:00:08. > :00:18.Good evening, welcome to London, home of the 2012 Olympic Games and
:00:18. > :00:24.the greatest show on earth. The Olympic Games... It's finally
:00:24. > :00:31.arrived. It's a fantastic opportunity. It's just massive
:00:31. > :00:35.really, being in London, a home Games, it's the ultimate.
:00:35. > :00:40.doesn't matter what your ranking is, it's about going to the Olympic
:00:40. > :00:44.Games and prove you can beat anyone on their day. It's lonely a few
:00:44. > :00:51.opportunities thaw get to say OK, amongst all those athletes in the
:00:51. > :00:57.history of world sport, where I do stack up? You're very lucky, you
:00:57. > :01:02.feel very special for yourself. It's something which is addictive.
:01:02. > :01:07.That's why people are happy to wait four years for the next one.
:01:07. > :01:12.any athlete to win Olympic gold in London will mean to say they will
:01:12. > :01:16.almost certainly become mill airs and will be recognised throughout
:01:17. > :01:26.the land. You're an Olympic champion for your life. You can be
:01:26. > :01:30.a world champion, but no-one can take an Olympic title from you.
:01:30. > :01:32.years of planning, meticulous preparation and years of sweat on
:01:32. > :01:42.the track, our Commonwealth, European and world champion is
:01:42. > :01:50.
:01:50. > :01:57.If his run on the day is good enough to win the gold, he will win
:01:58. > :02:07.it. He is the guy who I think can cope with that label of being a
:02:08. > :02:09.
:02:09. > :02:17.strong favourite. From aspiring young Swansea harrier to major
:02:17. > :02:24.champion Gold Medal winner. 2010 was Greene's breakthrough year. He
:02:24. > :02:28.beat Rhys Williams at the European championships. Wales have a
:02:28. > :02:35.champion. 12 months ago in South Korea Greene became the world's
:02:35. > :02:38.best. It is a Gold Medal for Great Britain. The Olympics means more
:02:38. > :02:43.than any other championship and being a British favourite in London
:02:43. > :02:47.multiplies the pressure. Olympics is the crowning glory for
:02:47. > :02:51.track and field athletes. It comes round every fewer years and it's
:02:51. > :02:57.the pinnacle of sporting achievement for us. I don't run up
:02:57. > :03:02.the hills in the winter thinking, "I can't wait to get a bronze ."
:03:02. > :03:06.the gold motivates me. It would be foolish to settle for anything less.
:03:06. > :03:09.Greene isn't the first. The greatest 400 metre hurdler in
:03:09. > :03:16.history experienced the pressure of being a home favourite in Los
:03:16. > :03:20.Angeles in 1984. You have to be very disciplined. You need
:03:20. > :03:26.tremendous amount of endurance and also you have to be able to stay
:03:26. > :03:30.calm under pressure because it's a challenging event psychologically.
:03:30. > :03:33.Of all the athletes in London who can handle that kind of, you know
:03:33. > :03:37.you should be winning this, he is the guy who can cope with that
:03:37. > :03:41.label of being a strong favourite. You say, what pressure are you
:03:41. > :03:46.under, are you feeling the pressure? He'll go, what pressure?
:03:46. > :03:51.I just go out and do what I've got to do. I love that about the guy.
:03:51. > :03:56.He's honest. I know a lot of expectation come was it. I don't
:03:56. > :04:06.feel under pressure. As long as I can train well every day, I will
:04:06. > :04:06.
:04:06. > :04:11.perform really well. That's what people will remember in years to ko.
:04:11. > :04:15.The man from Puerto Rico has beaten him, but they're getting closer and
:04:15. > :04:21.closer. People will remember who lives in London. It will be an open
:04:21. > :04:30.race. Being the world champion in 2011 really puts the target on your
:04:30. > :04:33.back. I think it's going to be uphill fight to win the medal.
:04:33. > :04:38.Through the year, when you're training hard, you think it's the
:04:38. > :04:46.Olympics, biggest competition ever, I can't wait for it. When it gets
:04:46. > :04:51.close, I'll think, it's 400 metres, ten hurdles, it's that basic.
