Sporting Witness

In 2011, the Japanese women's football team defied the odds to win the World Cup final against the overwhelming favourites, the USA. The players and coaching staff were inspired by the prospect of boosting Japan’s morale as it recovered from the devastating Fukushima earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident. In 2017, Robert Nicholson spoke to Japan's star midfielder Mizuho Sakaguchi and coach Nori...

At the 2003 Cricket World Cup, Kenya caused an upset by reaching the semi-finals – the best performance ever by a non-test-playing side. Their run of success included a famous victory over Sri Lanka on home soil in Nairobi. Ian Williams talks to Kenya’s captain, Steve Tikolo. Photo: Steve Tikolo leading Kenya on a lap of honour at the 2003 World Cup (Getty Images Sport)

In May 1977 Liverpool won their first European Cup with a famous victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. It was the start of a run that would bring the Anfield side another three wins in the next seven years. Alex Capstick talks to former Liverpool captain, Phil Neal, a four-time European Cup winner. PHOTO: Tommy Smith, Ian Callaghan and Phil Neal with the European...

in May 1984, Tottenham Hotspur took on Belgian side Anderlecht in a battle to win the UEFA Cup Final. It was played over two legs, with the final, dramatic game held at Tottenham's White Hart Lane stadium. It ended in a penalty shootout. Alex Last has been speaking to former Spurs legend and England international, Graham Roberts, about his memories of that historic night. Photo: Tottenham Hotspur...

In 1973, Secretariat became the first horse to win the Triple Crown of American thorough-bred racing for 25 years, recording some of the fastest times ever recorded. Nicknamed “Big Red”, the colt was one of the most popular horses of all time – learning to pose for photographers and going on to sire 663 foals after he was put out to stud. Secretariat even inspired a Hollywood film in 2010. Ned Car...

In May 1949, a plane carrying the Torino football team crashed into a mountain near Turin killing 31 people. At the time, "Il Grande Torino" were the dominant team in Italy and Europe, but the club never really recovered from an accident that killed almost the entire squad. Sporting Witness hears from Carla Maroso, the widow of one of the Torino players, and life-long Torino fan Gianpaolo Oremezza...

In April 1980, South African racing driver Desiré Wilson became the only woman to win a Formula One event when she took the chequered flag at Brands Hatch. But despite her obvious talent, Wilson faced opposition from some male drivers throughout her career and never attracted the sponsorship she needed for a proper shot at a Grand Prix career. She talks to Ashley Byrne. The programme is a Made-In-...

In 2003, the British runner Paula Radcliffe set a famous world record of 2:15:25 at the London Marathon. It was the highlight of a career that also included a gold medal at the World Championships, but a series of failures at the Olympic Games. Simon Watts reports. PHOTO: Paula Radcliffe in 2005 (Getty Images)

In 2008, a deaf American rider called Ashley Fiolek won the first of four women’s motocross championships. Fiolek became the poster girl for one of the most dangerous forms of motor sport despite being short, wearing pink and not being able to hear her motorbike’s engine or her rivals. She talks to Claire Bowes. PHOTO: Ashley Fiolek (Getty Images)

In April 1994, West Indies batsman Brian Lara set a new world record of 375 for the highest ever score in test cricket. The milestone that made Lara a superstar came against England in Antigua, and took him three days of play. Simon Watts brings together the memories of Lara and England bowler Angus Fraser. PHOTO: Brian Lara in action (Getty Images)

Between 1981 and 1990, Bruce Fordyce won South Africa’s Comrades Marathon – one of the most famous races in Africa – a record nine times. He talks to Simon Watts about one of the ultimate tests of endurance and how he used the event to protest against the Apartheid regime. PHOTO: The start of the Comrades Marathon (AFP/Getty Images)

In March 2008, the England batsman Marcus Trescothick announced that he was retiring from international cricket because of a long struggle with depression and anxiety. Trescothick’s decision shone new light on the pressure facing elite sportsmen and women. Simon Watts reports. PHOTO: Marcus Trescothick in action (Getty Images)

In 1983, the ultra-runner Ron Grant became the first person to run around Australia. On a 13,383 kilometre jog that took seven months, Grant overcame injuries, crew mutinies and serious financial debt, before being greeted by huge crowds at the start/finish line in Brisbane. He talks to Ashley Byrne. The programme is a Made-In-Manchester Production. PHOTO: Ron Grant and fellow runners in 1983 (Vic...

