Race To London

8:00pm – Tuesday, July 24 on ABC1

It’s time to say goodbye and good luck to Libby, Drew, Michael, Grace, Ahmed and Ryley in this last episode of Race To London.

Ryley Batt and the Australian Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby team are in Korea to compete for the right to represent Australia in London. First up they play arch-rivals New Zealand. On cue they get into Ryley’s head causing him to foul and nearly causing an upset win. Ryley knows he has to do better and approaches the semi-final against Korea with greater composure. But Ryley may have more on his mind than winning after he re-injures his shoulder putting him in danger of not competing in the next match.

Grace Bowman’s last chance to qualify for the Para Equestrian teams is coming up, but her preparation is marred by Adelaide’s extreme heat. The last time we saw Grace she failed to impress judges as she struggled to communicate with her horse, Rolly. Grace has had to re-evaluate her whole approach and recognises that she needs to simplify her life and concentrate just on riding. Once again she travels across the country to her final event in Sydney, giving herself time to reflect on her life.

Drew Ginn and his rowing partner Josh have dominated the selection competition so far. Rowing Australia have made the momentous decision to build the prestigious boat of four around him, starting with Josh.

At the final selection trials in Sydney the search is on for the other two members of the team; rowers who can synchronise with the ‘old man of rowing’. After numerous combinations the selectors have made their decision and the boat of four is also going to London.

Michael Klim is philosophical – he gave it his best shot, and can look back on a great career, but family and business are now his priority.

Libby Trickett can’t believe she’ll be leaving to swim at her third Olympics, while Ahmed Kelly is booked to compete at his first Paralympics and is taking no chances by packing his case well in advance.

8:00pm – Tuesday, July 17 on ABC1

Race To London follows six contenders in the year leading up to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics where dreams will be made or shattered.

The Olympics and Paralympics loom dangerously close. This year Adelaide hosts the Australian selection swimming trials which will tell the fate of Libby Trickett, Ahmed Kelly and Michael Klim.

Ahmed arrives with his coach, Brad Harris, and extended family. Ahmed’s performances up to this point have not been encouraging. Whether Ahmed goes to London or not comes down to one race. His mother Moira and brother Emmanuel enlist the support of school children as a cheer squad – but nerves run high.

Ahmed has his game face on and stares down the pool. It’s time for business. He swims his heart out; the time is good but is it good enough? His family wait nervously for the results.

Next up is Libby, the golden girl of the pool and a crowd favourite. She lines up in the 100m Butterfly – all her work comes down to this. It’s a great start and she’s right in contention at the turn, but can she hang on? Only the first two places qualify. It’s neck and neck but Libby’s hopes are dashed as she finishes third.

She must get over the disappointment and refocus on her last chance to qualify, the 100m Freestyle.

It’s also now or never for the other comeback kid, Michael Klim. He’s the oldest man in the field and needs to back up a good performance in his 100m Freestyle heat. The young guns of Australian swimming quickly engulf Michael. His aging body is not up to the task of two swims in one day. His last and only chance now rests on his performance in the 100m Butterfly.

Ryley Batt, the world’s best wheelchair rugby player hits the road to train with the Australian Paralympics squad prior to their qualification event in Korea. The training session becomes personal when the national coach, Brad Dubberley, designs a session to deal with Ryley’s one weakness, his composure.

8:00pm – Tuesday, July 10 on ABC1

Michael Klim, former golden boy of the pool, is aiming for his fourth Olympics but his ability to focus on training is stretched to the limits by the arrival of his third baby, Frankie. His wife, Lindy, is finding the going tough and Michael is feeling guilty as she deals with the increased demands of family and the skincare business they started together.

They were hoping for additional sponsorship to assist Lindy with childcare and increased staff, but this has not come through. To compound matters, Michael leaves for high altitude training in Spain.

Libby Trickett has enjoyed the support of a long time sponsor and has flown to Sydney to launch their new swim suit at a media event. Libby knows that without this support she would not have the freedom to be a full-time athlete. Libby admits her muscled body drew taunts growing up as a teenager and she felt self-conscious. But now she is very proud of her body and knows that she is one of the strongest women in swimming and the gym. But as a swimmer she still has to endure pinch tests, which determine how much fat her body is carrying. She has a notorious sweet tooth and has struggled with her weight in the past but today’s test has shown that all her hard work has paid off.

Ahmed Kelly had his worst race of the season in the last episode. He must now front up to the finals.

Coach Brad Harris has a new race plan – but Ahmed doesn’t stick to it and records an even worse time. His devastation shows as the unflappable Ahmed loses his cool. Brad knows that he needs to be both friend and coach if he’s to get Ahmed off the mat and refocus him for the Paralympic trials which are only weeks away.

We introduce Ryley Batt (22 yrs old) the world’s most dominant force in wheelchair rugby, the hardesthitting Paralympic sport. A self-confessed adrenalin junkie Ryley is just as comfortable racing quad bikes, wake boarding or skate boarding as he is tearing up the rugby court. Born with limb deficiencies, which saw him with no legs below the knees and deformed hands, Ryley has never seen himself as different. As a child he was supported by his family and encouraged to be just like any other kid. When he discovered wheelchair rugby he didn’t look back. He quickly became a superstar of the sport culminating in a Silver medal at the Beijing Paralympics when his team lost to America.

