2:08:30 > 2:08:33With the Olympic and Paralympic Games fast approaching,
2:08:33 > 2:08:36I'm catching up with some of our leading gold medal contenders,
2:08:36 > 2:08:39and today I'm at Loughborough University, the place where Seb Coe,
2:08:39 > 2:08:43David Moorcroft and Paula Radcliffe did most of their training.
2:08:43 > 2:08:46I've come here to meet two Paralympic champions
2:08:46 > 2:08:50hoping very much to retain their titles in Rio.
2:08:50 > 2:08:54Jonnie Peacock was the poster boy of the 2012 Paralympics -
2:08:54 > 2:08:58as 80,000 spectators chanted his name in unison,
2:08:58 > 2:09:02he beat the finest field of Blade Runners ever assembled
2:09:02 > 2:09:05to win the flagship 100 metres
2:09:05 > 2:09:08in a Paralympic record time of 10.9 seconds.
2:09:08 > 2:09:12One of the undisputed stars of the Paralympics,
2:09:12 > 2:09:16double gold-medal winner Hannah Cockroft obliterated
2:09:16 > 2:09:21her opposition to win gold in the 100 metres and 200 metres.
2:09:21 > 2:09:24In Rio she's aiming to go one better
2:09:24 > 2:09:27as she's gunning for three gold medals,
2:09:27 > 2:09:30contesting the 100, 400 and 800 metres.
2:09:31 > 2:09:36I want to find out what are Hannah's memories of the 2012 Paralympics.
2:09:36 > 2:09:39They said, "On your marks" and someone went, "Go on, Hannah!"
2:09:39 > 2:09:41And I was like, God, what was that?
2:09:41 > 2:09:43And it completely distracted me on the start
2:09:43 > 2:09:45and my mum, when I saw her after the race, went,
2:09:45 > 2:09:47"Did you hear your auntie? Did you hear her?"
2:09:47 > 2:09:50Jonnie tells me about his historic win.
2:09:50 > 2:09:53That lap of honour, it wasn't actually a lap of honour,
2:09:53 > 2:09:55it was me trying to find my mum.
2:09:55 > 2:09:59And I find out how confident they both are of Rio gold.
2:09:59 > 2:10:01I know that when I go to the championships,
2:10:01 > 2:10:06I am ready and that I am pumped and I will be at my very best.
2:10:06 > 2:10:09My expectations of myself are three gold medals.
2:10:12 > 2:10:15Was it always going to be sport for both of you?
2:10:15 > 2:10:17Hannah, was it always sport that would be your life?
2:10:17 > 2:10:20I think the reason why it's my life because it is the one thing
2:10:20 > 2:10:23that I was always told, "You can't do that, Hannah.
2:10:23 > 2:10:25"This is not for you, you have to find something else."
2:10:25 > 2:10:27To me, it was just like, I want to prove people wrong,
2:10:27 > 2:10:31I'm going to do this and I'm going to do it well. So, here I am.
2:10:31 > 2:10:32Is that generally the way with you?
2:10:32 > 2:10:34If we say, "Hannah, you can't do this", you'd be like,
2:10:34 > 2:10:36"I think you'll find I can."
2:10:36 > 2:10:39Yes, I'll go out of my way to prove you wrong, so just tell me
2:10:39 > 2:10:42I can't do something and I'll do it.
2:10:42 > 2:10:43You can't win three golds in Rio.
2:10:43 > 2:10:45All right, then, deal.
2:10:45 > 2:10:48That will work, exactly. Jonnie, what about you?
2:10:48 > 2:10:50I was always sport-mad growing up, really.
2:10:50 > 2:10:52Whether it be football, rugby, literally anything
2:10:52 > 2:10:54I could get my hands on, I would try it.
2:10:54 > 2:10:58To be fair, I wanted to be a mechanic, that was my main job
2:10:58 > 2:11:02route, I did mechanics in school, worked in a garage for four years,
2:11:02 > 2:11:04doing odd bits and bobs.
2:11:04 > 2:11:07I kind of look at it as athletics found me.
2:11:07 > 2:11:09I went to a talent identification day and just gave it a go.
2:11:09 > 2:11:12I never thought I'd be very good at it, to be fair,
2:11:12 > 2:11:15things spiralled out of control and here I am today.
2:11:15 > 2:11:17Was it just the sprinting that you gave a go,
2:11:17 > 2:11:18or did you try other sports as well?
2:11:18 > 2:11:21I did try wheelchair tennis and pistol shooting that day too,
2:11:21 > 2:11:23and I actually got e-mails from both of them,
2:11:23 > 2:11:26but I got the e-mail from athletics too, and obviously,
2:11:26 > 2:11:29Hannah knows, that's the one you want to go for.
2:11:29 > 2:11:31And did you try wheelchair tennis ever?
2:11:31 > 2:11:33I tried wheelchair tennis. I was rubbish at that.
2:11:33 > 2:11:36I played wheelchair basketball for six years. I loved that.
2:11:36 > 2:11:38If I did any other sport, I'd go back to that.
2:11:38 > 2:11:41I tried wheelchair rugby, I tried swimming,
2:11:41 > 2:11:43so I went around a bit, yeah.
2:11:43 > 2:11:46But in the end, racing was the thing you were best at,
2:11:46 > 2:11:48or the thing you enjoyed the most?
2:11:48 > 2:11:49The thing I enjoyed the most.
2:11:49 > 2:11:51When I first got in a track chair, it was freedom.
2:11:51 > 2:11:54It was independence. I was allowed to go fast without being shouted at.
