:01:20. > :01:25.Welcome to the latest edition of World Olympic Dreams, obviously
:01:25. > :01:29.this time from Africa. We're in Namibia and we've been filming for
:01:29. > :01:32.the last two years with athletes from all round the world. 18 months
:01:32. > :01:39.ago, I came here to film with Merlin Diamond, a young sprinter
:01:39. > :01:45.who's hoping to qualify for London We'll be seeing more of Merlin and
:01:45. > :01:47.more of these guys later in the show. In the programme: I'll find
:01:48. > :01:53.out how months at a training camp in Mauritius blunted Merlin's
:01:53. > :01:58.Olympic ambitions. Now she must rebuild her confidence and refocus
:01:58. > :02:03.her mind. Did it feel like your chances of competing in London were
:02:04. > :02:07.slipping away? Yes, it did actually feel as if they were slipping away.
:02:07. > :02:10.Also coming up: Nader el Masri, a long distance runner from Gaza,
:02:10. > :02:18.explains how politics in the Middle East have endangered his chances of
:02:18. > :02:20.making it to London 2012. freezing right now. A team of
:02:20. > :02:23.sprinters from Belgium endure a punishing team-bonding session that
:02:23. > :02:32.takes them to Iceland, where they must trek 80 kilometres across a
:02:32. > :02:42.glacier. And we'll find out how Mongolia's long and proud tradition
:02:42. > :02:49.
:02:49. > :02:57.of sport has finally produced a new Nader el Masri is a Palestinian
:02:57. > :03:01.5,000 metre runner. He was given a wildcard for the Beijing Olympics
:03:01. > :03:09.in 2008, so when we first met him on the dusty streets of the Gaza
:03:09. > :03:15.Strip, he was already an Olympian. Even if conditions meant he didn't
:03:15. > :03:18.train like one. Everything is difficult here and with four
:03:19. > :03:28.children to support on my salary, I can't eat enough of the right
:03:29. > :03:30.
:03:30. > :03:33.things. Since Hamas came to power, an Israeli blockade has made it
:03:33. > :03:40.difficult for goods to come in and for many of the 1.5 million
:03:40. > :03:44.inhabitants to get out. Nader is one of the lucky ones. He is
:03:44. > :03:47.occasionally allowed out for international competitions.
:03:47. > :03:55.Facilities are scarce here, yet many young athletes are making the
:03:55. > :04:03.most of their situation, as Jon found out. If you're young in Gaza,
:04:03. > :04:06.life can be pretty dull. Everywhere you go, you see people with time on
:04:06. > :04:16.their hands. The United Nations says around 70% of Gaza's
:04:16. > :04:20.
:04:20. > :04:28.population is under 25. Youth unemployment is over 55%. This is
:04:28. > :04:31.parkour. Part gymnastics, part breakdance, part rock climbing. And
:04:31. > :04:36.for the past five years, these three young men have been throwing
:04:36. > :04:39.themselves around the Strip. It's a fast-moving sport, using all your
:04:39. > :04:46.athletic abilities to get from A to B as quickly and smoothly as
:04:46. > :04:55.possible. When Hamas came to power, Israel tightened its blockade of
:04:55. > :04:57.this tiny stretch of land. Israel regards Hamas as a terrorist group.
:04:57. > :05:04.But the blockade effectively crushed the sporting ambitions of
:05:04. > :05:07.most young Palestinians, making it very difficult to leave the Strip.
:05:07. > :05:17.Nevertheless, one man is determined not to allow the situation to ruin
:05:17. > :05:18.
:05:18. > :05:24.his dream of qualifying for the London 2012 Olympics. Nader el
:05:24. > :05:31.Masri. The fastest man in Gaza. But there are few places to train and
:05:31. > :05:39.nobody to train with. I have a coach but there's nobody at my
:05:39. > :05:43.level to run with, so I have to do most of my training on my own.
