:01.optimistic. From a three-time Olympian to a rising star hoping to
:12:01. > :12:06.make an impact in her first Games. 19-year-old Jade Jones is already a
:12:06. > :12:16.youth Olympic champion and world silver medallist, but can they kick
:12:16. > :12:20.
:12:20. > :12:24.on to senior success in London? the kicks and spins, a lot of
:12:24. > :12:27.people think it's just kicking each other, but it's so tactical. If you
:12:27. > :12:32.switch off for a second you're knocked out. It's the adrenaline
:12:32. > :12:38.buzz that I love. Her attitude to the training and competing is
:12:38. > :12:43.second to none really. It's a bronze medal for Sarah Stevenson.
:12:43. > :12:48.Vef similar to Sarah when they came through the ranks -- very much
:12:48. > :12:54.similar to Sarah, when she came through the ranks. They are age to
:12:55. > :12:59.get into the zone and -- able to get into the zone. She reminds me
:12:59. > :13:05.of herself. She gets stuck in like I did. Bit of an animal. She is
:13:05. > :13:10.like a man in the female division, in the fact she is aggressive.
:13:10. > :13:19.was always hyper like a kid and bouncing around. People found it
:13:19. > :13:25.hard to control me, but in school I loved every sport. This is where I
:13:25. > :13:30.live. I share it with three other girls that also do taekwondo and
:13:30. > :13:38.it's a laugh and we have a lot of banter. This is the kitchen. This
:13:38. > :13:42.is the bridge. Fridge. Everyone eats everyone's food. We eat
:13:43. > :13:47.healthy, but have a treat on the weekend. What is your guilty
:13:47. > :13:50.pleasure? Ice-cream and chocolates are the worst thing. What is it
:13:51. > :13:55.like being in the team as a youngster? Do they pick on you
:13:55. > :14:03.occasionally? In my first year they used to pick on me and take the
:14:03. > :14:11.Mickey, just the little games and wind me up. Now, I'm becoming just
:14:11. > :14:17.like one of them now and just the senior. This is my room. I spend a
:14:17. > :14:22.lot of time in here when I'm tired and bored. I have a lot of pictures
:14:23. > :14:26.to motivate me. This is the youth Olympics. It's just after I won and
:14:26. > :14:32.I jumped over the barriers and was with my family. The atmosphere is
:14:32. > :14:36.great and it's just like a real Olympics. The feeling of winning
:14:36. > :14:46.was amazing. I was so shy back then and I couldn't believe that I ran
:14:46. > :14:56.To become the first person to win, like, for Britain, to get a Youth
:14:56. > :15:01.
:15:01. > :15:05.It meant so much to me just to get to the final, but, I was, like,
:15:05. > :15:10.disappointed losing by a point, and I think about it all the time, and
:15:10. > :15:18.it winds me up so much - but at such a young age getting silver,
:15:18. > :15:25.you've got to be happy. But I keep most of my medals at home.
:15:25. > :15:29.From a tiny Fflint, having done all of this, you go home and see how
:15:29. > :15:35.everyone wants me to do well. I always think about that when I go
:15:35. > :15:40.and fight. The Europeans weren't overly happy about the bronze. How
:15:40. > :15:44.do you feel about it now? I was disappointed, but I come back and
:15:44. > :15:50.thought about it. I was fighting for a reason. That girl is better
:15:50. > :15:54.than me. She qualified for the Olympics. I switched off and didn't
:15:54. > :16:00.play my game. I was like, I wanted to do dead good and show off for
:16:00. > :16:04.the Olympics, but that's not me. That's not what I do sort of thing
:16:04. > :16:09.so I'm glad it happened, because now it changed - I totally don't
:16:09. > :16:13.care what it thinks. People say, "You're only young. You have plenty
:16:13. > :16:17.more Olympics." But no, this is the one I want to win it at. This is
:16:17. > :16:23.London - it's never going to happen again, so to be standing on that
:16:23. > :16:28.podium with the National Anthem playing would be amazing. Just as
:16:28. > :16:31.every athlete competing at London 2012 will have their own story, so
:16:31. > :16:37.does Shropshire's Much Wenlock, which considers itself the
:16:37. > :16:45.birthplace of the Olympic Games. Back in 1850 the town doctor
:16:45. > :16:50.Pentathlon set up the Wenlock Games. Years later he invited the Baron
:16:50. > :16:58.Pierre du Coubertin to watch. It went on to inspire the Baron who
:16:58. > :17:08.founded the modern Olympics in 1896. Here are a few British rowers to
:17:08. > :17:36.
:17:36. > :17:40.Into the record books. Great Britain are the Olympic champions.
:17:40. > :17:46.British sailors have toped the medal charts at the last three
:17:46. > :17:51.Olympics, and it was no surprise to see three-time gold medallist Ben
:17:51. > :17:56.Ainslie leading off the torch relay at land land. Great Britain had
:17:56. > :18:01.success four years ago, but this time out, preparations for the team
:18:01. > :18:05.have been anything but plain sailing as Graham Bell finds out.