2:11:54 > 2:11:57I was allowed to do it myself, I was allowed to do
2:11:57 > 2:11:59whatever I wanted to do in that chair,
2:11:59 > 2:12:01and that's why I fell in love with it.
2:12:01 > 2:12:04I just loved the freedom of what it allowed me to do.
2:12:04 > 2:12:09Is it true that a medium told your mother that you would be successful?
2:12:09 > 2:12:12Yes, something of the sort,
2:12:12 > 2:12:15my mother used to go to some kind of psychic.
2:12:15 > 2:12:18I had just started sprinting, I was running...
2:12:18 > 2:12:22I think it was between 12 seconds and 11.5 at the time,
2:12:22 > 2:12:27so I was miles off of doing anything really good, she came back
2:12:27 > 2:12:31and told me that this medium had saw me in London and she saw silver.
2:12:31 > 2:12:35I was like, wow, I couldn't believe it.
2:12:35 > 2:12:37As the time got closer and closer,
2:12:37 > 2:12:41I started to think, well, why silver? Why not gold?
2:12:41 > 2:12:46It just made me want to prove that wrong and afterwards my mum told me
2:12:46 > 2:12:49that the medium had seen gold and my mum had just lied to me
2:12:49 > 2:12:52and told me silver. She knew what I'm like and she knew
2:12:52 > 2:12:55that it would make me pull myself on a little bit more and if someone
2:12:55 > 2:12:58had said gold, then I might have taken it a little bit easy,
2:12:58 > 2:13:02so, yes, obviously it just made me train that 1% harder.
2:13:02 > 2:13:05Do you reckon that your mum knows you better than anybody?
2:13:05 > 2:13:09She probably knows me better than I know myself, to be fair.
2:13:09 > 2:13:10What about you, Hannah,
2:13:10 > 2:13:13who is the person who can see through any bluff?
2:13:13 > 2:13:16Probably my parents, my mum and my dad.
2:13:16 > 2:13:20Did they, had they predicted success for you, or not?
2:13:20 > 2:13:24My mum doesn't even like watching the race, she gets too nervous,
2:13:24 > 2:13:26but I think they're just proud that I've got to that stage
2:13:26 > 2:13:29and proved everyone wrong.
2:13:29 > 2:13:32When you had doctors your entire life saying, when I was born,
2:13:32 > 2:13:36"She'll never be able to walk, or do things for herself,"
2:13:36 > 2:13:38you get to this stage and then you get to this stage,
2:13:38 > 2:13:39it just makes them happy
2:13:39 > 2:13:43that every time someone says, "You can't", I'm just like,
2:13:43 > 2:13:45"OK, I'll find someone who'll make me can."
2:13:45 > 2:13:46And that is amazing,
2:13:46 > 2:13:48because the doctors did say that about you, didn't they?
2:13:48 > 2:13:52Yeah, they did, and that is all down to my mum and dad.
2:13:52 > 2:13:55My mum was a nurse when I was born and she kind of was just like,
2:13:55 > 2:13:58"You say that, but I think you're wrong."
2:13:58 > 2:14:00OK, I use a wheelchair a lot of the time now,
2:14:00 > 2:14:03but it's incredible how much of the world I would've missed out
2:14:03 > 2:14:06on if I hadn't been able to just take a couple of steps,
2:14:06 > 2:14:09to get up that one step to see that amazing view or stand
2:14:09 > 2:14:12on that podium, it makes all the difference.
2:14:12 > 2:14:16Jonnie, what did doctors say to your mum when you were five?
2:14:16 > 2:14:21I don't remember any of this but my mum tells me that I got
2:14:21 > 2:14:25rushed into hospital when I was five with a rash
2:14:25 > 2:14:30all over me, I had been ill all night and they put me in a coma
2:14:30 > 2:14:34straightaway, they told her that I'd had meningitis,
2:14:34 > 2:14:36meningococcal septicaemia.
2:14:36 > 2:14:40It took me about ten years to pronounce that correctly!
2:14:40 > 2:14:43They sat her aside after a few days and they said to her
2:14:43 > 2:14:46that she should probably say goodbye.
2:14:46 > 2:14:48She didn't, she sent me under fighting.
2:14:48 > 2:14:52She told me not to give up and I think it was maybe a week
2:14:52 > 2:14:56or two later that the same doctor pulled her into the office and said
2:14:56 > 2:15:01they weren't sure how they'd bring me home, whether I would have
2:15:01 > 2:15:04brain damage or if I'd be still in one piece,
2:15:04 > 2:15:06but there was a good chance that she'd take me home.
2:15:06 > 2:15:10Here I am today, and, well... Things happen.
2:15:10 > 2:15:13Was there anyone you met when you were a child
2:15:13 > 2:15:15who sort of changed your thinking?
2:15:15 > 2:15:17Yeah, I met David Beckham when I was very young,
2:15:17 > 2:15:21I think about seven or eight, my local Cambridge Evening News
2:15:21 > 2:15:26managed get me up to the Euros, I went to go see England play,
2:15:26 > 2:15:28and just before, I was in the team hotel
2:15:28 > 2:15:30and as the players were coming past,
2:15:30 > 2:15:32they had the opportunity to come in and say hi.
2:15:32 > 2:15:34Some of them didn't, cos they were so focused,
2:15:34 > 2:15:36which as a sportsman today, I completely understand.
2:15:36 > 2:15:40David Beckham came in and he was just unlike any of the other guys.
2:15:40 > 2:15:42He spent more time with me out of any of the footballers,
2:15:42 > 2:15:45he pulled out the training T-shirt from his bag,
2:15:45 > 2:15:46signed it for me.
