Sporting Witness

In January 2001, the German driver, Jutta Kleinschmidt, became the first - and only - woman to win the Paris-Dakar rally, one of the biggest events in motorsport. She talks to Simon Watts. The programme was first broadcast in 2017. PHOTO: Jutta Kleinschmidt celebrating her victory in 2001 (Getty Images)

In 2011, US Navy bomb disposal officer Brad Snyder was blinded by an IED while serving in Afghanistan. Formerly a successful college swimmer, Snyder used sport as part of his recovery and exactly a year later took two gold medals at the London Paralympic Games. He talks to Ashley Byrne. The programme is a Made-In-Manchester Production. PHOTO: Brad Snyder with one of his gold medals (Getty Images)

Since the 1990s, Canadian Cameron Hughes has entertained millions of sports fans with a unique routine based on dad-dancing in the stands and giving out t-shirts. He’s managed to make a professional career out of firing up teams in the NBA, the NFL and NHL ice hockey. Simon Watts talks to Cameron Hughes about his autobiography "King of Cheer", and a job that involves a surprising amount of trainin...

In 2000, the Northern Irish motorbike racing champion, Joey Dunlop, was killed in a high-speed crash in Estonia. Dunlop was loved by fans across the sectarian divide for his fearless riding and modest personality. Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral for a champion who also gave up his free time to take aid to orphanages in Eastern Europe. Matt Murphy talks to Stephen Watson, a friend...

In the winter of 1969 to 70, anti-apartheid campaigners disrupted 24 matches during a tour of the British Isles by South Africa’s Springboks rugby team. For the first time, the activists used direct-action tactics – running onto the pitch, throwing smoke bombs and even super-gluing the locks of the South Africans’ hotel rooms. The successful campaign forced the cancellation first of a planned tour...

In the 1920s, Learie Constantine became the first West Indian cricketer to sign a professional contract in England. He was a star of the domestic and international game thanks to his athletic all-round performances with bat and ball. Learie Constantine is also credited with helping improve race relations in Britain and later became the first black person to be awarded a peerage. Simon Watts introd...

To mark the death of legendary Argentine striker, Diego Maradona, we revisit the 1986 World Cup and two goals which he famously scored against England in the quarter-final. The first is now known as the “Hand of God” and the second as the “Goal of the Century”. England forward Gary Lineker watched both goals go in and in 2012 he shared his memories with Fred Dove. The programme is a Whistledown Pr...

In 1991, the Hungarian chess prodigy, Judit Polgar, became the youngest Grandmaster ever at the age of 15. She speaks to Robert Nicholson about her unconventional childhood and how her extraordinary career defied expectations for female players. This programme was first broadcast in 2015. PHOTO: Judit Polgar (EPA)

The Argentine blind footballer Silvio Velo is considered one of the greatest players of all time in his sport. Captain of Argentina since 1991, Velo has won two world championships, earning himself the nicknames “The Blind Maradona” and later “The Blind Messi”. He is still scoring goals in his late forties and is credited with boosting the profile of blind sport in South America. Silvio Velo talks...

In 2004, the Indian long-distance swimmer Bula Choudhury became the first woman to complete the challenge of crossing straits of the world’s seven seas. Choudhury is a former Indian national swimming champion in the pool, who was inspired to switch to the open ocean by a traditional Bengali folk tale. Her challenge took her to five continents, although she says one of her hardest swims was in the...

In 2000, Poland’s Natalia Partyka became the youngest ever athlete to take part in the Paralympic Games when she competed in the table tennis tournament in Sydney at the age of 11. Now established as one of the greatest para-athletes of all time, she’s gone on to win five gold medals and also to take part in competitions for able-bodied athletes, including the London 2012 Olympics. She talks to St...

In November 1978, Viv Anderson became the first black footballer to play a full England international. The son of Jamaican immigrants, Anderson had to endure racial abuse from opposing fans to achieve his dream of reaching the very top of the professional game. He went on to win the European Cup twice with Nottingham Forest and to become Sir Alex Ferguson’s first signing at Manchester United. Viv...

The story of how the legendary surfer, Garrett McNamara, pioneered riding the colossal 100ft waves at Nazaré on the Portuguese coast. At Nazaré in 2011 he broke the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed, officially judged to be 78ft (23.8m). Nazaré has since become a centre of big wave surfing. Garrett McNamara spoke to Alex Last about how he first came to surf Nazaré and why he risks his...