:04:51. > :04:56.assess the Welsh athletes' chances I'm joined by two Silver Medalists,
:04:56. > :05:00.Sharron Davies and Iwan Thomas. Great to see you. All eyes on Dai
:05:00. > :05:04.Greene. Yeah he's the man of the moment. He is the reigning,
:05:04. > :05:09.European, Commonwealth and world champion. He's not had the best
:05:09. > :05:15.run-in, in that he's not winning all the races. This time last year
:05:15. > :05:18.he wasn't running this well. He's had a personal best. He can't
:05:18. > :05:24.control the opposition. Javier Culson is unbeaten and running very
:05:24. > :05:29.fast indeed. Dai has a good head for racing. You can't help but like
:05:29. > :05:33.him. He's a very laid back character, a mark of a champion.
:05:33. > :05:38.He's very calm and a good influence on everybody. He's unrecognisable,
:05:38. > :05:48.when you think of the big names. He could probably wonder down the High
:05:48. > :05:49.
:05:49. > :05:56.Street and most people wouldn't flinch. Is he can't he can beat
:05:56. > :06:04.Culson? He is. Culson is running well. But Dai is running faster
:06:04. > :06:08.than last year. But has Culson got the meantal strength of Dai Greene.
:06:08. > :06:13.Must remain focus and positive. On your marks, that's massive pressure
:06:13. > :06:16.at an Olympic final. And not losing energy with those nerves. If you
:06:16. > :06:22.have that calm persona that's really important. Thank you very
:06:22. > :06:30.much for now. The first event kicks off at Millennium Stadium two days
:06:30. > :06:37.before the official opening ceremony when Team GB's women's
:06:37. > :06:41.football event kicks off. Here at the Millennium Stadium
:06:41. > :06:45.they're getting ready to start the whole Olympic party, just a little
:06:45. > :06:49.ironic given that there won't be a single Welsh female player in sight
:06:49. > :06:54.and those who run Welsh football would still rather have nothing to
:06:54. > :07:00.do with the whole thing. Why not share in the Olympic spirit?
:07:00. > :07:05.don't really see a Team GB. We see a Welsh team, an English, Scottish
:07:05. > :07:10.and Northern Irish team. We want to continue to play under that flag.
:07:10. > :07:14.On political grounds, we've been opposed to it. On sporting grounds,
:07:14. > :07:19.we don't really actually view it in such the same esteem as we do
:07:19. > :07:25.something like the World Cup or European Championships. New kit
:07:25. > :07:34.contentious, new territory for Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and the other
:07:34. > :07:39.Welshmen in the squad. There is a worry that FIFA might use a Team GB
:07:39. > :07:48.against the Welsh retaining their own team. Some fear the worse.
:07:48. > :07:50.may be 50 years before nb states it as a precedent. But if it's used as
:07:50. > :07:56.a precedent it's a mistake. Football is a political game. There
:07:56. > :08:00.are a lot of pressures on FIFA from all kinds of directions and at one
:08:00. > :08:04.level, it is very difficult to justify why the UK has four
:08:04. > :08:08.separate teams. Four nations into one, could it really happen? Sport
:08:08. > :08:11.Wales understand it's takes only three member countries to put a
:08:11. > :08:16.proposal forward to FIFA's Congress, then it's down to an open vote. The
:08:16. > :08:26.trend in recent years has been towards more nations not less. 209
:08:26. > :08:27.
:08:27. > :08:32.members now compared to 16720 years ago. When you -- 1 67, 20 years ago.
:08:32. > :08:38.They're not looking to condense the old Yugoslavia into Six Nations any
:08:38. > :08:42.more. They're happy for them to participate in stand alone nations.