2:15:46 > 2:15:49It was one of the best experiences and it gave me so much confidence
2:15:49 > 2:15:53going forward, I was football mad from then on.
2:15:53 > 2:15:55Have you met him since?
2:15:55 > 2:15:59Yes, luckily I managed to meet him a couple of years ago
2:15:59 > 2:16:01at the school games.
2:16:01 > 2:16:05That was really cool, seeing him is always a special experience,
2:16:05 > 2:16:07he's a really cool guy. A really nice guy.
2:16:07 > 2:16:10Role model, I know that term is used a lot, but actually you can
2:16:10 > 2:16:14have a lot of influence over people younger than you.
2:16:14 > 2:16:17You can have quite a lot of influence over people
2:16:17 > 2:16:18who are older than you as well!
2:16:18 > 2:16:21Are you aware of that, Jonnie, of the sort of bigger message?
2:16:21 > 2:16:24You don't go into the sport trying to become a role model,
2:16:24 > 2:16:27you're just doing it to do it and you hear stories,
2:16:27 > 2:16:31I remember after 2012, my mum texted me and told me
2:16:31 > 2:16:35that there was a boy that had a prosthetic leg,
2:16:35 > 2:16:38he was younger, and he never used to like to wear shorts,
2:16:38 > 2:16:39same as me when I was young.
2:16:39 > 2:16:42I always used to try and hide it as much as possible,
2:16:42 > 2:16:46and because of 2012 it gave him the confidence to go into school
2:16:46 > 2:16:51with a pair of shorts, and for me to see that, that was huge.
2:16:51 > 2:16:54I know that doesn't sound like much but when you're that age,
2:16:54 > 2:16:57you are so self-conscious about people staring,
2:16:57 > 2:16:59and for me that was the point
2:16:59 > 2:17:01where I thought that the Paralympics had changed things.
2:17:01 > 2:17:03I remember seeing a tweet of
2:17:03 > 2:17:06somebody going to a fancy dress party,
2:17:06 > 2:17:08fully able-bodied kid, cardboard race chair, you know,
2:17:08 > 2:17:10trying to be like Dave Weir.
2:17:10 > 2:17:14That's what they said, and I saw the tweet and thought, "That's so cool,"
2:17:14 > 2:17:17this kid wanting to be like Paralympians, and yeah,
2:17:17 > 2:17:18never expected that before.
2:17:18 > 2:17:21Do you think it's also important that we now,
2:17:21 > 2:17:25partly because of The Last Leg and the surrounding coverage
2:17:25 > 2:17:27of the Paralympics in 2012,
2:17:27 > 2:17:31that in a way we've got permission to laugh as well?
2:17:31 > 2:17:33Yes, we definitely do.
2:17:33 > 2:17:36I think before, disability was such a taboo subject.
2:17:36 > 2:17:38- It was kind of like... - SHE GASPS
2:17:38 > 2:17:41Like, you see one my friends fall out of their wheelchairs,
2:17:41 > 2:17:44or if I saw Jonnie fall over, I would laugh.
2:17:44 > 2:17:48I think, you know, if someone saw you doing that before London 2012,
2:17:48 > 2:17:49- they'd be like... - SHE GASPS
2:17:49 > 2:17:52"You're such a terrible person, oh, you're horrible."
2:17:52 > 2:17:54But now, people are like, yeah, OK, that's funny.
2:17:54 > 2:17:57And you're just a normal person, so you're going to get over it.
2:17:57 > 2:18:00Have you ever use your disability to play a practical joke,
2:18:00 > 2:18:03Jonnie Peacock?
2:18:03 > 2:18:06Many times. One of the first times that I remember
2:18:06 > 2:18:09was in arts and crafts, and tech, in school.
2:18:09 > 2:18:12The teacher came in, she was a substitute and she didn't know
2:18:12 > 2:18:14that I had a prosthetic leg
2:18:14 > 2:18:17and the filling around my leg was foam at the time.
2:18:17 > 2:18:21We had some big craft knives, so I thought, well...
2:18:21 > 2:18:22I just whacked it in my leg
2:18:22 > 2:18:26and started screaming out to the teacher. "Aaargh!" Going crazy.
2:18:26 > 2:18:28She nearly had a heart attack.
2:18:28 > 2:18:32I said, "It's OK, I'm only joking, I have a prosthetic leg."
2:18:32 > 2:18:35Again, when I worked in a garage, a new guy came in,
2:18:35 > 2:18:39and one of the guys said, "When he puts the ramp down, just pop your leg under it."
2:18:39 > 2:18:44So I did, and I started screaming and the wheel came down on my foot,
2:18:44 > 2:18:46and he didn't care.
2:18:46 > 2:18:50I was expecting him to be really shocked, and he just left it,
2:18:50 > 2:18:54he just walked away, didn't even move it or anything.
2:18:54 > 2:18:58After that, he kind of made it his job to try and park cars on my foot.
2:18:58 > 2:19:01- On your foot!- People in garages don't really care that much,
2:19:01 > 2:19:04it was quite funny, but that comes into the fact that
2:19:04 > 2:19:07I almost preferred that, because he just doesn't care.
2:19:07 > 2:19:11After winning gold in London 2012, there is increased expectation
2:19:11 > 2:19:13on Hannah and Jonnie.
2:19:13 > 2:19:16I want to discover how training is going as they prepare
2:19:16 > 2:19:21to defend their Olympic titles and hopefully add some fresh ones.
2:19:21 > 2:19:24Talk me through your training, and a typical training week.