In 1999, ASECS Mimosas, one of the biggest teams in Ivory Coast, shocked the world of African football by fielding a team of youth players in the final of the African Super Cup. The youngsters had been handpicked and trained by French coach Jean-Marc Gillou, and with their speed and tactical sophistication they inflicted a shock defeat on the Tunisian side, Esperance. The ASECS Mimosas team is cre...

At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Sizwe Ndlovu became the first black African to win a gold medal in rowing. Ndlovu grew up in a township in South Africa but then won a scholarship to a predominantly white high school where he embraced the sport as a way of dealing with his new environment. Ndlovu was part of the South African lightweight coxless four team in London, who clinched their victory...

In 2000, the aboriginal runner, Cathy Freeman, became the star of the Olympic Games in Sydney. After being given the honour of lighting the Olympic cauldron, she was under huge pressure to win the 400 metres in front of her home crowd. Freeman delivered in style - and went on an emotional victory lap parading both the aboriginal and Australian flags. Presented by Simon Watts Picture: Cathy Freeman...

During the Coronavirus lockdown, many cyclists have become obsessed with a challenge known as Everesting, where riders go up and down their local hill until they’ve covered the equivalent to climbing the 8848 metres of the world’s highest mountain. One early Everesting ride dates back to 1994, when it was completed on a mountain near Melbourne by George Mallory, the grandson of the famous climber...

Lucy Ejike is Nigeria’s most successful female paralympian and the winner of gold medals in para-powerlifting at three different Paralympic Games. Ejike’s twenty-year career has been marked by her rivalry with her friend Fatma Omar of Egypt, whom she finally defeated with a world-record lift at the 2016 games in Rio. She talks to Iain Mackness. The programme is a Made-In-Manchester Production. PHO...

In August 2008, Britain’s Tasha Danvers won a surprise bronze medal in the 400-metres hurdles at the Beijing Olympics. Danvers had been through years of emotional struggles – and public criticism – after deciding to have a child while at the peak of her career. She talks to Sharon Hemans about the pressures she faced as an elite athlete and mother. PHOTO: Tasha Danvers in action in 2006 (Getty Ima...

In August 2002, the Indian women’s field hockey team won an unlikely gold medal against the favourites, England, at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester. The players had struggled to be taken seriously in a country that prioritises men’s sport, but they fought their way past New Zealand and South Africa to reach a final that turned on a dramatic refereeing decision. The women’s story later inspire...

In August 2008, the weightlifter Matthias Steiner created one of the most emotional moments of the 2008 Olympics when he sank to the floor in floods of tears after winning a gold medal. Steiner had lost his wife in a car accident shortly before the games and dedicated the victory to her. He had to lift eight kilos more than his previous personal best in order to win. Matthias Steiner talks to Ashl...

In 1975, the Japanese mountaineer, Junko Tabei, became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. As well as being an achievement in its own right, Tabei had to defy the cultural norms of a country where women were not expected to be world-class mountaineers. Louise Hidalgo talks to Setsuko Kitamura, who was on Tabei’s Everest climb, and to her friend and biographer, Yumiko Hiraki. Pict...

At the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, the world was gripped by the intense rivalry between the British middle-distance runners, Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett. Ovett won the 800 metres, which was Coe’s favourite distance; but just a few days later, Coe struck back by winning the 1500 metres, Ovett’s preferred event. Alex Capstick talks to Sebastian Coe, now Lord Coe, about his memories of the Moscow Game...

In 2010, Afghanistan’s national cricket team scored a historic first by qualifying for the World Twenty20 Finals in the West Indies. Started just a few years earlier, the Afghan side consisted mainly of players who’d learned the game while in refugee camps in Pakistan. Their success lifted the mood of their war-torn nation. Charlotte North talks to Afghan all-rounder, Raees Ahmadzai. The programme...

In July 2007, David Beckham, then one of the most famous footballers in the world, made his debut for Major League Soccer team, LA Galaxy. The star-studded game attracted Hollywood royalty and huge media attention from around the world. Beckham would eventually win two MLS titles with LA Galaxy and he’s credited with raising the profile of his sport in America. Ian Williams talks to the man who si...