:18:05. > :18:11.The sport of windsurfing has been rocked, plain and simple. Less than
:18:11. > :18:17.three months to go before the Olympics, Great Britain's wind
:18:17. > :18:22.surfers were left in shock by decision to drop the sport from the
:18:22. > :18:27.Rio Olympics. It was a massive surprise. It wasn't expected.
:18:27. > :18:30.way it landed was quite shocking. The International Sailing
:18:30. > :18:38.Federation announced it would replace windsurfing with kite
:18:38. > :18:41.boarding for this year's Games. The world's best windsurfers were
:18:41. > :18:44.dumfounded. I don't think anybody was ready for it this time. There
:18:44. > :18:47.was no build-up that suggested there might be a decision at this
:18:47. > :18:52.point, and it's shame because it has been in the Olympics for 30
:18:52. > :18:57.years. It's kind of taken the shine off it and wind surfing is just
:18:57. > :19:01.going to be discarded. The Olympics is the Olympic, but everything else
:19:01. > :19:06.feeds it, and without the top level you don't get all the grassroots
:19:06. > :19:13.stuff, so the funding for all the under 17, junior - all around the
:19:13. > :19:17.country will be slashed. Heavy criticism has been fired at the
:19:17. > :19:21.vote which saw 19-17 in favour of kite boarding. It's politics. I
:19:21. > :19:25.don't understand theins and outs of it. I just know it's a shame. We're
:19:25. > :19:29.going to try to do everything we can to try get windsurfing back in.
:19:29. > :19:34.I always planned for this Olympics. I don't need anymore motivation. I
:19:34. > :19:38.want to win. If I am going to win at an Olympic Game it's going to be
:19:38. > :19:45.this one. I think I have a good chance to come back with the gold.
:19:45. > :19:49.It's just about every day improving my game and making sure I am in the
:19:49. > :19:53.strong and in the bay and in the harbour and in the shifty courses.
:19:53. > :19:59.That's my key focus at the moment. If everything can go well in London
:19:59. > :20:04.and just keep a cool head and enjoy it, it could all go my way. I have
:20:04. > :20:10.proven I can win before. Hopefully, this summer I can do it. Both Nick
:20:10. > :20:17.and Briongl have a good chance of improving on their previous bronze
:20:17. > :20:27.medal performances. After this, the search will be on for kite borders
:20:27. > :20:32.of equal talent. Steph is a four- times kite boarding World
:20:32. > :20:35.Championship. What will kite boarding bring in that windsurfing
:20:35. > :20:40.couldn't? I believe one of the things they sailed on is they
:20:40. > :20:44.didn't have a minimum wind speed they could go in. We can sail in
:20:45. > :20:49.light winds. We can launch off anyby. We look spectacular. We get
:20:49. > :20:52.plaining in six knots. We operate close to the beach, which is what
:20:52. > :20:55.they wanted, with high impact. the best way to find out the
:20:55. > :21:05.difference between windsurfing and kite boarding is to get out there
:21:05. > :21:14.
:21:14. > :21:17.Well, the steering is a bit like riding a bike - just pulling the -
:21:17. > :21:25.pulling the handlebars from one side to the other. You can feel
:21:25. > :21:35.when it's actually in the power zone. And by figure of eighting it,
:21:35. > :21:43.
:21:43. > :21:53.you just increase the amount of Straighten that front leg. Good.
:21:53. > :21:56.
:21:56. > :22:06.You're doing amazing! This is effectively my second day, and
:22:06. > :22:09.
:22:09. > :22:13.already I'm riding. I'm tacking The first couple of days does feel
:22:13. > :22:17.like you're beating yourself up, but once you pick it up, it's just
:22:18. > :22:21.- it's so fast. It's brilliant. I can see why it's so popular. I can
:22:21. > :22:24.see why so many people have taken it up, and I don't know why I
:22:24. > :22:34.haven't done this years ago. I should have done this two, three
:22:34. > :22:39.
:22:39. > :22:43.Earlier in the show I mentioned Greenwich Park would be hosting the
:22:43. > :22:53.equestrian Olympics. That arena behind me will make up one-fifth of
:22:53. > :23:03.
:23:03. > :23:07.Do you feel as though you're in good shape for an Olympic year?
:23:07. > :23:11.will be when the time comes. Right now, obviously, I am working hard
:23:11. > :23:15.and not feeling in great shape, but I've still got a couple of more
:23:15. > :23:20.months until the competition season. So yeah, I should be. Last year, I
:23:20. > :23:27.was already in quite a good position within the squad, so I'm
:23:27. > :23:31.quite confident that I'll still get selected for some World Cups.