2:19:24 > 2:19:27How many hours are you out there on the track and what sort of
2:19:27 > 2:19:29training are you doing and how many hours in the gym?
2:19:29 > 2:19:33It depends what time of year we're at and what point in the season.
2:19:33 > 2:19:36In the winter, I'm going out and probably doing 100 miles a week
2:19:36 > 2:19:40in the chair, and probably about eight hours in the gym,
2:19:40 > 2:19:44but now obviously we're in season, coming up to a big competition.
2:19:44 > 2:19:47So, I probably do about 70 miles in the chair at the moment.
2:19:47 > 2:19:51It's still fair mileage to say that primarily I'm a sprinter.
2:19:51 > 2:19:53I don't think Jonnie does 70 miles a week.
2:19:53 > 2:19:57No, I don't think I even do a mile, to be fair!
2:19:57 > 2:19:59Are you a good trainer, do you like training?
2:19:59 > 2:20:04I love training. I love the hard work, coming back after a really
2:20:04 > 2:20:05long day, when you get there
2:20:05 > 2:20:09and you've been at training for six hours and you feel like
2:20:09 > 2:20:12you've come home and you've really achieved something,
2:20:12 > 2:20:16you know you've pushed yourself beyond where it has been before.
2:20:16 > 2:20:18Well, also, you've got that focus
2:20:18 > 2:20:20because Rio is really not that far away, is it?
2:20:20 > 2:20:23- No. Scarily close! - Starting to get tingly.
2:20:23 > 2:20:26Honestly, I try not to think about Rio.
2:20:26 > 2:20:29It scares me a little bit about what's ahead.
2:20:29 > 2:20:30Obviously, London was incredible,
2:20:30 > 2:20:32but in London I did the 100 and 200 metres,
2:20:32 > 2:20:35and if I was just doing that in Rio, I'd be so happy
2:20:35 > 2:20:37because I'm so comfortable in those events.
2:20:37 > 2:20:41But actually, my 200 got taken away and I now have to do a full lap
2:20:41 > 2:20:44of the track and then two full laps of the track.
2:20:44 > 2:20:46Which is completely out of my comfort zone.
2:20:46 > 2:20:49You are the first athlete I've met who has been there.
2:20:49 > 2:20:52- Oh, really?- Yeah. Did you race there, did you train there,
2:20:52 > 2:20:54or did you just go for a recce?
2:20:54 > 2:20:57I went for a recce and I trained there, as well.
2:20:57 > 2:21:01I guess for me, the most amazing part of it was that I went
2:21:01 > 2:21:03for training, doing runs up and down Copacabana beach.
2:21:03 > 2:21:06People knew what a racing wheelchair was, they knew
2:21:06 > 2:21:09the Paralympic Games were coming and they were so excited.
2:21:09 > 2:21:13So I think it's just brilliant that Rio knew that and they knew
2:21:13 > 2:21:17what our sport was about and I just felt so welcomed there
2:21:17 > 2:21:19that I know that they're going to really look after us
2:21:19 > 2:21:21and show us a good time.
2:21:21 > 2:21:23- Have you been, Jonnie? - No, never.
2:21:23 > 2:21:25It's going to be fun, you know, Rio, it's going to be
2:21:25 > 2:21:28a completely different atmosphere to what London was.
2:21:28 > 2:21:32London was its own games, every time it changes,
2:21:32 > 2:21:36Rio is going to be a little bit more of a party atmosphere, maybe.
2:21:36 > 2:21:38Definitely a post-race party.
2:21:38 > 2:21:41- Exactly, not until after you've raced, Jonnie!- We'll see.
2:21:41 > 2:21:44I have made some coaching changes in the last couple of months,
2:21:44 > 2:21:47I know that when it's going to come, I'm going to be as ready
2:21:47 > 2:21:50as I can be, and it's going to be a super competitive race,
2:21:50 > 2:21:52but that's part of the fun of it.
2:21:52 > 2:21:55Technically, have you made any changes?
2:21:55 > 2:21:57We've changed a lot with my start, you know.
2:21:57 > 2:22:00I've opened up a lot more. I think if you put, probably, a comparison
2:22:00 > 2:22:02between even the Euros and a race from last year,
2:22:02 > 2:22:04you'd see there's a massive difference.
2:22:04 > 2:22:07The amount of steps that I take, for a start, has completely changed.
2:22:07 > 2:22:10The way that I'm applying force to the track,
2:22:10 > 2:22:12it just feels a lot more comfortable to me now.
2:22:12 > 2:22:13You know, I think it's...
2:22:13 > 2:22:16You know, Dan Pfaff, gone back to the coach that I used before.
2:22:16 > 2:22:19He's got 40 years of experience underneath his belt.
2:22:19 > 2:22:21It just takes one run and he knows what runner you are.
2:22:21 > 2:22:23He knows how to make you run fast,
2:22:23 > 2:22:26so, yeah, I'm happy with how things are going and I really think
2:22:26 > 2:22:28that we'll see some great things with me in the future.
2:22:28 > 2:22:31Do you train with a group of other runners?
2:22:31 > 2:22:34Yes, at the moment we're using Mike Cammell,
2:22:34 > 2:22:35who is a British bobsled coach.
2:22:35 > 2:22:38So I get to train with some of the bobsled guys, which is cool.
2:22:38 > 2:22:40They're really cool guys and obviously
2:22:40 > 2:22:42they've got some really good power output on them too.
2:22:42 > 2:22:44Have they not tried to get you in a bobsleigh?
2:22:44 > 2:22:46- No!- Because that's the next thing.
