With only two years to go until the 2012 London Olympic Games, hopes are high for Team GB. In this new series of Olympic Dreams, we catch up with some of the younger members of the team as they continue their journey towards gold.
We join fifteen-year-old high board diver Tom Daley as he competes in the world championships. Not only does he have to contend with the media glare, but also bullying at school… and his dad’s embarrassing antics!
Before Judo, Ashley McKenzie’s future looked bleak. From one of the toughest neighbourhoods in London, he also suffers from ADHD and has been disqualified from competitions for his behaviour. As he decides to stop taking medication for his condition, will he be able to control his temper as he strives to reach the top?
Seventeen-year-old Shaunna Thompson is one of the fastest teenage sprinters in the world. Working as a nurse on a recovery ward for stroke victims by day, and training for the 100m and 200m sprints by night, we follow her as she tries to take the top spot and confirm her place in the 2012 Olympics.
We also join heptathlete Jessica Ennis in the midst of a potentially career-stopping injury. We follow her as she tries to master long jumping from her uninjured foot in the eight months before the World Championships, while also training in the six other disciplines of her event. Can she work her way back up to the top while facing one of the biggest challenges in her life?
Fourteen-year-old Zoe Smith likes shopping, going to gigs… and weightlifting. Already having broken 217 British records, we join her as, for the first time in her short career, she competes against the best in the world. Will she keep her Olympic journey on track?
Andy Hodge and Pete Reed are the UK’s top two rowers, winning an Olympic gold as part of the coxless four team. We follow the two friends as they switch to rowing as a pair and have to start dealing with defeat. How will they cope when rowing as the underdog? And will their friendship see them through?
Jenna Randall and Olivia Allison have both been synchronised swimmers since they were seven years old. As Britain’s only Olympic duet, while their friends go out clubbing, they practise and prepare. Can they make it to the world’s top 12 to be serious Olympic contenders?
Find out more
Interested in discovering more about the mind of an athlete?
The Open University has launched a new course ideal for those interested in the psychological aspects of sport and exercise participation. Content will be delivered through a selection of sport and exercise case studies, and will offer an insight into topics such as the psychological aspects of sports injury, exercise dependence, and psychological skills training.
Olympic Dreams in more depth:
OU on the BBC: Olympic Dreams - About the series
Production team
Following on from the second series of Olympic Dreams, the story continues as we join new athletes with new stories to tell. Read more : OU on the BBC: Olympic Dreams - About the series
Getting into the zone
Tom Daley [Image: davesanford under CC-BY-NC licence]
Athletes such as Tom Daley and Jessia Ennis explain their mental preparation and pre-performance routines; Caroline Heaney offers some context. Read more : Getting into the zone
Olympic Dreams: When the going gets tough
Jupiter Images
Olympic atheletes explain how they cope with injury and other setbacks - and the OU's Caroline Heaney explores their approach. Read more : Olympic Dreams: When the going gets tough
Overcoming public meltdown
Used with permission
Simon Rea reflects on whether athletes and clubs can overcome adversity to achieve their sporting goals. Read more : Overcoming public meltdown
From bbc.co.uk/sport
BBC
Get even more insight into the programme's 2012 talent and the events they intend to compete in on BBC Sport Read more : From bbc.co.uk/sport
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Comments on: "About the series"
mc4868 has started a thread discussing About the series.
Hi
I practice ITF Taekwon Do and help coach teens/adults in my club. This appears to be a fascinating series! Due to my work / training and studying for a degree with the OU I cannot get to watch this. Is there a way that I could buy the 3 Series on DVD to watch? If so from whom etc?? It looks to be a fascinating series and very relevant to what I do. When I complete my current degree I plan to study this area with the OU.