:08:42. > :08:46.There's no way that FIFA or UEFA will condense all the home nations
:08:46. > :08:50.into one team. That just won't happen. That seems to be the main
:08:50. > :08:55.sticking point in regard to the support of their players. I feel
:08:55. > :08:59.Wales will always be a national team. I don't feel me being here
:08:59. > :09:05.would jeopardise that otherwise I wouldn't be here. Wales is first
:09:05. > :09:14.and mower most to mem. I don't see that being a threat. That's not me
:09:14. > :09:17.being selfish, because I want to be here. It's one of the biggest
:09:17. > :09:21.disappointments that I've not been a major competitions with Wales.
:09:21. > :09:25.That will always remain. We weren't good enough in the teams I played
:09:25. > :09:28.in. You know you can't moan. Obviously this is a chance for me
:09:28. > :09:31.to experience tournament football, which I've never done before.
:09:31. > :09:37.crowd of almost 40,000 expected for the women's opener on Wednesday,
:09:37. > :09:40.but no Welsh players, after coach Hope Powell picked an all-English
:09:40. > :09:44.squad but for two squads. There should be a full house in Cardiff
:09:44. > :09:48.on August 1, when the men play. At the age of 38, maybe a new prize
:09:48. > :09:52.for the man who's won almost everything else. We're here to win
:09:52. > :09:57.it like every other athlete and team. We want to win. The players
:09:57. > :10:02.in the squad are winners as well. Yeah hopefully we can win the Gold
:10:02. > :10:09.Medal. So, a record 30 Welsh athletes will
:10:09. > :10:16.compete for Team GB. Aly Rowell now on who to look out for and cheer
:10:16. > :10:20.for over the next few weeks. They call her the head hunter, 19-
:10:20. > :10:24.year-old tai-kwon-do star Jade Jones won gold at the Youth
:10:24. > :10:28.Olympics. Now the British number one has the real thing in her
:10:28. > :10:32.sights. If I got gold hopefully it would be on everyone's lips. It's
:10:32. > :10:35.going to be amazing fighting in your own country. It's a once in a
:10:36. > :10:40.lifetime chance. Sarah Thomas can boast about training with the
:10:40. > :10:44.Duchess of Cambridge in the build up to London 2012, but for the
:10:44. > :10:49.hockey star from Aberdare, it will be a case of results than royalty
:10:49. > :10:53.when she competes at the Rinkbank arena. The feeling is completely
:10:53. > :10:56.different than in Beijing. Our sights are set on the Gold Medal,
:10:56. > :11:03.with that and home support and family and friends being there, it
:11:03. > :11:07.will be mind blowing. Does kus star Brett Morse was the youngest
:11:07. > :11:11.finalist at the World Championships last year. It's London where the
:11:11. > :11:15.23-year-old is hoping to throw himself into the history books.
:11:15. > :11:20.Will it finally be fourth time lucky for Christian Malcolm? The
:11:20. > :11:26.200 metre specialist has flown the Olympic flag in Sydney, Athens and
:11:26. > :11:32.Beijing, now in front of a home crowd the sprinter hopes to get his
:11:32. > :11:36.hands on an Olympic medal. Watch out for 400 metre hurdler Rhys
:11:36. > :11:41.Williams. He won gold to take the European crown last month and knows
:11:41. > :11:45.how special it will be to perform in London. I've been in the British
:11:45. > :11:50.team since 2005, but getting this Olympic team after missing four
:11:50. > :11:54.years ago was a big relief. metre runner Gareth Warburton was
:11:54. > :12:00.initially left out of the squad, but after a successful appeal,
:12:00. > :12:05.wants to prove he's got what it takes to succeed. Helen Jenkins
:12:05. > :12:11.knows her way around London. It was on the tryathlon track where she
:12:11. > :12:18.won the World Championship in 2011. When approaching that early morning
:12:18. > :12:28.5.30am swim, it's this London course she's been thinking of.
:12:28. > :12:35.How fast can I swim? How fast can I bike? How fast can I run?
