Ben Fox is part of the Wheelchair Basketball Squad heading to the Paralympics. Ben has an extraordinary story about how he got into the sport. It was a chance moment which changed his life. I met Ben at the team announcement at Loughborough University where the squad are on camp as they prepare for Tokyo. The pandemic has really limited the amount of time they've had as a squad over the last year or so - more so than many sports. Ben now plays in Spain where club wheelchair basketball is...

Bombette Martin is a history maker. She's part of the first ever Team GB Skateboarding squad heading to the Olympics. Bombette is 15, was born and lives in New York, but qualifies for GB because her dad is from Birmingham, UK. She talks with great enthusiasm about becoming an Olympian, which she says is very overwhelming. Bombette took up skateboarding around 5 years ago and made rapid progression into the top 20. It's sure to be a big hit this summer and best of luck to the Team and thanks...

Shona McCallin has been named in the hockey squad for Team GB to defend their Olympic title in Tokyo. Shona has kept us up to date with the ups and downs of the last six months with regular contributions to this podcast. I met Shona at the Kitting Out day in Birmingham which she says is one of the most exciting days of the Olympic journey. Shona was part of that amazing squad which won an historic gold in Rio in 2016 and she talks about how they're dealing with the pressures of being the...

Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith have been named for Team GB in the mixed badminton, with Lauren also in the women's doubles for Tokyo. However Lauren is upset at the way she feels the players have been treated during a controversial selection process and feels they have not been given the support they need. Marcus won bronze at the Rio Games and was disappointed not to be selected with his partner Chris Langridge this time.I address this with Lauren's instagram statement. Our interview was...

Kate Shortman and Izzy Thorpe will be part of Team GB in Tokyo as Britain's qualifiers in Artistic Swimming. Kate and Izzy describe it as a dream come true - an incredible moment after more than ten years of hard work. And their excitement shines through. They talk about the hard work that goes into training from the breathing work that's necessary to the demanding time spent in the gym. Both have families who have competed at high levels in aquatic sport - one relative competed in the...

Alice Dearing is a marathon swimmer and is part of Team GB for Tokyo. I'm thrilled to see Alice on the team as she's been kind enough to share her journey across the last six months on Destination Tokyo. You can hear her on Episodes 3, 25, 51 and 82. But last weekend she finally qualified for Tokyo - making history as Team GB's first black swimmer heading to the Olympics. It's great to hear Alice so thrilled to become an Olympian and to carry the 'responsibility' of being the first black...

Hollie Arnold is a heading to her 4th Paralympic Games as part of the Paralympic GB Track and Field squad. She competes in F46 Javelin. She was only 14 and the youngest on the team at her first games. It's not always been an easy journey but Hollie's determination saw her win gold at the Rio Games in 2016. Away from the sport, she made history by being a contestant on I'm a Celebrity... in 2020. She talks about what she's learnt from that and what she hopes for this summer. Thanks for...

Sam Ward is part of the Team GB Men's Hockey Squad for Tokyo. I chatted to Sam at the Kitting Out Day where he collect bags of kit for the Olympics. Sam's one of the characters of the squad and he talks about his way of putting smiles on people's faces. But his Olympic hopes, even his hockey career, seemed to be over in November 2019 when he was hit in the eye by the ball during an international against Malaysia. It shattered his face with 8 fractures and a crushed eyeball. It tore the...

Charlotte Worthington has been selected for Team GB for BMX Freestyle Park. It's the first time this event has been held at the Olympics and Charlotte is one of the stars of the sport with bronze medals at the World Championships in 2019 and 2021. Charlotte spent her teenage years on a scooter at skate parks and eventually moved to BMX about 5 years ago. She never dreamt of becoming an Olympian - but when the sport was included in 2017 a whole new life began. Charlotte's great about...

Adam Dixon is the GB men's hockey captain heading to his second Olympic Games. He's had the difficult job of guiding the team through lockdown and keeping the squad together through this unprecedented 16 months. He's also got married and become a dad. We met up at the Team GB Kitting Out to talk about the final preparation and the hopes for the Tokyo Games. And he reveals how the Gold medal winning hockey captain from 1988 paid a visit to the squad. Thanks for listening. If you'd like...

Jess Piasecki is part of Team GB in the marathon and will make her Olympic debut in the heat of Tokyo. I met Jess at the Team GB Kitting Out day and she was thrilled with the experience. Jess's story is a remarkable one. She's been competing at international level since she was 16. But from the age of 18 she's had to learn about and overcome a number of problems especially poor bone health and issues with the menstrual cycle which has left her with a lot of serious injuries including 7...

Dylan Fletcher is heading to Tokyo for his second Olympics as part of Team GB. His mum and dad were ballet dancers who got him into child acting. They saved the money he got paid for appearing in programmes like The Bill. And with that money he got his first boat aged 11. Dylan finished 6th in Rio but goes in as one of the favourites with partner Stuart Bithell in the 49er class. I've got an interview with Stuart later in the series. It's great to hear Dylan's passion for both his sport...