:23:31. > :23:36.the semifinal, I had quite a tough day. I really wasn't feeling on
:23:36. > :23:41.form. I was quite sluggish in the pool and had to work really hard in
:23:41. > :23:45.the combines. I was quite worried in the high tides - it doesn't
:23:45. > :23:48.matter. If you want it enough, you can get it, and I want it so, so
:23:48. > :23:55.badly. Everyone was fighting, fighting, fighting for that Olympic
:23:55. > :24:00.spot, and I made it. I always knew in my heart I'm good
:24:00. > :24:06.enough to win a goad medal. It's easy to say and easy to believe it
:24:06. > :24:10.and easy to dream it, but actually, it's really, really hard. I wanted
:24:10. > :24:14.to go to the Olympics since I can remember. Everyone says it's their
:24:14. > :24:18.childhood dream, but it really was mine, and I can't believe I've done
:24:18. > :24:22.it, and it's my first ever individual gold medal. You'll be
:24:22. > :24:26.the Olympic favourite now. I doubt very much. You're the world
:24:26. > :24:30.champion. I have a lot of work to do before London, and I can't wait
:24:30. > :24:34.to start doing it. You are the modern Pentathlon world champion,
:24:34. > :24:39.and you're going to the home of the Olympic games. I know. I can't
:24:39. > :24:47.believe it. I actually don't even know how I feel right now. I'm just
:24:47. > :24:51.quite overwhelmed by it all. That's archer Alison Williamson
:24:51. > :24:56.carrying the torch there. She was just ten years old when she claimed
:24:56. > :25:00.silver in the Wenlock Olympian Games here in 1981. This summer
:25:00. > :25:07.she's heading into a record equaling six consecutive Olympic
:25:07. > :25:11.Games. Eddie Butler went to meet her at Lords. Six in archery is a
:25:11. > :25:15.lowly fare, not enough to cause a stir, but for Alison Williamson
:25:15. > :25:21.it's a special number. This will be her sixth consecutive Olympics.
:25:21. > :25:26.That takes her back to Barcelona in 1992, her first appearance as a 20-
:25:26. > :25:30.year-old. My body feels older, but I feel the same. I have probably
:25:30. > :25:34.improved in the way I handle the pressure, and I think I am probably
:25:34. > :25:43.more relaxed and enjoy it more. high point, so far, came in her
:25:43. > :25:48.I definitely can understand when people talk about winning a medal
:25:48. > :25:55.being a real relief you dream of it and plan for it, but then when it's
:25:55. > :25:59.actually reality, it is a bit surreal, and I also - also when I
:25:59. > :26:04.realised I'd won, it was a big relief, yeah. The bronze meant that
:26:04. > :26:09.at the last Games in Beijing there were high hopes. It was not to be.
:26:09. > :26:14.I should have done better. I do feel like I have kind of - you know,
:26:14. > :26:18.I've let the other two down, and I was mediocre, at best. Were you
:26:18. > :26:23.being particularly harsh on yourself, or was that really what
:26:23. > :26:29.you felt? No, I did genuinely feel that at the time. I was the most
:26:29. > :26:35.experienced on the team. You know, I should have done better. But, you
:26:35. > :26:39.know, I've talked to a number of different people about this, and,
:26:39. > :26:44.you know, I realise now with time and reflection that you're just
:26:44. > :26:52.doing your best on that day, and it wasn't good enough. And so to
:26:52. > :26:55.London where the setting for the archery could not be grander, Lords.
:26:55. > :27:00.Archery combines strength with stillness - except inside the head,
:27:00. > :27:04.where strange thoughts churn. trying to, you know, clear all the
:27:05. > :27:08.sort of distractions in your head and just concentrate - really focus
:27:08. > :27:13.on doing that - executing that good shot. I have different strategies
:27:13. > :27:18.at different times, so - sometimes it might be singing - you know,
:27:18. > :27:21.singing a song. Sometimes it could be simply counting backwards in
:27:21. > :27:27.sevens from a hundred. Are you realistic about your prospects or
:27:27. > :27:30.do you say, actually, because I've done five, I'm in with a shot at
:27:30. > :27:33.this? I think everyone comes here thinking that they've got a shot at
:27:34. > :27:38.it, you know? I don't think anyone goes to the Olympics thinking, oh,
:27:38. > :27:43.I'm just coming to get knocked out in the first round, or I'm just
:27:43. > :27:49.coming to make up the numbers. You come here with a dream, and it's,
:27:49. > :27:51.you know, standing on top of a podium. Well, that brings us to the
:27:51. > :27:58.end of another British Olympic Dreams. Our next edition will be
:27:58. > :28:05.our last before the Games, bringing you an unrivaled cast list of
:28:05. > :28:15.Britain's top medal contenders from That special final edition of
:28:15. > :28:28.
:28:28. > :28:34.British Olympic Dreams will be on So it's goodbye from Much Wenlock,
:28:34. > :28:37.the town and, of course, Wenlock, the Olympic mascot named in its