Gold Rush: Our Race to Olympic Glory

Original version

The BBC South West region started on 20th April 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South West.

BBC One South West

Documentaries

Sport: Olympics

How Britain turned its sporting reputation around to triumph at the London 2012 Olympics.

How Britain turned its sporting reputation around over 16 years to triumph at the London 2012 Olympics. Told by our greatest athletes, national leaders and sports strategists.

Series 1

BBC Two

Simulcast of network BBC One in high definition. From 03/11/2010

BBC One HD

BBC One London

London

BBC One Cambridgeshire

BBC One Yorkshire

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region that included London and part of the South region. Separated from BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One South East

BBC One Channel Islands

The BBC South region started on 5th January 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South.

BBC One South

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands

The BBC North East & Cumbria region started in 1959 (tbc) as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One North East & Cumbria.

BBC One North East & Cumbria

BBC One Oxfordshire

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

BBC One West Midlands

BBC One North West

The BBC West region started on 1st September 1957 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One West.

BBC One West

The BBC East region started on 1st May 1959 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One East.

BBC One East

Simulcast of BBC One Wales in high definition. From 29/01/2013

BBC One Wales HD

BBC One Wales

Wales

Simulcast of BBC One Northern Ireland in high definition. From 24/10/2012

BBC One Northern Ireland HD

BBC One Scotland

Scotland

BBC Northern Ireland region started on 19th April 1955 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One Northern Ireland.

BBC One Northern Ireland

Simulcast of BBC One Scotland in high definition. From 14/01/2013

BBC One Scotland HD

BBC Two Northern Ireland

Simulcast of BBC Two Northern Ireland in high definition

BBC Two Northern Ireland HD

Simulcast of network BBC Two in high definition.

BBC Two HD

BBC Two England

England

Simulcast of BBC Two Wales in high definition

BBC Two Wales HD

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

BBC Two Wales

Ivanno Jeremiah

Tanya Winston

Stephen Finnigan

Tom Dixon-Spain

James Parris

Gold Rush: Our Race to Olympic Glory: Series 1: Episode 3

Episode 3

BBC One - Gold Rush: Our Race to Olympic Glory, Series 1, Episode 3

Britain’s athletes have four years to topple the sporting superpowers at London 2012.

After triumphing in Beijing, Britain’s athletes have four years to topple the sporting superpowers at London 2012, as the organisers face a sceptical press and public.

As the London 2012 organisers face cynics foretelling international embarrassment, and the strategists at UK Sports try to work out how Team GB could beat the Olympic superpowers, the athletes prepare themselves for a competition that could define their legacy. 
 
Having unexpectedly come fourth in Beijing, to do even better at London meant defeating one of the three ‘untouchable’ sporting superpowers: the USA, China and Russia. The athletes would have to put in the performances of their lives. 
 
To boost our chances, the Sporting Giants programme sought to expand our pool of potential medal winners by turning amateurs into elite competitors. Helen Glover was plucked from teacher training and given a shot at Olympic rowing glory. At the same time, the Mission 2012 tracking system monitored sports’ progress towards inescapable medal targets. With so much money on the line, the scrutiny seemed prudent, but at what cost to the athletes who struggled under the immense pressure? 
 
With the eyes of the world on London, 2012 would be a milestone year for the Paralympics – an opportunity to transform the perception of Paralympians as elite athletes and to demonstrate how far the movement had come since the empty stands at Atlanta 16 years earlier. 
 
Featuring interviews with Victoria Pendleton, Sir Chris Hoy, Sir Mo Farah, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Helen Glover, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Nicola Adams and Ellie Simmonds, as well as former prime minister David Cameron, this film tells the story of the lengths we went to in search of Olympic glory, and the costs – paid in personal sacrifice – that made the gold rush possible.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Gold Rush: Our Race to Olympic Glory

Series 1

Episode 3

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Brand

Series

BBC One South West

About BBC One