Lauren Williams will make her Olympic debut in Taekwondo in Tokyo and her story is one to inspire any young athlete. She's twice European Champion and hoping to add to her overall medal haul this summer. In 2012 she was on holiday with her family in their caravan when they watched Jade Jones win her gold medal at the London Olympics. Inspired by that, she switched from kick boxing to Taekwondo and went to a talent ID day, even so she was under ago. She impressed so much that she was offered...

Ali Jawad is a Paralympic powerlifter who won silver in Rio in 2016. As we've heard over this series, Ali has really struggled with Crohn's Disease which has left him way behind his previous level at the sport. But he's working hard and doing his best to make the Games. Ali had one last chance to qualify and he says he produced his best performance in 5 years to give himself an opportunity to make it. He says he had to take himself to a very dark place mentally and emotionally to get into...

Patrick Huston is heading to Tokyo with the Archery team. This will be his second Olympic Games. Patrick has just won the British Field Archery Championships and he tells me about that side of the sport. Patrick has just competed overseas in a World Cup event - his first major event since the European Games in Minsk in 2019. He was disappointed with the end result and articulated it in a poem. And he reads it for us and tells us how it helps overcome the setbacks. He's had Covid, Limes...

Shona McCallin is a gold medal winner with GB Hockey from the Rio Olympics in 2016. Shona is a regular on the podcast and it's great that she's here on Episode 100. The Games are now just six weeks ago and Shona talks about the final preparations and how she's approaching the final push. She's also had an injury and has been on crutches. So it's especially important for her to do the important things. And Shona describes what steps they're taking to make sure there are no last minute...

Laura Gallagher is a GB Trampoline Gymnast, an 8 times World and European medal winner and now a member of Team GB. Laura gave a great interview in Episode 40 talking about giving up the sport five years ago, a crisis of confidence and never giving up. She promised to come back to tell us if she made the team. And I'm delighted to see we can celebrate! Laura talks about what it means to her. The conversation's she's had with her mum over the last few days. And what's happening between now...

Vicky Thornley is heading to her third Olympic Games. The Team GB rower won silver in Rio with Katherine Grainger and also competed in the 8 in London. But this will be her first Games going solo. Vicky's had a few bumps along the way and talks openly and honestly about the issues she has had with over training and her nasty accident on her bike during lockdown. But she's fit and ready to head out to a training camp ahead of going to the Far East. And says team selection is a special...

Jeanette Chippington is one of the world's most successful paddlers. She's won multiple world championships and is the current Paralympic champion in KL1, when the sport made it's debut at Rio. Jeanette made her debut in the 1988 Games and competed at 5 successive Paralympics in Swimming, winning 12 medals including 2 golds. She talks about three decades in elite sport, the issues of the last year and the sadness at losing her father to Covid in 2020. Thanks to Jeanette and the team and...

Becky Downie has been left out of the Olympic team for Tokyo. The experienced Team GB athlete has had a torrid few weeks after the sudden death of her brother and having a special trial two weeks later to try to secure her place. An appeal failed. "Ever since I was a little girl winning an Olympic gold medal has always been my dream. I don't have the words to describe how it feels now not being able to even try."

Joe McDonnell is an athletics sprint coach and part of the British Athletics coaching team. Joe speaks to me from European Para-athletics European Championships in Bydgosczc in Poland. He talks openly and candidly about the coaching issues over the last 12 months and his hopes for Tokyo. Joe believes individual welfare and development as a person comes way before athletic development. If you'd like to contact me, I'm at [email protected] And if you'd like to donate to Maggie's it's...

It's 50 days to go until the start of the Olympics which marks the beginning of an extraordinary summer of sport in Tokyo with the Olympics and Paralympics. So how has it been for those involved in the organisational side! One guess!! Penny Briscoe is the team leader of Paralympics GB. She's called the Chef de Mission, which is the head of the team. Penny has been involved in many games, but of course this one has been more challenging by far than any other. Penny talks to me about those...

Kylie Grimes has committed herself fully to being a Paralympian and these will be her 3rd Games. Kylie is the only woman named in the GB Wheelchair Rugby squad in this mixed event. She says competing at the top level has been a dream since she was a young girl. A swimming accident changed her life but she used sport as part of her rehab and absolutely loves it. Kylie says sport is her life and her dream has always to be a top sportswoman.

Mahama Cho has been named as part of the GB Taekwondo squad for the Tokyo Olympics. This will be his second Olympic Games after a 5th place in Rio. I caught up with him whilst he was trying out the Team GB formal suit supplied by Simon Jersey. He talks about looking the part for the Games. He was massively inspired by his dad who encouraged him to work hard and never give up. He looks up to what his dad did in the sport and remains Mahama Cho's inspiration throughout his 14 years on the...

Matt Bush talks to me about being on the team for the debut of Para Taekwondo at the Paralympics. Matt talks about his journey into the sport; what he loves about it and how he balances training with working for the family firm. He also talks about how he had to convince his local gym owner that He came close to making Rio in 2016 in the javelin. Thanks for listening and for all the feedback!