:05:43. > :05:48.Nader has only been able to run one big race in Gaza this year - the
:05:48. > :05:51.Strip's first ever marathon. By chance, the tiny Palestinian
:05:51. > :05:58.territory is almost exactly 26 miles long, so the runners covered
:05:59. > :06:04.it top to bottom. But only a handful of athletes completed the
:06:04. > :06:11.course. Nader won at a canter. Not ideal preparation for somebody
:06:11. > :06:16.trying to make it to London in the 5,000 metres. As far as training
:06:16. > :06:19.facilities go in Gaza, this is about as good as it gets. There
:06:19. > :06:23.isn't a single tartan track in the whole of the Gaza Strip and that,
:06:23. > :06:32.of course, is what Nader will have to run on if he makes it to London
:06:32. > :06:36.2012. All we've got here, well, it's cinder and sand. Now, Nader is
:06:36. > :06:42.packing up and getting out of Gaza for a few weeks. Not easy in the
:06:42. > :06:47.Hamas-governed territory, which remains under Israeli blockade. For
:06:47. > :06:55.most Palestinians, the only way out is south through Egypt. And that's
:06:55. > :07:04.where Nader is heading - to Cairo. In terms of inspiration, it doesn't
:07:04. > :07:07.get much better than this. But Nader is not here to see the sights.
:07:07. > :07:15.He's in Cairo for a week-long training camp and, at last, the
:07:15. > :07:21.chance to run on a decent track. a track like this I can see my
:07:21. > :07:27.split times for every 100, 400 and 1,000 metres. That means I know
:07:27. > :07:32.exactly how I'm doing and what more I need to achieve. It makes such a
:07:33. > :07:39.difference. After Cairo, the next stop is Qatar and the Arab Games.
:07:39. > :07:42.But Nader needs to think big. He's been told he won't get a wildcard
:07:42. > :07:48.place for the Olympics next year, so he has to get the qualifying
:07:48. > :07:58.time. That means knocking around 40 seconds off his personal best.
:07:58. > :08:01.
:08:01. > :08:07.Nader will need to be inspired if Back in Namibia, I'm preparing to
:08:07. > :08:14.meet their best hope for Olympic success - Merlin Diamond. I've
:08:14. > :08:17.already met her here once before. In the summer of 2010 she was still
:08:17. > :08:21.at school, where she studied all day before heading down to Windhoek
:08:21. > :08:27.Stadium for another four hours of training. And last year she visited
:08:27. > :08:30.the UK for the first time to see the Olympic stadium. The thrill of
:08:30. > :08:40.seeing the track was soon mitigated by the pressing feeling that the
:08:40. > :08:40.
:08:40. > :08:47.Olympics were not far away. It's around the corner, it's not far.
:08:47. > :08:57.The competition is basically already here, just waiting for us.
:08:57. > :09:00.
:09:00. > :09:04.I've come back to Namibia to see how she's progressing. Early 2011
:09:04. > :09:07.was really positive for Merlin. She was returning to full fitness,
:09:07. > :09:11.starting to run fast and had plans to go to Mauritius, which at the
:09:11. > :09:21.outset looked like it could be the camp, the place to catapult her to
:09:21. > :09:24.
:09:24. > :09:27.Olympic standard. But it didn't end up being that at all. Merlin was
:09:27. > :09:30.sponsored to spend six months on the Indian Ocean island by the
:09:30. > :09:32.IOC's development fund, but far from home and suffering from a
:09:32. > :09:42.hamstring injury, she fell into a sort of depression that only
:09:42. > :09:43.
:09:43. > :09:46.frustrated athletes seem to know. I've been here for at least three
:09:46. > :09:53.months, so I'm getting to miss home, people back home, do all my crying
:09:53. > :09:58.and then get out there like nothing ever happened. Looking back, she
:09:58. > :10:02.realises the camp was not all it was cracked up to be. The medical
:10:02. > :10:06.facilities were very poor and the food and all that was really poor.