8:00pm – Tuesday, July 3 on ABC1

Para-equestrian hopeful Grace Bowman, and her horse Rolly are in Melbourne for an international team dressage event. It’s the Australian team’s last chance to win a spot for London, and to do this they must beat New Zealand. Grace is the last to compete and is not scheduled to go on until later in the afternoon but as her turn approaches the weather starts to change for the worse with torrential rain, lightning and thunder that washes out the event. Grace struggles to keep Rolly calm through the maelstrom. Her event has been postponed to the next day. A very annoyed Grace has to now deal with a horse that is unsettled, and try and refocus for tomorrow.

Ahmed Kelly, Paralympic swimmer, is performing well below the time required if he has any hope of being selected for London. His coach, Brad Harris, devises an endurance test to push Ahmed’s fitness to the next level, but Ahmed’s fitness seems to be going backwards. Ahmed puts on a brave face as he takes time out to attend a fundraising event for the Children First Foundation run by his mother, Moira Kelly.

We meet his family; singing sensation, brother Emmanuel, twins Krishna and Trishna and of course Moira.

Moira brought all four children to Australia for life-changing surgery through her work at the Foundation.

Festivities over, Ahmed heads for the Victorian State Swimming Championship hoping to swim well.

At the last time-trials, rower, Drew Ginn, was soundly beaten by his training rivals. To improve his performance Drew is attending a Victorian state rowing camp with his rowing partner, Josh. The training steps up a notch when they are joined by Victorian training rivals, James and Cameron. While they are competitors in the pairs, the plan is to join forces as a boat of four, which has been identified as the best chance for Australia to win a medal. But to become the next ‘Oarsome Foursome’, Drew knows it will all come down to their synchronicity as a team and being able to find ‘the zone’. Weeks later all four rowers attend the first Olympic trials of the season. Drew and Josh and James and Cameron are now rowing against other elite rowers from around the country.

8:00pm – Tuesday, June 26 on ABC1

Race To London follows six contenders in the year leading up to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics where dreams will be made or shattered.

MICHAEL KLIM was a retired golden boy of the pool, and a member of the victorious Sydney Olympic relay team. His wife Lindy confides that Michael’s comeback will put an enormous strain on their family and it will cost them financially. Michael puts his comeback to the test at his first time trial but the result is very disappointing and he questions whether he is kidding himself.

LIBBY TRICKETT heads off to her first international swimming event in two years – the Asian World Cup.

Husband Luke Trickett, himself an Oceania swimming champion, is left at home with their two dogs to muse over the importance of the Asian World Cup as part of Libby’s comeback strategy. Other than keeping up with the domestic chores, he follows her performance via the web and is dismayed by the string of 5th places. But a 4th in Tokyo gives the couple hope that Libby is improving with one event to go.

GRACE BOWMAN is surrounded by family and friends at her 21st birthday to help celebrate her achievements but she also remembers those who are not there. After the party, it’s back to work as Grace has unfinished business – she finished just out of the medals in Beijing and she’s determined for this not to happen again in London. With coach Julia Battams, we see how Grace controls her horse Rolly and sets challenges above her riding category. In the gym she excels in developing her core strength. All focus is now on the first of her qualifying events in Melbourne. Grace loads her horse into the trailer and starts the long drive from Adelaide before dawn. The last time she did this was with her father, but now she must take full responsibility. There are mishaps along the way but she eventually arrives only to face a situation that could endanger Rolly’s safety.

8:00pm – Tuesday, June 19 on ABC1

Race To London follows six contenders – Libby Trickett, Drew Ginn, Michael Klim, Ahmed Kelly, Grace Bowman and Ryley Batt in the year leading up to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics where dreams will be made or shattered.

In this episode: Libby Trickett said the pull of attending one more Olympics is too strong; “Once you actually go to an Olympics it completely blows your mind, I want to see people bursting out of their skins because they’ve just swum the race of their lives and I want to be a part of that.” Libby is supported by husband Luke Trickett and coach Stephen Widmer, but reality hits home when training takes its toll. Her asthma returns and instead of getting faster she gets slower. On top of this Libby and Luke are building their dream home for life after swimming.

Ahmed Kelly is an amazing young man. He has the most to prove, being a first-time competitor with the goal of making the Paralympic swim team. Ahmed trains ten times a week at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre while completing his final year of high school. With coach Brad Harris, Ahmed develops a unique swimming style for his chosen event, breaststroke. At this stage in the swimming season Ahmed is well off the time needed to qualify for the Paralympics, but both Ahmed and Brad are buoyed by a good performance and believe they are on track.

Drew Ginn is a veteran of elite sports. One of Australia’s most celebrated rowers and former member of the incredible ‘Oarsome Foursome’, Drew by all rights should not be in a rowing skiff let alone aiming for his 4th Olympics. Drew won his third Olympic Gold medal in Beijing in excruciating pain with a smashed spinal disc. After major back surgery everybody expected him to hang up his oar. But with the sheer persistence of a champion, he built up his health and fitness. But now there are younger and stronger men competing for his seat. In a time trial Drew performs badly and it’s clear there’s a long road ahead if he’s to return to past glories.