Contents Born To Win Introduction . 2 Notes to editors . 3 Born To Win on the web . 4 Dermot O’Leary interview . 5 Sally Gunnell interview . 7 Colin Jackson interview . 9 Professor Dave Collins interview . 11 Dr Steve Ingham interview . 12 The female competitors . 14 The male competitors . 24 The Born To Win events . 34 Presenter/contributor biographies . 38 Born To Win Introduction Dermot O’Leary is Born To Win on BBC ONE Dermot O’Leary comes to BBC One on Saturday A number of top sporting stars also appear nights to present Born To Win, a new sporting throughout the series to coach and advise the competition for 16- to 18-year-olds which aims to competitors, including: Michael Johnson, James find the sporting talent of the future. Cracknell, Matthew Pinsent and Chris Boardman. Following its launch in January 2003, nearly 5,000 Born To Win is a unique collaboration between the applicants have been whittled down through a BBC’s factual and sport departments. Executive series of rigorous regional and national trials to producer Tina Fletcher says:“We’ve seen literally leave just 20 outstanding young competitors who thousands of young people and are left with the have made the journey to St Anton in Austria for crème de la crème of Britain’s young sporting the chance to become a future sporting champion. talent. Born To Win has set out to uncover the nation’s future sporting champions and to offer the During the series the 20 competitors compete final two winners the financial support for them to against each other in a range of specially designed be able to continue their training in their chosen heats which test their speed, power, endurance, sporting field. agility and mental strength. Each heat pushes the competitors to their physical and mental limits and “Throughout the series we also take the at least two contestants are eliminated each week. opportunity to look at the psychological make-up of a sporting champion and what it really takes to Ultimately the two winners (one male, one female) succeed at the highest international level.We also will each receive a tailor-made bursary, designed hope that it will encourage more young people to to give them the opportunity to reach their get involved in sport, whatever their level.” sporting potential. Born To Win is supported by BBC Talent and BBC Former world champion athletes Colin Jackson and Sport Academy. Sally Gunnell are acting as mentors for the competitors, offering help, advice and coaching support throughout the series as well as deciding who will be eliminated each week. Joining Colin and Sally at the competition are Professor Dave Collins of Edinburgh University, who offers psychological advice to the competitors, and physiologist Steve Ingham of the British Olympic Medical Institute. In addition to following the progress of the competitors, Born To Win also analyses the world’s greatest sports stars through a series of blueprint films, revealing how they made it to the top, what physical and technical attributes make them the elite star that they are, and their “born to win” moment – the moment when everything came together for them.The films also look at examples of those qualities in action. Born To Win 2 Notes to editors/Born To Win timetable Notes to editors Timetable: 1. The Born To Win series was devised by January 2003 BBC Specialist Factual and BBC Sport. It is • Launch of Born To Win a joint production. • Potential competitors complete online application February/March 2003 • Successful applicants are invited to local and 2. Born To Win is a competitive sporting event. regional trials run by schools PE teachers and local There are no public votes. sports development officers.At these trials the competitors complete a battery of standardised physical tests, designed by leading sports scientist Dr Mary Nevil at Loughborough University 3. Norwich Union are sponsoring the event in Austria and the live final. April 2003 • The leading 64 competitors travel to David Czerwinski, Head of Sponsorship for Loughborough University for Easter weekend, Norwich Union, comments:“Our support of where they undertake more physical, aptitude and athletics from grass roots to elite level makes physiological testing at an increasingly intense level this association with a BBC event a natural extension of our commitment to the sport and May/June 2003 its development.We are really excited about • Competitors in training with programmes being involved in this unique project, which I’m devised by Steve Ingham of the British Olympic sure will be a tremendous success.” Medical Institute July/August 2003 • The final 20 competitors travel to St Anton to a purpose-built, first-class sporting complex where they compete against each other. In each round at least two competitors are eliminated August-November 2003 • Finalists in training with programmes devised by Steve Ingham September/October 2003 • The series transmits November 2003 • The finalists compete in a live final on BBC One Born To Win 3 On the web Born To Win on the web Born To Win on BBC One during autumn 2003 The online area can be found at provides a rare and exciting opportunity to www.bbc.co.uk/borntowin inspire young people to develop their interest and will be promoted throughout the series. in playing sport. The BBC Sport Academy website brings the Born To Community events Win series to life at a grass roots level by offering young viewers the chance to take part in a range of The online content is supported by a range of local online and local community events – including the opportunities, targeted at schools and designed chance to test their sporting skills by taking similar to enable the maximum number of young people tests to the contestants in the series.The website to engage with the series and create their own allows users to do this as often as they want to sports blueprint. and at a time that is convenient to them. Born To Win Schoolspack: Every secondary school in the UK will receive their On the web own Born To Win pack which features promotional The BBC Sport Academy has created a rich Born To posters plus teacher guides on how to organise Win area which launched in late August to coincide Born To Win school events where pupils can create with the main marketing campaign.This area will be their own sports blueprint. constantly updated to reflect the series. Born To Win Days: In partnership with the Youth Sport Trust and the Create your own blueprint: sport college network, there will be 100 Born To The centrepiece is the chance to create a personal Win Days across England during October where “sports blueprint” by doing a series of mental and young people will create their own blueprint and physical tests similar to those in the television make contact with local sports clubs. In addition, series.The tests cover areas such as sporting the events will receive a visit from a leading sports aptitude, agility, strength, speed and stamina. personality as part of Sport England’s Sporting Champions programme. By entering their scores for each test, competitors create a detailed sports blueprint which compares Additional online content includes a link to the their strengths and weaknesses against national BBC Talent website. norms for their age group, offers advice on development, signposts potential sports to play and offers information about where to participate locally. Interactive Additional online content includes: There will be an interactive service available – details to be confirmed. • The Born To Win Challenge game in which players compete in an online version of the series. Nations and regions • Extensive profiles of the competitors tracking their progress through the series. The project has enormous potential for the nations • Star blueprints from the series and profiles of the and regions.The contestants come from all around major personalities taking part. the UK and, in addition, the Sport Academy is • Extensive community content including live chats, aiming to run initiatives to support the programme competitions, message boards and “email a coach”. all round the UK. • Links to national governing bodies enabling users to identify playing opportunities on the ground. Born To Win 4 Dermot O’Leary interview Dermot O’Leary “I’m like, 4km run with iron pack attached…” he laughs, grimacing.“And the iron run just looks like it’s horrendous! All the contestants want me to do that one – they’re very keen for me to give everything a go but looking down at the events the iron run looks like the one I’d heave at, genuinely!” Iron run aside, he’s throwing himself into the programme with a passion that he never thought he’d feel when he first heard about it. “When it was first shown to me on paper I didn’t think I was going to take it.And then Tina [Fletcher, executive producer] got in touch and said I’d really like to sell this to you face to face, and she did. I was really blown away by the pitch – then I really got it.When it was explained to me it was a very credible show.” And he hasn’t been disappointed with the reality. “It’s fantastic,” he enthuses,“and I’m very impressed He’s had a hard day’s filming but the Born To Win with the competitors.You can get fact sheets and presenter is still pumped, swigging from an energy photographs but until you see people it’s very drink like a true athlete.“8.8 seconds,” he exclaims. difficult for you to know what to make of them, but “I’m quite happy with that!” they were so fast today.And the fact that Colin [Jackson] and Sally [Gunnell] were kind of wowed It’s the competitors’ times over the very first Born as well made me even more impressed.When they To Win event – the 60m water sprint – which are talk you do tend to listen! important, but Dermot is rightly chuffed with his own performance – especially as he had to do it “I’m really impressed with their attitude, but I more than once.