:10:06. > :10:10.It did actually make me very unhappy. I would really get
:10:10. > :10:16.depressed. I mostly wanted to be on my own or not be around the other
:10:16. > :10:19.athletes. And when you were in Mauritius, did it feel like your
:10:19. > :10:26.chances of competing in London were slipping away? Yes, it did actually
:10:26. > :10:32.feel as if they were slipping away. In the end, the decision was to cut
:10:32. > :10:37.short the Mauritius training camp and come home. I came back. In
:10:37. > :10:40.about two weeks or so I started feeling better. It is much more
:10:40. > :10:43.comfortable being with people I know and knowing that actually I
:10:43. > :10:47.can get what I want here. Back in Namibia, Merlin still faces
:10:47. > :10:50.challenges. She's out of shape, she's struggling to recover from
:10:50. > :10:58.injury and she's running nowhere near as fast as she used to or
:10:58. > :11:01.needs to for a chance of qualifying. This is the third time I've filmed
:11:01. > :11:04.with Merlin and throughout all the time I've known her, she's always
:11:04. > :11:13.been engaging and confident and outgoing and probably never more so
:11:13. > :11:16.than on this trip. But it's quite clear that seven month spell in
:11:16. > :11:26.Mauritius last year, 2011, has affected her and left a mark, and
:11:26. > :11:27.
:11:27. > :11:30.it's not a good mark at all. Herman Davin and his wife have been
:11:30. > :11:32.sponsoring Merlin since shortly after a road accident killed their
:11:32. > :11:42.two teenage daughters, Suzelle and Janine, themselves once promising
:11:42. > :11:45.
:11:45. > :11:49.athletes. For Herman, watching Merlin struggle has been hard.
:11:49. > :11:52.picked her up at the airport and she was not a happy chap. She was
:11:52. > :11:58.unhappy, unfit, overweight and I think she was also down because she
:11:58. > :12:01.wasn't sure what the next step was going to be. We decided that you
:12:01. > :12:05.can only qualify for the Olympics once in four years, so we thought
:12:05. > :12:12.that we will give everything for the next six months and see if she
:12:12. > :12:19.qualifies. Crucial to qualifying will be recovering from injury.
:12:19. > :12:22.Punishing biokinetic sessions aimed to build Merlin's strength. She is
:12:22. > :12:24.still Namibia's strongest hope for an Olympic medal for a long time,
:12:24. > :12:31.certainly since their only ever Olympic medalist, Frankie
:12:32. > :12:38.Fredericks, who won four silvers in the 90s. As he sees it, London may
:12:38. > :12:44.end up being a Games too soon. believe that maybe 2012 will be
:12:44. > :12:47.putting a little bit too much pressure on her. I think she has
:12:47. > :12:50.about six months to make sure she gets it all together. And we know
:12:50. > :12:56.in sprinting that will be very difficult, otherwise she will peak
:12:56. > :13:01.and then it will be difficult to peak in London. Despite all her
:13:01. > :13:04.setbacks, something continues to drive Merlin Diamond. Sprinting is
:13:05. > :13:11.what she does, it's what she is, it's been a huge part of her life
:13:11. > :13:16.since she can remember. Merlin Diamond has been on a long journey,
:13:16. > :13:26.but now she's facing the prospect of running out of road. The date of
:13:26. > :13:28.
:13:28. > :13:33.the London 2012 Olympics is moving We'll come back to Merlin's story
:13:33. > :13:36.later in the programme. Namibia gets more than 300 days of sunshine
:13:36. > :13:40.in any given year, and you can see from this dried-up riverbed, they
:13:40. > :13:43.don't get a lot of rain, which means if Merlin does qualify for
:13:43. > :13:50.London 2012, she is going to have to acclimatise to the unpredictable
:13:50. > :13:57.British weather. That's true for every athlete, but two Belgian
:13:57. > :14:02.members of the track and field team are taking it the extra mile. Kevin
:14:02. > :14:09.and Jonathan Borlee are identical twins. And as with all siblings,
:14:10. > :14:19.they share a healthy rivalry. fact that we are twin brothers
:14:20. > :14:27.
:14:27. > :14:32.helps us in training every day, because I'm as strong as him.
:14:32. > :14:35.both run the 400 metres and are no strangers to intensive training.
:14:35. > :14:40.Last winter we caught up with them at a special training camp on the
:14:40. > :14:44.island of Lanzarote. Since then, the brothers have made history by
:14:44. > :14:51.becoming the first set of identical twins to race in a world athletics
:14:51. > :14:55.championship final. Kevin proved to be fastest on the day, taking the
:14:55. > :15:05.bronze medal. But their preparation for London 2012 recently took an
:15:05. > :15:16.