2:22:46 > 2:22:48I wouldn't want me coming in behind someone with a blade.
2:22:48 > 2:22:50I'm not going to be funny, I know that coming in,
2:22:50 > 2:22:52if you place that wrong...
2:22:52 > 2:22:54I think there could be a big advantage to it.
2:22:54 > 2:22:55Maybe, we'll see, one day, perhaps.
2:22:55 > 2:22:58The other element as well as the physical side of things
2:22:58 > 2:23:01and your own fitness, and your mental approach, and all of that,
2:23:01 > 2:23:04is the kit, whether it's prosthetics or wheelchairs,
2:23:04 > 2:23:06of how advanced is it.
2:23:06 > 2:23:10Hannah, is your chair now scientifically a better chair,
2:23:10 > 2:23:13or technically a better chair than it was in 2012?
2:23:13 > 2:23:16No, it is pretty much the same chair, exactly the same chair.
2:23:16 > 2:23:20We can't really advance it that much. For London 2012 we tried to
2:23:20 > 2:23:23make carbon fibre, complete carbon fibre race chairs for the British
2:23:23 > 2:23:27team but actually at the end of the day, the IPC stepped in and said,
2:23:27 > 2:23:32"You know what, that's unfair because the rest of the world can't get hold of these chairs,
2:23:32 > 2:23:33"so you can't race them."
2:23:33 > 2:23:38And Jonnie, what about your racing prosthetic, is it different now?
2:23:38 > 2:23:42I think everyone gets preoccupied, they think it's like Formula 1.
2:23:42 > 2:23:46I don't know how it has come about, but for some reason people now
2:23:46 > 2:23:49assume the only way to get faster is to change your leg.
2:23:49 > 2:23:52You know, I have tried a few different stiffnesses,
2:23:52 > 2:23:54and I'll be honest, it doesn't really change much.
2:23:54 > 2:23:58It doesn't, I did two races, I had two different legs,
2:23:58 > 2:24:00and my time was exactly the same.
2:24:00 > 2:24:04If you look on the start line, everyone has got the same leg.
2:24:04 > 2:24:07There may be one person who prefers a different style, and everyone
2:24:07 > 2:24:09seems to believe that there is a brand-new one that
2:24:09 > 2:24:12has come out last year, and it's like, well, no,
2:24:12 > 2:24:14they were designed in the '90s,
2:24:14 > 2:24:18there was an updated version in 2007, 2006,
2:24:18 > 2:24:21and it hasn't really changed since that.
2:24:21 > 2:24:23It's pretty much been exactly the same, you can talk
2:24:23 > 2:24:27to the prosthetist, who I pester, he probably hates getting a text
2:24:27 > 2:24:29from me because I'm always I always trying to get him down,
2:24:29 > 2:24:32cos it's literally a case of, "How does that feel?"
2:24:32 > 2:24:34"Can you just move it a little more?"
2:24:34 > 2:24:37"OK, how does THAT feel?" "Little bit more..."
2:24:37 > 2:24:39It's not really that scientific.
2:24:39 > 2:24:41If you want to see someone get faster, train harder,
2:24:41 > 2:24:44it's as simple as that. Make sure you're doing the right things in
2:24:44 > 2:24:46training, and it'll come.
2:24:46 > 2:24:48I don't think a blade makes that much difference.
2:24:48 > 2:24:51In terms of the cost of equipment, how much does it cost?
2:24:51 > 2:24:56So, a racing chair frame with no wheels on it costs £3,000-£4,000.
2:24:56 > 2:25:01A set of wheels costs £2,000, and you're recommended
2:25:01 > 2:25:04to at least have one spare in case of crashes
2:25:04 > 2:25:07or punctures before a race, or whatever that might be.
2:25:08 > 2:25:13So you're up to about eight grand, then, before you even start.
2:25:13 > 2:25:18Then you have to buy the tyres, which are between £50-80 per tyre.
2:25:18 > 2:25:22You know, you need to have your wet ones and your dry ones,
2:25:22 > 2:25:24your training ones and your race ones.
2:25:24 > 2:25:26Spares of all of them, just in case.
2:25:26 > 2:25:32Your gloves are £250 a pair and I go through a pair a month.
2:25:32 > 2:25:36Then you have to have all the scientific things, your speedometer
2:25:36 > 2:25:39and spare front wheels and spare gloves as well.
2:25:39 > 2:25:42Spare seat padding. It's quite an expensive sport.
2:25:42 > 2:25:47And although, Jonnie, you're saying there isn't some magic answer,
2:25:47 > 2:25:50having a prosthetic race leg of a certain standard,
2:25:50 > 2:25:54you wouldn't even be in that final without a good one.
2:25:54 > 2:25:57What a race leg really does for me is,
2:25:57 > 2:26:00when you land on a normal prosthetic leg,
2:26:00 > 2:26:03it's a bit more of a straight bang into the ground
2:26:03 > 2:26:04and you get no return.
2:26:04 > 2:26:08It's all you, whereas a race leg allows it to flow a bit more
2:26:08 > 2:26:11cos it comes back at you and allows your hips just to flow.
2:26:11 > 2:26:13I did my first two years racing on my day leg.
2:26:13 > 2:26:17This leg that I'm wearing today is what I raced on for two years.
2:26:17 > 2:26:19So prosthetic legs do help.
2:26:19 > 2:26:21And cost what?
2:26:21 > 2:26:26Cost-wise, I believe it's somewhere between £2,000-4,000 to get a leg.
