Rebecca Adlington in action underwater

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Written by Dan Graham

A few weeks ago we were down at the British Gas Swimming Championships in the London Aquatics Centre (quite possibly the best swimming pool we’ve ever seen), and had the privilege of watching some of the UK’s best swimmers in action - including the ever so lovely Rebecca Adlington. We wondered “what is the world like for an Olympic athlete?

The life of an Olympic athlete must be intense and exciting, especially in the run up to the London 2012 Games. Heck! We are excited about it, and we are only volunteering! The whole world is anticipating the biggest sporting event of the year which will take place in England’s capital and a number of interesting documentaries have been launched to offer an insight into the talented sports men and women.

The films, which have been published on YouTube, focus on an Olympic or Paralympic athlete from the BMW London 2012 Performance Team. In support of the London Games, the documentaries explore what it really takes to deliver the ultimate performance on the world stage be it swimming, gymnastics or more.

Beneath the Surface

This film takes a cool look under the water to see how Rebecca Adlington delivers her ultimate performance ahead of London 2012. Made by Steven Riley, the director of Fire in Babylon (cricket - not really our thing), it examines the mental and physical challenges that face the swimming champion.

What are the resemblances to BMW? It explores the surface of the new BMW 3 Series and how its shape, like a swimmer, is important to boost an efficient and dynamic performance.

Form and Function

This documentary by Richard D’ Argues discovers the tensions between delivering both aesthetics and technical ability in British gymnast Louis Smith’s preparation performance as he aims for gold. And it learns of the equivalents with the development of the new BMW i8.