:15:16. > :15:26.unexpected detour via an Icelandic Langjokull. A landscape carved from
:15:26. > :15:35.ice. But these are not Arctic explorers. This is a group of
:15:35. > :15:40.sprinters preparing for the 2012 summer Olympics. On skis, or in
:15:40. > :15:44.sledges, in snow bound isolation. Iceland is far removed from what
:15:44. > :15:53.these athletes will experience in London.
:15:53. > :15:58.I'm freezing right now. You know, we have to give our best, try to
:15:58. > :16:03.stay focused, motivated. Iceland's second largest glacier,
:16:03. > :16:07.temperatures dip to minus 20. As the group of nine Belgian athletes
:16:07. > :16:12.trek from west to east. Among them, twins, Jonathan Borlee
:16:12. > :16:16.and his brother Kevin. Recently named Belgium's Sportsman of the
:16:16. > :16:26.Year for his bronze at the World Championships.
:16:26. > :16:26.
:16:26. > :16:33.For five days, the group snake across the snow and ice. The going
:16:33. > :16:37.is tough. Monotonous. Arduous. And slow. Physical is the basis, mental
:16:37. > :16:44.is what makes the difference between people. When you start, you
:16:44. > :16:53.have to go to the other side because there are no other escape
:16:53. > :17:00.or ways to go out. Here, the weather can change without warning.
:17:00. > :17:04.Forcing the group to hurriedly pitch camp.
:17:04. > :17:08.Athletics is an individual sport, but when it comes to the Olympics,
:17:08. > :17:12.individuals compete for their country. For a team. By coming here
:17:12. > :17:16.to Iceland and these harsh, inhospitable conditions, the
:17:16. > :17:25.Belgian runners have to work for each other. They hope they'll build
:17:25. > :17:30.enough team unity to give them the competitive edge come London 2068.
:17:30. > :17:34.-- 2012. It's beautiful for the spirit and for my team. It's very,
:17:34. > :17:40.very important that we work for the mind.
:17:40. > :17:45.The natural beauty of this environment is tempered by the
:17:45. > :17:55.endurance required. Soon, blisters take their toll. If they make
:17:55. > :17:56.
:17:57. > :18:03.wrinkles, it's going to kill your foot. It wasn't easy as the last
:18:03. > :18:08.five days, but, you know, it was easier with them than only two of
:18:08. > :18:11.us, so it's a really good team, I think we can do some really good
:18:11. > :18:16.stuff. It takes spirit and a strong mind
:18:16. > :18:23.to compete a trek like this. On such mental fortitude, Olympic
:18:23. > :18:32.dreams are made. To read Kieran Fox's journal from
:18:32. > :18:37.that glacial trek, log on to the website at www.bbc.co.uk/2012 and
:18:37. > :18:41.look out for World Olympic Dreams. Namibia isn't necessarily a country
:18:41. > :18:47.you associate with Olympic success and neither is Mongolia. Mongolia
:18:47. > :18:51.joined the Olympic Games for the first time in 1964 and they had a
:18:51. > :18:58.44-year wait for their first gold medal. But that happened in Beijing
:18:58. > :19:08.in 2008 where they won, not just their first, but two Olympic golds.
:19:08. > :19:11.One of those was to boxer, Enkbatyn Badar-Uugan. Last time we met him,
:19:12. > :19:16.he was injured and had to content himself with just some light
:19:16. > :19:21.training. He told us just how important the Olympics are to him.
:19:21. > :19:27.TRANSLATION: It's only once every four years. You prepare so hard to
:19:27. > :19:37.qualify and then you only get one chance. It's the pinnacle for every
:19:37. > :19:41.
:19:41. > :19:47.After showing us around the streets, the city that he grew up in, he
:19:47. > :19:50.told us how he got into boxing. Transmy father told me, don't fight
:19:50. > :19:57.on the street, it's not real fighting. If you are really good at
:19:57. > :20:00.it, try to do it in the ring and become a success. But his Olympic
:20:00. > :20:06.success has been an inspiration to his country and he's keen that his
:20:06. > :20:12.gold medal leads to many more, but then Mongolia already has a long
:20:12. > :20:16.and proud sporting tradition, as our reporter, son geet that Myska,
:20:16. > :20:21.found out. -- Sangita Myska found out.
:20:21. > :20:24.It's mid summer Mongolia. From across the planes that surround the
:20:24. > :20:30.mining city of Erdenet, competitors gather.
