Sports Life Stories

A profile of the former rower who won gold as part of the coxless four at both the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games staged in Sydney and Athens respectively. Cracknell began rowing while still in school, and took part in the Junior World Championships in 1989 and 1990, before progressing to the senior ranks. Following his career he has embarked on a series of adventures while raising money for charity, and was involved in a serious accident in 2010 when attempting to cycle, row, run and swim from Los Angeles to New York. With contributions from his wife Beverley Turner and Steve Redgrave.

A profile of the British Paralympic athlete, who won four gold medals at London 2012, and has amassed a total of 10 Paralympic medals in his career so far. Weir has also had great success in the London Marathon, winning it on six occasions, the last of which came in 2012 and saw him equal the record set by Tanni Grey-Thompson.

A profile of the Tottenham Hotspur and England footballer, who made his Premier League debut for West Ham United aged 18, and has also represented Portsmouth in the top flight. Throughout that time Defoe has had to overcome a series of personal tragedies, including the death of his half-brother in 2009 following an assault, as well as the loss of his father, who died while the striker was away on international duty preparing for Euro 2012 with the England squad.

A profile of the Leeds-born boxer, who won the first Olympic women's boxing gold medal in history with her victory at London 2012. Adams won the flyweight title by beating world number one Ren Cancan, and awarded an MBE for services to boxing in the subsequent New Year Honours List. Including contributions from her family and trainer.

A profile of the former professional darts player, who won the World Championship on five occasions in the 1980s before the acrimonious division within the sport that resulted in the breakaway PDC organisation, of which Bristow was one of the founding members. In addition to his five world titles, Bristow was one of the most successful players throughout his career, and after retirement appeared on the 2012 series of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

A profile of the Galatasaray and Ivory Coast striker, who is best known for his time at Chelsea, which was marked by some outstanding and controversial moments. Drogba was a key figure during Jose Mourinho's first spell in charge of the Blues, winning several trophies, but also being known for his theatrics and his sending-off in the 2008 UEFA Champions League final against Manchester United.

A profile of the former boxer, who held world titles at both middleweight and super-middleweight, and was involved in some of the biggest domestic bouts of the 1990s. Eubank was just as well known for his exploits outside the ring, particularly for his flamboyant fashion sense, his collection of vehicles that included a large American truck, and several documentary programmes that were televised in the early part of this century.

A profile of the snooker player, who reached six World Championship finals during the 1980s and 90s, but failed to win any of them, yet became vastly popular with the public for his `whirlwind' style of play. Away from the baize White has also appeared in several TV shows, including the 2009 series of I'm a Celebrity Get me out of Here and the snooker-based game show Big Break.