:12:36. > :12:39.Potentially it could be a life changing day. It's meant more over
:12:39. > :12:43.the last few years, as I've been stronger and more consistently
:12:43. > :12:47.racing at the high level, having the chance of winning a medal, it's
:12:47. > :12:53.become more real over the past few years. I think it's become more
:12:53. > :12:57.important. I want to get to the 4th August and deliver my best
:12:57. > :13:07.performance. Hopefully that's your Gold Medal, silver, bronze, if it's
:13:07. > :13:07.
:13:07. > :13:14.not, I know I've given it To win gold Helen Jenkins will have
:13:14. > :13:19.to swim 1500 metres, ride 43 kilometres and run 10k quicker than
:13:19. > :13:23.her rivals. At Beijing she finished 21st. Now she's one of the
:13:23. > :13:27.favourites. I'm a very different athlete this time round. I was so
:13:27. > :13:31.happy to make the Olympics. From winning worlds earlier that year,
:13:31. > :13:36.it changed my expectation. My expectation at the beginning of
:13:37. > :13:40.2008, wow, just to get to an Olympics. This time round, heading
:13:40. > :13:46.into 2012, it's not been about just making the Olympics. It's about
:13:46. > :13:49.going to the Olympics and hopefully getting a medal. Her confidence
:13:49. > :13:54.appears justified. She's the current world champion and is
:13:54. > :13:59.either -- won or come second in five of her last seven races.
:13:59. > :14:04.think it's always nice to go in as the underdog with less pressure and
:14:04. > :14:09.expectation, but if you put in good performances you get that pressure,
:14:09. > :14:15.you get that attention. You have to accept it and just take it. It's
:14:15. > :14:19.there. It's a great opportunity as well. It's a home Olympics, to go
:14:19. > :14:25.in as one of the favourites, it can be a bit scary, but also I've got
:14:25. > :14:29.tone joy it. This opportunity's not going to come round geb. -- again.
:14:29. > :14:35.54 other women stand between her and the gold. At 28 this could be
:14:35. > :14:41.her best opportunity. But it's one stroke, pedal and one step at a
:14:41. > :14:44.time. It's a life changing event. If you win an Olympic Gold Medal,
:14:44. > :14:49.but I haven't thought too much about that yet. All I've thought
:14:49. > :14:53.about is the swim, the bike and the run. It's very much the process of
:14:53. > :14:57.that rather than, the process of the race. I think trying to focus
:14:57. > :15:02.on just the race rather than all the other stuff. Otherwise it gets
:15:02. > :15:12.a bit big really. It's too much to focus on. Just breaking it down to
:15:12. > :15:13.
:15:13. > :15:18.swim, bike, run keeps it manageable. We'll discuss Helen's chances in a
:15:18. > :15:28.moment. First, more names for you to look out for now as we hit the
:15:28. > :15:29.
:15:29. > :15:32.water. Cardiff Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark will go for gold.
:15:32. > :15:38.After becoming the first British women's team to become world
:15:38. > :15:45.champions, it's no wonder they go into the Games as favourites.
:15:45. > :15:50.Weymouth is a variable place. We can get any wind conditions. We
:15:50. > :15:56.want to go knowing that as a team we're totally solid. We know each
:15:56. > :16:00.other inside out and what makes each other and especially in that
:16:00. > :16:04.environment. Rogue has traditionally brought huge joy for
:16:04. > :16:08.Britain at the Olympics. Reigning champion Tom James hopes to repeat
:16:08. > :16:11.his Gold Medal success from Beijing in the Coxless fours. There will be
:16:11. > :16:15.a lot of pressure on our four coming into the Games. It will be
:16:15. > :16:19.watched by quite a lot of people I imagine and big expectation of
:16:19. > :16:24.winning a Gold Medal. So that's something fun to be part of. It's a
:16:24. > :16:29.challenge. It's something I think we can certainly do. Don't bet
:16:29. > :16:36.against podium finishes for Chris Bartley and Victoria Thornley. They
:16:36. > :16:42.compete in the lightweight four and women's eight.
