Against the Odds

Talent makes you a winner, but there’s so much more to being a hero. China’s tennis pioneer Li Na and Formula One’s Robert Kubica overcame different obstacles. Plus, the story of Olympic gold medallist who returned to the track after a kidney transplant, and the big wave surfer Maya Gabeira conquering fears. All Heroes.

No-one has accomplished a comeback quite like Tiger Woods … the rankings slide, the bitter divorce, the public humiliation, the surgeries. Yet somehow he climbed back to the pinnacle of golf, winning the 2019 Masters … Arnold Palmer was from another generation, but for his time, enjoyed the same level of popularity as Tiger did in his hey day.

This week, a group of football heroes. The Pied Piper of the game, David Beckham, Germany’s Kaiser, the great Franz Beckenbauer, and the man who lives for winning, super manager Pep Guardiola.

On this episode, the ultimate footballing hero, Lionel Messi, the all-time great Barcelona forward. England’s immortal World Cup winning superstar, Bobby Moore, and the man who brought the EPL championship to Leicester, Claudio Ranieri.

Australian surfer Mick Fanning was a hero to his adoring fans, not only for winning three world title, but fighting off a great white shark while competing in South Africa … mountain biker Nino Schurter went agonisingly close to Olympic gold twice, but would not be denied in 2016.

On this episode, the incredible off-field feats of Portuguese star striker Cristiano Ronaldo … the great Wayne Rooney, who made a heart-warming return to his original EPL club, Everton … and the hero of the 1966 World Cup, England Sir Geoff Hurst.

12 years and 23 gold medals made Michael Phelps one of the greatest Olympians of all time, but like the Butterfly stroke he was so proficient in, it wasn’t without its ups and downs. And in the helter skelter of BMX racing, Marion Pajon has carried the Olympic hopes and dreams of Colombia on her shoulders but after serious injury comes the ultimate test, the hunger to win again.

In this episode we examine the how Muhammad Ali was punished for sticking to his religious beliefs when he refused the Vietnam War draft and the titanic struggle he undertook to regain the title the government took from him. We recount Manny Pacquiao’s history making quest to win titles in eight different boxing divisions and profile Zou Shiming, the greatest boxer in China’s history.

Usain Bolt was much more than the fastest man on the planet: he was revered and celebrated as much for his endearing personality as his ability to set records on the track; while New Zealand shot-putter Dame Valerie Adams dominated her sport, and did so with towering integrity.

Three heroes from the football world: the indefatigable Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Le Professeur, French manager extraordinaire Arsene Wenger and one of the greatest players ever, the Real Madrid legend, Alfredo Di Stefano.

Lewis Hamilton has the once seemingly unattainable records of the great Michael Schumacher in his sights … but the Brit has had to endure a tough upbringing and a rocky relationship with his father to climb the mountain and Niki Lauda, the 3- time F1 champion who survived a horrific fireball crash at the 1977 German GP only to return to racing just six weeks later

In this episode of Against the Odds, we look at the brilliant career of Ronaldo, perhaps the only Brazilian footballer to rival Pele; we examine Zinedine Zidane as a player and a manager who reached the top in both fields; and we pay tribute to 1960s legend Eusebio.

The two women who changed tennis, Serena and Venus Williams, Britain’s world-beating triathlete, Alistair Brownlee, and the king of table tennis, Lin Dan.

They were the key players in a golden era of Formula One, the fascinatingly flawed Brazilian genius Ayrton Senna and his great rival, the meticulous Frenchman Alain Prost.

In this episode we track Conor McGregor’s unprecedented rise from plumber’s apprentice to the biggest MMA celebrity in the history of the sport, we follow Xiong Jingnan, the first Chinese MMA champion in the world who competes to honour the memory of her grandparents and take a look at how Holly Holm became the only person to hold championship titles in both boxing and MMA.

On this episode of Against the Odds, we salute the superstars of tennis, celebrating the off court bravery of Martina Navratilova, the relentless winning of Novak Djokovic, and the all round greatness of the man who ushered in the modern professional era, Rod Laver.

This week, arguably the greatest-ever tennis hero, Roger Federer, and the man chasing him hardest to the mantle, Rafael Nadal, plus the inspirational Billie Jean King.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s standing in the game is matched only by his many achievements; as a teenager, Kylian Mbappé lit up the 2018 World Cup; while Xavi carved himself a unique place in football, that defined a generation - This is Against the Odds.

On this episode of Against the Odds we salute two contrasting footballing legends. First there is the volatile and controversial Argentinian superstar Diego Maradona, then the statesmanlike Bobby Charlton. Two World Cup winners, two very different stories.