:20:30. > :20:34.They've come to take part in the ancient sports festival called the
:20:34. > :20:37.Naadam. It's just after 7.30, first day of the Naadam, first event to
:20:37. > :20:43.kick things off is this stallion race. All the horses will be ridden
:20:43. > :20:48.by children, the youngest of whom is just seven.
:20:48. > :20:53.It's a spectacular combination of sight and sound. The pace is
:20:53. > :20:59.incredible. Over 25 kilometres we drive at heart-stopping speed just
:20:59. > :21:04.to keep up. This race is just one of the three sports that make up
:21:04. > :21:09.the festival. The other events are based at Erdenet Stadium. While the
:21:10. > :21:15.archery happens in the grounds outside, most eyes are focused on
:21:15. > :21:21.the battles take place within the arena in the wrestling.
:21:21. > :21:24.Naadam is the constant in Mongolian life. For centuries, it's the one
:21:24. > :21:30.thing Mongolia, as a whole nation, stops and celebrates every year.
:21:30. > :21:35.It's the event which gives this country its legends and heroes. But
:21:35. > :21:39.Mongolia's sporting achievements are no longer stuck in the past.
:21:39. > :21:45.I don't think I've seen anybody this this entire competition put in
:21:45. > :21:49.as clear and as clearly defined body shots as this fellow. In 2008,
:21:49. > :21:57.after 44 years of competing, this country finally won its first
:21:57. > :22:04.Olympic gold medals, creating a national hero of the boxer, Mary
:22:04. > :22:09.Kom. He explained to my the significance of his victory.
:22:09. > :22:12.TRANSLATION: There were lots of Mongolians in the crowd watching me
:22:12. > :22:18.in Beijing. They started counting down for me. With five seconds to
:22:19. > :22:25.go, I thought, I am the champion. It was a first for my country and I
:22:25. > :22:29.was proud of myself. After Beijing, we felt we had arrived. People
:22:29. > :22:34.started to realise that it was achievable to win golds at the
:22:34. > :22:38.Olympics. Sport is absolutely central to
:22:38. > :22:45.Mongolian culture and time and again people tell me how proud they
:22:45. > :22:49.are of the Olympic success because it's brought this country
:22:49. > :22:59.international attention. Interest has been boosted in games that are
:22:59. > :23:01.
:23:01. > :23:06.It's here in this remote Olympic training camp that among ol ya
:23:06. > :23:08.hopes to nurture its future stars - - Mongolia. Wrestlers are in
:23:08. > :23:12.training today, but according to their coach, this generation of
:23:12. > :23:18.athletes are enticed by the possibility of medal success in
:23:18. > :23:21.sports like boxing, that are rltively new in this country. --
:23:21. > :23:24.relatively new. After the 2008 Olympics, a number of people in the
:23:24. > :23:34.sport of wrestling switched to other sports because they thought
:23:34. > :23:35.
:23:35. > :23:38.it was easier to win medals. It's big ambitions in almost every walk
:23:38. > :23:43.of life that's changing Mongolia beyond recognition. Society is on
:23:43. > :23:50.the move from the countryside into the capital. Rapid expansion's
:23:50. > :23:54.brought its problems. Shanty suburbs and fractured communities.
:23:54. > :23:58.Munkbat Chimeddorj is using another sport to the country, football to
:23:58. > :24:01.help migrant children stay out of trouble.
:24:01. > :24:05.TRANSLATION: If they were not playing football, I believe they
:24:05. > :24:10.would probably be on the streets, hanging out with the wrong type of
:24:10. > :24:13.people. It's hard to control the kids that move to the city from the
:24:13. > :24:17.countryside. They are used to being out running around, but on the
:24:17. > :24:22.streets of the city, there are many more dangers.