2:26:26 > 2:26:30Are there injuries that you just deal with, day in, day out,
2:26:30 > 2:26:34or sores, or things that hurt that is just part of
2:26:34 > 2:26:37the working life of a full-time athlete?
2:26:37 > 2:26:41My shoulders hurt pretty much every morning, cos I'm always moving.
2:26:41 > 2:26:44My wrists - my wrists recently have started to hurt, actually,
2:26:44 > 2:26:47which is a little bit worrying, but we're working with it.
2:26:47 > 2:26:51But they're the two main areas of worry for a wheelchair racer.
2:26:51 > 2:26:52Blisters?
2:26:52 > 2:26:56Not...no. I found when I first started, yes,
2:26:56 > 2:26:58and I found my own way to avoid that.
2:26:58 > 2:27:02Obviously, if you go out and do a marathon,
2:27:02 > 2:27:04maybe you might, but I'm not planning on doing a marathon yet,
2:27:04 > 2:27:06so I'm all right.
2:27:06 > 2:27:11So your hands haven't sort of got calloused from consistent use?
2:27:11 > 2:27:13No, my hands are pretty nice.
2:27:13 > 2:27:15When I got my MBE,
2:27:15 > 2:27:19I went up and I got it off Prince Charles.
2:27:19 > 2:27:20And I shook his hand and he went,
2:27:20 > 2:27:23"Oh, you've got really nice hands for a wheelchair user."
2:27:23 > 2:27:26And I was like, "Oh, well...thanks(!)
2:27:26 > 2:27:29"I don't know what they're supposed to look like, but thanks."
2:27:29 > 2:27:31But no, they're fine.
2:27:31 > 2:27:34Like, just obviously get a bit wrecked in the gym sometimes
2:27:34 > 2:27:37when you're lifting heavy, but you look after them and moisturise
2:27:37 > 2:27:40and do everything girly, then you're fine!
2:27:40 > 2:27:43- Then you're fine, exactly. Day-to-day care.- Very important.
2:27:43 > 2:27:45I think I've got more calluses than you, yeah!
2:27:45 > 2:27:47Look on my Twitter, you'll see that recently I just ripped
2:27:47 > 2:27:50- a whole part of it off just in the weight room, yeah.- Nice(!)
2:27:50 > 2:27:53Yeah. Injuries happen, I think, when you're pushing your body
2:27:53 > 2:27:55beyond a limit that it wants to go to,
2:27:55 > 2:27:59and, I mean, I've had loads of problems with my stump.
2:27:59 > 2:28:04Loads of...yeah, blisters, hair follicle infections,
2:28:04 > 2:28:06and then big abscesses. Last year,
2:28:06 > 2:28:10I had an abscess the size of a golf ball behind my knee
2:28:10 > 2:28:12that hung around for about six months.
2:28:12 > 2:28:15At the moment, I've got a little bit of a....
2:28:15 > 2:28:19Not quite an abscess yet, but a little bit of inflamed
2:28:19 > 2:28:20on the front of my knee.
2:28:20 > 2:28:23It's a big hit, and when you're repeating that, you know,
2:28:23 > 2:28:25day after day, it takes its toll.
2:28:25 > 2:28:28Presumably you've got to be quite careful what you treat it with?
2:28:28 > 2:28:32Yeah, to a degree. I'm quite lucky, my stump's not that sensitive.
2:28:32 > 2:28:34No, no, but I meant more about whether it's,
2:28:34 > 2:28:37you know, given the extent of the list of banned substances,
2:28:37 > 2:28:39that even in a pain relief cream
2:28:39 > 2:28:42- or something for infection... - Oh, no, I don't need pain relief.
2:28:42 > 2:28:46- You don't use pain relief? - Vaseline.- Right.- Vaseline, yeah.
2:28:46 > 2:28:48The prosthetist gave me that great idea.
2:28:48 > 2:28:50You put a bit of Vaseline on it, it takes away the grip,
2:28:50 > 2:28:52so it just slides as opposed to gripping,
2:28:52 > 2:28:55- and that seems to help a lot. - Are you both naturally competitive?
2:28:55 > 2:28:58I mean, like, if you're playing a board game or playing a card game
2:28:58 > 2:29:02or you're, you know, just having little races with kids,
2:29:02 > 2:29:03would you have to win?
2:29:03 > 2:29:07Depends who it is. And I guess, racing with little kids...
2:29:07 > 2:29:09Hmm.
2:29:09 > 2:29:13I'll maybe let them come close to me, and I'll slow down,
2:29:13 > 2:29:14but I still have to cross the line first.
2:29:14 > 2:29:18I can't lose. You know, I'm undefeated aside from one race.
2:29:18 > 2:29:22I can't start losing races just for fun. That's ridiculous!
2:29:22 > 2:29:25Bar the kids thing, I have a slightly different approach.
2:29:25 > 2:29:27I normally let them win!
2:29:27 > 2:29:29Yeah, but other than that, everything.
2:29:29 > 2:29:31Everything I get my hands on, I want to win, yeah,
2:29:31 > 2:29:34whether it's playing PlayStation, you know,
2:29:34 > 2:29:37playing little games, skill games, whatever it is,
2:29:37 > 2:29:39yeah, everything. I don't like losing.
2:29:39 > 2:29:41It's a problem in relationships sometimes,
2:29:41 > 2:29:43- when you never want to lose an argument!- Yeah, yeah.
2:29:43 > 2:29:46- Other than that, yeah. - Oh, no, I won't lose an argument.
2:29:46 > 2:29:48- That's another one.- And does it mean
2:29:48 > 2:29:50that rivalry becomes quite important to you?