:16:42. > :16:46.In the pool, there are five Welsh hopefuls. It will be Jemma Lowe's
:16:46. > :16:50.second Olympics, and after winning bronze at the Commonwealth Games in
:16:50. > :16:55.the 100 metre butterfly her expectations are high heading into
:16:55. > :17:00.London. It's good to have motivation of hoping to get a medal
:17:00. > :17:05.to keep you going in training. But I'm focusing on doing the best time
:17:05. > :17:09.and doing the best performance I can do at the Games. If it happens
:17:09. > :17:13.then brilliant. Georgia Davies competes in the 100 metre
:17:13. > :17:17.backstroke. Growing up and watching sport, making the Olympics has
:17:17. > :17:21.always been my all-time goal or dream,if you like. To have achieved
:17:21. > :17:25.that, I want to take it even further now and swim as hard as I
:17:25. > :17:29.can and try to go for personal best times and get the best result
:17:29. > :17:33.possible. Then there's the new kid on the block, 19-year-old Ieuan
:17:33. > :17:37.Lloyd swimming both the 200 metre freestyle, individual and relay
:17:37. > :17:42.events. David Davies is back on familiar territory, competing in
:17:42. > :17:45.the 1500 metres. His third Olympics. It's a difficult one to do. The
:17:45. > :17:49.third is challenging. I want to deliver the performance of my life
:17:49. > :17:53.that I can do on that day and get through to the final. It will be
:17:53. > :17:58.very difficult. Swimming's moved on massively. I'm up for the challenge.
:17:58. > :18:07.Home Olympics is a fantastic thing to be going to. Ollie Locke makes
:18:07. > :18:11.up the Welsh contingent swimming the 200 metre backstroke.
:18:11. > :18:15.Marco Laughran makes the Welsh contingent swimming in the 200
:18:15. > :18:22.metre. Let's touch on the swimmers,
:18:22. > :18:25.Georgia Davies, Jemma Lowe what are their chances of success? Georgina
:18:25. > :18:30.is an out-and-out sprinter. It's difficult to predict. It's a close
:18:30. > :18:36.race actually. The American Missy Franklin is in a good place on that
:18:36. > :18:41.race. With Gemma, she probably is Wales' best hope of a medal in the
:18:41. > :18:44.pool. She's very experienced now. I think she'll do well. David Davies'
:18:44. > :18:49.third Olympics. He's won a bronze and silver. He's had a difficult
:18:49. > :18:53.couple of years. Yes, he's had viruses, a foot problem, all sorts
:18:53. > :18:58.of things. He's battled through it. He left his coach and come back
:18:58. > :19:05.again. He's tried really hard. He wanted one of every colour, which
:19:05. > :19:09.would have been a fantastic ending to an amazing career. The triathlon
:19:09. > :19:14.is very much all eyes on Helen Jenkins. She has a great chance of
:19:14. > :19:18.the Gold Medal. She is a fantastic performer. If things hold together,
:19:18. > :19:23.she has a fantastic shout to win the title. She loves this venue.
:19:23. > :19:26.She know it's well. That's the great thing about. It she's done
:19:26. > :19:30.the World Championships here. She's had a real practice. That's a home
:19:30. > :19:34.advantage, to be familiar with our racing environments and having a
:19:34. > :19:43.partisan crowd. What does it do to an athlete when UK Sport say we're
:19:43. > :19:47.looking at Alastair BrownLee and Helen Jenkins to bring home a medal.
:19:47. > :19:55.I think pressure like that can be a good thing. It can build you, it
:19:55. > :19:58.can make you think you're ten foot tall. Or you can shrink and have
:19:58. > :20:02.the nerves. I think she's very confident and rightly so, she'll go
:20:02. > :20:06.out and hopefully swim in this water very fast indeed. There's
:20:06. > :20:09.another defending champion I want to talk about, Tom James the rower.