In 1971, the Bangladeshi football team made history at the height of the country's war of independence when they played a series of matches in India. The games were the first to be played under the flag of a nation that was still not officially recognised and helped raise money for Bangladesh's independence struggle. Farhana Haider talks to star striker Kazi Salahuddin, who was smuggled into India...

At the beginning of the 20th Century, the British invented downhill skiing and introduced it to the Alps, creating both a new sport and the multi-billion-dollar tourist industry we know today. Using the BBC archives, Simon Watts introduces the memories of Sir Arnold Lunn, the inventor of modern skiing, and of British and Swiss racers from the early days of the sport. (Photo: A skiing party in the...

When Lisa Lindahl couldn't find a comfortable bra to run in, she decided to design one. In 1977 she and a friend fashioned the first modern sports bra out of two pairs of men's supportive underwear or 'jockstraps'. Lisa told Rebecca Kesby how they perfected their design with the newly available stretchy fabrics of the late 1970s, and went on to build a multi-million dollar company. (Photo: An earl...

In February 1998, Paul Pritchard, then one of the world's leading rock climbers, suffered a life-changing brain injury while attempting to ascend a fearsome route in Tasmania called the Totem Pole. After years of rehab, he returned to complete the climb in 2016 using a single arm to pull himself up. Paul Pritchard talks to Simon Watts. PHOTO: Paul Pritchard on the Totem Pole (personal collection)

In 1995, post-apartheid South Africa hosted, and won, the Rugby World Cup. It was a hugely unifying moment for the country. Hear from Francois Pienaar, captain of the victorious Springboks team about what it meant to him, and to the nation. Image: Nelson Mandela presents Francois Pienaar with the Rugby World Cup trophy at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, 24 June 1995 (Credit: Philip Littleton/AFP/Getty...

In 1982, the first ever Gay Games were held in San Francisco. Attracting a large crowd and featuring more than 1000 athletes from more than 100 countries, the event was organised by a group of LGBT activists, including former Olympians, to raise awareness about homophobia in sport. The Gay Games are now held every four years at venues around the world. Ashley Byrne speaks to organiser Sara Waddell...

In 1970, Diane Crump became the first woman jockey to compete in the Kentucky Derby – the most prestigious horse race in the United States. It was the climax of a pioneering professional career in which Crump was initially booed and heckled by race-goers and even by some male jockeys. She talks to Simon Jarvis. The programme is a Whistledown Production for the BBC World Service. PHOTO: Diane Crump...

In January 1976, the virtually unknown Mark Edmondson pulled off one of the greatest shocks in tennis history by winning the Australian Open on home soil. Ranked number 212 in the world, Edmondson had been working as a part-time hospital cleaner just weeks earlier. In the final, he defeated the all-time Aussie great, John Newcombe, and he remains the last Australian to win the Open title. Mark Edm...

In 2008, former refugee Lopez Lomong carried the flag for the USA at the Beijing Olympics, before competing in the 1500 metres. As a child, Lomong fled from a prison for child soldiers in South Sudan, eventually reaching a refugee camp in Kenya where he was one of the thousands of so-called “Lost Boys”. Lomong was later adopted by an American family, who encouraged his dream to reach the Olympic G...

A story of banquets, diplomacy and football. In 1978, first division side, West Bromwich Albion became the first professional British football club to visit communist China. The visit came as China began to open up to the West after the power struggle which followed the death of Chairman Mao. Alex Last spoke to West Brom legend, Brendon Batson, about his memories of the historic tour. Photo: The t...

In 2008 Jamaica's Usain Bolt burst onto the athletics scene at the Beijing Olympics, winning both the 100 metres and 200 metres in world record times. Ian Williams talks to Bolt's coach, Glen Mills, and fellow Jamaican sprinter, Michael Frater, about the year Bolt became a global superstar. (Photo: Usain Bolt at the 2008 Olympics, Getty Images)

Refusing to give up - Julie Moss made history in 1982 when she crawled to the finish line, having collapsed just metres from the end of the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. It was her first competitive triathlon and she came second, but as she explains to Rebecca Kesby for Witness - that heroic fight for the line changed her life, and her attitude to the sport. The moment also inspired a surg...