2:29:50 > 2:29:55T44 100 has become something else over the last four years, you know.
2:29:55 > 2:29:56There isn't just two people.
2:29:56 > 2:30:00It was, definitely, for a short period of time, me and Richard,
2:30:00 > 2:30:02I think for about two years, but this last year, for sure,
2:30:02 > 2:30:05seeing Jarryd Wallace, what he's doing out in America...
2:30:05 > 2:30:08You know, he's laying down some really fast times
2:30:08 > 2:30:11and he's made some very, very sensible coaching changes too.
2:30:11 > 2:30:13I spoke to him, he's actually a really nice guy, Jarryd.
2:30:13 > 2:30:15I've got a lot of time for him.
2:30:15 > 2:30:19Do you mind having a look back at your races from London?
2:30:19 > 2:30:20Go for it.
2:30:20 > 2:30:23I don't know how often you look at this, maybe you have seen them.
2:30:23 > 2:30:25I think my mum watches it every night.
2:30:25 > 2:30:28Does she? Every day? OK, so this is Jonnie's 100 metre race.
2:30:28 > 2:30:31Talk me through what you're thinking on the start line now.
2:30:31 > 2:30:33I'm just focusing on cues, really.
2:30:33 > 2:30:35Who is on either side of you?
2:30:35 > 2:30:40Arnu Fourie and Richard Brown. This was a period where I knew that
2:30:40 > 2:30:43it was my race to lose, so I had to focus on my own race.
2:30:43 > 2:30:45Do you say anything to them?
2:30:45 > 2:30:49No, just focus on myself. Say something to my grandad.
2:30:49 > 2:30:52Go into set. The gun starts.
2:30:52 > 2:30:54I knew I had to get a good start because of the doubles
2:30:54 > 2:30:59in that race. About this point, I need a new set of underwear,
2:30:59 > 2:31:02because I only had at that point
2:31:02 > 2:31:06an image of somebody just flying past me
2:31:06 > 2:31:11because I had watched 2008, I'd watched New Zealand and sometimes
2:31:11 > 2:31:14these double legs get such good top speed that they just come
2:31:14 > 2:31:17through so fast and that is all I was thinking.
2:31:17 > 2:31:21I tensed up so much, tightened up, everything went bad,
2:31:21 > 2:31:23and I crossed the line, knew I'd won,
2:31:23 > 2:31:26and then thought, "Oh, have I? "Has somebody snuck through?"
2:31:26 > 2:31:31So had to wait for it to come up and it was pure elation at that point.
2:31:31 > 2:31:33You're so focused on one period of time,
2:31:33 > 2:31:37I hadn't ever pictured winning at this point.
2:31:37 > 2:31:40It was so much, just wanted to do it.
2:31:40 > 2:31:43Then I saw Dan, Dan Greaves, a good mate of mine.
2:31:43 > 2:31:46I didn't want to go up and hug him, because I thought I'd distract him
2:31:46 > 2:31:52from his competition. Yeah, and it's just so ecstatic.
2:31:52 > 2:31:55I knew I was capable and it was a real possibility
2:31:55 > 2:31:58but you never think about the end point.
2:31:58 > 2:32:03So you never envisaged your lap of honour, flag around you?
2:32:03 > 2:32:06That lap of honour wasn't actually a lap of honour,
2:32:06 > 2:32:08it was me trying to find my mum.
2:32:08 > 2:32:11Literally, I didn't think about doing a lap,
2:32:11 > 2:32:12I just thought, where's Mum?
2:32:12 > 2:32:16My favourite image from pretty much all of London 2012 Paralympics
2:32:16 > 2:32:21is you and your mum having a hug. It actually makes me cry a bit.
2:32:21 > 2:32:26It says so much about everything she has put into your life
2:32:26 > 2:32:28and everything you wanted to do for her.
2:32:28 > 2:32:35I think, yeah, when I crossed the line, for my mum,
2:32:35 > 2:32:37that was the moment she knew I was OK.
2:32:37 > 2:32:41I think she had to put on such a brave face.
2:32:41 > 2:32:44I was five years old when everything happened.
2:32:44 > 2:32:47She had to protect me and be strong for me.
2:32:47 > 2:32:51She could never show how scared she was, how frightening this
2:32:51 > 2:32:55experience was, so she had to lock all that away, almost.
2:32:55 > 2:32:57Put it under and throw away the key
2:32:57 > 2:32:59and it wasn't until I finished that race, and she goes,
2:32:59 > 2:33:01"You know what? He's fine.
2:33:01 > 2:33:05"He'll be all right on his own and he doesn't need me any more."
2:33:05 > 2:33:08She had a tough time because I think that's where everything came out.
2:33:08 > 2:33:12Steve, my step-dad, is there too, he's some tough guy
2:33:12 > 2:33:14and you see him crying there. It's hilarious.
2:33:14 > 2:33:16everyone was, like, so...
2:33:16 > 2:33:19Yeah, just happy that I got to give Mum a big hug.
2:33:20 > 2:33:23Hannah, we have your race here, this is your 200 metres.
2:33:23 > 2:33:25- OK.- Talk me through it.
2:33:25 > 2:33:29They said, "On your marks." Usually all goes quiet, but actually,
2:33:29 > 2:33:32they said, "On your marks" and then someone went, "Go on, Hannah!"
2:33:32 > 2:33:35And I was like, "Oh, my God, what was that?"
2:33:35 > 2:33:37And it completely distracted me on the start, and my mum,
2:33:37 > 2:33:39when I saw her after the race, went,
2:33:39 > 2:33:41"Did you hear your auntie? Did you hear her?"