:20:09. > :20:15.This time last year didn't think he was going to make it. He had a
:20:15. > :20:19.heart square as well. How does he get ready for the biggest stage of
:20:19. > :20:23.all? He is the defending champion. He's done it before. He's been in
:20:23. > :20:28.the boat and won gold before. He knows how much he has to push his
:20:28. > :20:33.body to win. Hopefully his three team-mates can help him out. He's a
:20:33. > :20:38.member of a team and in rowing they have very strong ethos in regards
:20:38. > :20:41.to the team. They talk about things in terms of the performance of the
:20:41. > :20:46.boat. I think that strength in numbers is really important. He
:20:46. > :20:51.brings experience to the boat too which is valuable. We're seen
:20:51. > :20:57.Christian Malcolm in an earlier film, it would be great to see him
:20:57. > :21:01.do well. I would say, I'd love to see him get what he deserves an
:21:01. > :21:05.individual medal. He made the last final in Beijing in the 200. To
:21:05. > :21:09.make the British team and sprint nowadays, have you to run pretty
:21:10. > :21:13.good. He's in good shape to be here. You look at Blake and Bolt and
:21:13. > :21:17.they're Another Level. We know that. If Christian gets it right on the
:21:17. > :21:21.day, he can make a final. What can that home advantage do? Can it
:21:21. > :21:26.bring him to find the extra 20% and ged a medal. I would love to see
:21:26. > :21:31.that. Two more big names now, two people who we followed since they
:21:31. > :21:41.struck gold in Beijing in 2008. It's time to meet Geraint Thomas
:21:41. > :21:44.
:21:44. > :21:49.COMMENTATOR: Nicole Cooke is the Olympic road race champion!
:21:49. > :21:53.Welsh woman winning Britain's first gold in Beijing. 2008 was her year
:21:53. > :21:59.with a World Championship Jersey added to her Olympic gold. Since
:21:59. > :22:02.then things have been less rosy. A loss of form and a public spat with
:22:02. > :22:06.a team-mate and a battle to make the team. Whfrpblgts it comes to
:22:06. > :22:16.the race we're going to come up with the Ba'athist strategy as the
:22:16. > :22:17.
:22:17. > :22:20.team. That happens in -- The best strategy in the team. We've gone on
:22:20. > :22:26.to win and it's been wonderful knowing that I was a key part in
:22:26. > :22:31.that victory. That is a part of road racing. How will the fiercely
:22:31. > :22:37.independent Cooke cope with playing second fid toll another Brit?
:22:37. > :22:41.representing my country is an honour and being on the start line
:22:41. > :22:48.in London, wearing the British Jersey will be a highlight of my
:22:49. > :22:54.career and I'll be there giving it my best that's for sure. Geraint
:22:54. > :23:00.Thomas' focus has been varied since his success four years ago. This
:23:00. > :23:04.year he's had a one-track mind, to repeat an astonishing night in the
:23:04. > :23:08.Beijing velodrome. COMMENTATOR: I cannot believe what
:23:08. > :23:13.I'm seeing! It's another world record, an astonishing world record.
:23:13. > :23:17.I just feel completely different rider to be honest. I've done three
:23:17. > :23:21.grand tours since then. I feel stronger in myself and a lot more
:23:21. > :23:25.confident in my ability. I think the squad we have now as well is
:23:25. > :23:35.stronger than in Beijing. He may be one of four in the pursuit team but
:23:35. > :23:40.Thomas is ready to take a leading role. You look at your Colin
:23:40. > :23:46.Jackson's and Fred Evans and your JPRs and you go on and on, I think
:23:46. > :23:51.our boy surpasses all of them. After a world record breaking
:23:51. > :23:55.performance at the World Championships the British quartet
:23:55. > :23:59.start strong. Thfrpblgts whole year has been about London and winning
:23:59. > :24:02.gold. I missed the tour this year and the classics, which are massive
:24:02. > :24:07.races. I've committed everything for the team pursuit. If I go and I
:24:07. > :24:12.know I've done all I can, and there's nothing else I can do, I
:24:12. > :24:15.can be happy with. That but I want that Gold Medal.