:24:22. > :24:29.Sport has always played a big role in Mongolia's national life, but
:24:29. > :24:36.thanks at least in part to the Olympics, it's reach and impact is
:24:36. > :24:40.greater than ever. More now on the Namibia sprinter Merlin Diamond who
:24:40. > :24:46.grew up here and is trying to qualify for the Olympic Games in
:24:46. > :24:49.London. We heard in the first part of the programme how she went on a
:24:49. > :24:53.frankly pretty disastrous training camp to Mauritius, came back
:24:53. > :24:58.depressed and injured and is running out of time to reach the
:24:58. > :25:01.qualifying standard for the Olympic Games. But if it's one thing I know
:25:01. > :25:09.about athletes and indeed successful Olympic athletes, it's
:25:09. > :25:13.that they never, ever give up. It's Sunday morning in the Namibia
:25:13. > :25:19.capital Windhoek. As far as Merlin is concerned, Sundays are what they
:25:19. > :25:27.were designed for. Rest and church. How important is church for you
:25:27. > :25:30.maybe in life, also in connection with your sport? Church is actually
:25:30. > :25:35.very much important because without God you are not able to reach
:25:35. > :25:39.anywhere because he gives you the strength to do everything that you
:25:39. > :25:43.do in life actually. Do you find yourself in church
:25:43. > :25:49.thinking about the challenge of your sport and your running and
:25:49. > :25:56.asking him for help? Most of the times I ask him for help, pray for
:25:56. > :26:05.more strength. You never pray to win? It's not all about winning.
:26:05. > :26:09.But I do pray for more strength to get to where I want to be. Church
:26:09. > :26:15.in Namibia is a colourful, energetic affair. No matter how
:26:15. > :26:20.eventful her sporting life is, former Lynn, coming here every
:26:20. > :26:24.Sunday remains a constant. Sporting confidence comes from lots of
:26:24. > :26:29.different sources. Some people talk about heart, some people talk about
:26:29. > :26:33.mental hardness, but being here in Namibia with Merlin Diamond, it's
:26:33. > :26:39.really clear that her sporting strength in a big way comes from
:26:39. > :26:43.this church. Merlin has been christened the
:26:43. > :26:47.cheetah of Namibia and I'm determined not to leave the country
:26:48. > :26:52.without seeing the real thing. Have you ever seen animals in the
:26:52. > :26:56.wild before? No. I don't really go close to the
:26:56. > :27:02.wild animals. Never been up close with a cheetah? Usually when you
:27:02. > :27:07.watch TV and so on, you watch cheetahs eating people, so you
:27:07. > :27:13.don't really go close to them. cheetahs we are on the way to see
:27:13. > :27:20.though are different, all orphans rescued by a sanctuary and friendly
:27:20. > :27:30.to humans - apparently. OK Johannes, we are ready.
:27:30. > :27:30.
:27:30. > :27:38.So sleek. I can't believe how long they are and how thin. It's like a
:27:38. > :27:44.little engine. Do you think you've got anything in common with these
:27:44. > :27:47.guys? We all go for the speed here. We are all sprinters. You've still
:27:47. > :27:52.got the pictures of the Stratford Stadium on your phone? Yes, I look
:27:52. > :27:57.at it all the time. So how are you feeling generally when you talk
:27:57. > :28:01.about the Olympics? Are you feeling 100% positive? I am 100% positive.
:28:01. > :28:06.You know, it's the first time that I'll be trying to qualify for the
:28:06. > :28:10.Olympics so it's a totally big thing for me. With time, after my
:28:10. > :28:14.recovery, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to make it.
:28:15. > :28:19.Wherever you are in the world, the end of the day, just the last dying
:28:19. > :28:23.light of the day is always a magical moment. You just get these
:28:23. > :28:28.fantastic colours and it gives you a chance to reflect. This is my
:28:28. > :28:34.second trip filming with Merlin Diamond and it just reinforces for
:28:34. > :28:38.me just how mature and generous she is with her time and her family are
:28:38. > :28:43.fantastic. But she is coming to a crunch point now in her sports
:28:43. > :28:47.career. She's got some big ifs: If she can get back to full fitness,
:28:47. > :28:55.if she can run the qualifying time, then all those pieces fall into
:28:55. > :29:03.place and she's going to be coming to London 2012. If, if, if all of
:29:03. > :29:12.that works.... I think Windhoek and Namibia are going to have a new
:29:12. > :29:17.star to look at. Throughout the rest of 2012. That's it from the
:29:17. > :29:26.peace and tranquility of Namibia from Windhoek and this edition of
:29:26. > :29:32.World Olympic Dreams. Coming up next time: They call her