2:33:41 > 2:33:45I was like, "Yep, great, thanks. Really distracted me."
2:33:45 > 2:33:49We're gone and I got a really good start, I just knew that
2:33:49 > 2:33:53if I could nail my start, then I'd be fine, and all the way
2:33:53 > 2:33:55through the race I just had this one speed in my head,
2:33:55 > 2:33:59I knew if I hit 17mph then no-one was going to come close,
2:33:59 > 2:34:03and I hit 17 and as soon as I crossed my line,
2:34:03 > 2:34:06I saw my coach and went "17!"
2:34:06 > 2:34:09I just shouted it at him because I knew that I could do it.
2:34:09 > 2:34:13Much like Jonnie, my lap of honour was trying to find my parents,
2:34:13 > 2:34:16trying to find someone that I knew, just cos...
2:34:16 > 2:34:20When there are so many faces there, it looks like loads of fun
2:34:20 > 2:34:21but it's actually quite scary.
2:34:21 > 2:34:24I did just really want to see my mum and my dad,
2:34:24 > 2:34:27but unfortunately, prior to coming to London I'd said to them,
2:34:27 > 2:34:29"I want you to sit right at the back,
2:34:29 > 2:34:32"I don't want to see you, I don't want to hear you,
2:34:32 > 2:34:34"you'll distract me, sit as far away as possible."
2:34:34 > 2:34:35And so that's what they did.
2:34:35 > 2:34:38I'm thinking now, it's easy to forget
2:34:38 > 2:34:40how young you both were in London. You were 19?
2:34:40 > 2:34:42I was just gone 20.
2:34:42 > 2:34:44And how old were you, Jonnie?
2:34:44 > 2:34:45I don't know, 18, 19.
2:34:45 > 2:34:49Because one would think going into Rio it's got to be a benefit to both
2:34:49 > 2:34:54of you that you have had this experience, you know what it's like.
2:34:54 > 2:34:56You are older and wiser.
2:34:56 > 2:35:00Everybody talks about the value of experience,
2:35:00 > 2:35:04do you feel like a more experienced athlete? Are you ready?
2:35:04 > 2:35:09For me, what I have come to realise over the last few years is that
2:35:09 > 2:35:13regardless of my races throughout the year,
2:35:13 > 2:35:16I know I am always going to be faster on that final.
2:35:16 > 2:35:21I could go and run my PB this year
2:35:21 > 2:35:23and I know that I'll be better than that in the Rio final.
2:35:23 > 2:35:26I know that when I go to the championships,
2:35:26 > 2:35:29I am ready and I am pumped, and I will be at my very best.
2:35:29 > 2:35:33It's always good to know that you can pull out your best performance
2:35:33 > 2:35:35when it really matters.
2:35:35 > 2:35:38- That's the one where you want to pull it out.- Hannah, what about you?
2:35:38 > 2:35:41What should we expect of you in Rio?
2:35:41 > 2:35:44My expectations of myself are three gold medals.
2:35:44 > 2:35:47If I could break a world record, that would be incredible,
2:35:47 > 2:35:49but we've also got to remember
2:35:49 > 2:35:52I've never raced a 400 or an 800 metres at a Paralympic Games,
2:35:52 > 2:35:55so if I could win either of those, I feel like that's a massive bonus
2:35:55 > 2:35:58to myself and my actual only aim going into Rio
2:35:58 > 2:36:01is to retain my 100 metres title, because that's the only one
2:36:01 > 2:36:04that I can, and everything else is a gain.
2:36:04 > 2:36:07But, I have to say, just listening to both of you talk about it
2:36:07 > 2:36:10and watching London back, it makes me really excited.
2:36:10 > 2:36:12I can't wait and that's the thing,
2:36:12 > 2:36:16so many people know so much more about you now
2:36:16 > 2:36:19and they will be supporting you every step of the way
2:36:19 > 2:36:21and even if they're not there in Brazil,
2:36:21 > 2:36:22I hope you're going to feel it.
2:36:22 > 2:36:25And it's just going to be immense, so good luck to both of you.
2:36:25 > 2:36:30- Thank you for giving me so much time.- Thank you for having us.
2:36:30 > 2:36:32I've covered the Paralympic Games since 2000
2:36:32 > 2:36:35and in that time it has expanded and improved,
2:36:35 > 2:36:38and the level of talent has just got deeper and broader.
2:36:38 > 2:36:41And that is really the challenge for both Jonnie and Hannah.
2:36:41 > 2:36:44They're going to come up against athletes who know
2:36:44 > 2:36:47that they are the ones to beat, but also have belief in themselves
2:36:47 > 2:36:50and have done the training to get them in that position.
2:36:50 > 2:36:52Now, it seems to me from both of them
2:36:52 > 2:36:55that pressure is something they absorb and that makes them better,
2:36:55 > 2:36:58particularly Jonnie. He comes alive at the big championship finals
2:36:58 > 2:37:01and he's going to need to, because it's going to be tiny
2:37:01 > 2:37:04millimetres that will make the difference, split-seconds.
2:37:04 > 2:37:06For Hannah, the challenge is different.
2:37:06 > 2:37:08She can't do the 200 metres, her favourite distance.
2:37:08 > 2:37:12She's got to step up to the 400, the 800, she's going to have to be
2:37:12 > 2:37:15race-savvy as well as just fast in her chair.
2:37:15 > 2:37:17It's going to be fascinating to see how they get on,
2:37:17 > 2:37:21and I just hope that everybody will watch and support them.