:24:15. > :24:22.From our cyclists to more Welsh Olympians and we start with big
:24:22. > :24:26.hitters. A golden age for Welsh boxing could
:24:26. > :24:31.bring gold medals if Andrew Selby and Fred Evans live up to
:24:31. > :24:36.expectations. Selby heads to London as European champion and top fly
:24:36. > :24:41.weight in the world. Evans also the best in Europe and number two at
:24:41. > :24:44.welterweight. I can't wait. just coming for the gold only.
:24:44. > :24:50.Obviously a medal would be great. But I want to get to a final and
:24:50. > :24:56.win the gold. Spinning the ribbon for Wales and Britain Frankie Jones
:24:56. > :25:02.will go it alone as the UK's only entry in individual ridge make
:25:02. > :25:07.gymnastics. Less of a long shot for success is this woman Elena Allen,
:25:07. > :25:11.born in Russia, based in Newport and training in mid-Wales. I have
:25:11. > :25:15.been British number one since 2000. So I am the best this country has.
:25:15. > :25:20.I would like to win the Olympics. Failing that I would love to get a
:25:20. > :25:28.medal of any colour. I would be really happy if I gave the best
:25:28. > :25:33.performance of my life on the day. The heavy weights, Gareth Evans, a
:25:33. > :25:40.former painter and decorator who gave up his job and moved to Leeds
:25:40. > :25:46.to per sue his Olympic dreams and Natasha Perdu who combined her job
:25:46. > :25:51.as a rubbish collector with daily bouts of training. She's keeping
:25:51. > :25:57.expectations in check. The only way I get a gold is if I pinch it off
:25:57. > :26:02.the winner. It depends how big as angry they are. The opposition is
:26:02. > :26:09.very tough. My objective is to get out there, enjoy the platform, try
:26:09. > :26:13.and do GB justice and lift as well as I can.
:26:13. > :26:16.Well what a fantastic view we have of London, the Olympic city. You
:26:17. > :26:21.were part of the bid. How does it feel knowing that the limb bik
:26:21. > :26:25.games are about to start? I can't believe they're here. We started
:26:25. > :26:29.working on them seven years ago. It feels as if it's seven years have
:26:30. > :26:34.shot by. I don't think the country realises how much it will grip
:26:34. > :26:38.everybody and how proud we will be of the athletes and the country.
:26:38. > :26:42.How excited are you not only about the London Eye here and what about
:26:42. > :26:47.what we are about to see? It's going to be brilliant. This city is
:26:47. > :26:52.beautiful. I think we'll put on the best Olympics. I wish I was younger
:26:52. > :26:57.and still keeping. Whoa I went wobbly then. It's going to be
:26:57. > :27:02.brilliant. Let's talk about Nicole Cooke and Geraint Thomas. Nicole is
:27:02. > :27:06.being asked to possibly give up her Gold Medal that she won in Beijing,
:27:06. > :27:09.because she's part of a team now. How tough is that when you're an
:27:09. > :27:13.individual competitor? Unbelievably tough. I can't imagine how that
:27:13. > :27:20.feels. We both come from sports where you stand out as an
:27:20. > :27:25.individual and you race. If you were a rower or team cyclist that's
:27:26. > :27:30.a different feel. You're asking somebody to put someone else's
:27:30. > :27:34.winning ambitions in front of your own. I don't know how that would
:27:34. > :27:39.feel. Another terrific competitor is Geraint Thomas, British cycling
:27:39. > :27:43.on top of the world. He's just developed into a world leader and
:27:43. > :27:47.world beater. He's a nice guy as well, off the bike, he's a
:27:47. > :27:52.fantastic guy. I'd love to see him win gold. Quite a lot of pressure
:27:52. > :27:56.on the first day too, on the cycling, road racing, the fact that
:27:56. > :27:59.we're hoping they're Goce to set us up. Success is contagious. The
:27:59. > :28:04.first day is important. Your grandfather was Welsh. Are you
:28:04. > :28:09.cheering on the Welsh athletes? Absolutely. With a name like Davies,
:28:09. > :28:13.of course I am. If not, that window opens! It's been a pleasure having
:28:13. > :28:17.you on the programme. Thank you both very much indeed. Enjoy the