INSIDE INCREDIBLE ATHLETES

Channel 4 · TV Week · 27 Aug 2010 · by: Channel 4

Broadcasting two years to the day before the London 2012 Paralympic Games begin, Inside Incredible Athletes profiles some of the elite British athletes who excel in their field - from both a personal and a scientific perspective.

Examining their demanding training regimes and the particular skills required for high performance at each sport, this 90-minute programme features stunning sporting performance sequences, filmed against a backdrop of iconic locations around London - directed by Mike Christie ( Jump London ).

The in-depth profiles of the individual athletes literally get under their skin using scientific tests and state-of-the-art scanning technology to create 'biomechanical portraits'. The technique allows viewers to see inside the bodies of these world-class athletes, revealing for the first time the inside story of these incredible humans and how they have achieved sporting excellence.

The athletes featured include blind football player David Clarke. With over 100 caps for England/ GB, and having scored over 100 goals, scientists at Cambridge University discover how he can 'see' with his ears.

Wheelchair rugby players Mandip Sehmi and Steve Brown have reached staggering levels of fitness despite having high level spinal cord injuries. How have they trained their bodies to overcome such limitations and surpass scientific expectations?

Equestrian dressage rider Lee Pearson is hoping to take his gold medal tally to 12 at the 2012 Games. Born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, Lee has reduced joint mobility and, despite 15 operations, he still cannot move his ankles or knees, forcing him to control his horse from his hips.

Sprinter and long-jumper Stefanie Reid reveals how she can run the 100m in 14.34 seconds with her lower-leg prosthetic while swimmer Liz Johnson, who has cerebral palsy affecting the whole of her right side, discovers how since the age of four she's been moving through water better than on land.