A Shot at Glory - 1 ª Season

Athletics can provide order in a sometimes chaotic world. For Daniel Cormier, from Lafayette, La., freestyle wrestling provides a vehicle for stability in a life filled with tragedy. Daniel watched his father get shot to death at a young age and recently lost his 3 - week old daughter in a car accident. At 25 years-old, wrestling has always been there, providing Daniel the chance to put tragedy aside and measure himself against the world. His year has been rocky. He has had trouble getting down to 211 pounds and failed to make weight at the prestigious Uzbekistan Independence Cup in March. Beijing is likely Daniel's last shot for a medal, a final chance to find glory despite hardship.

A Champion in Balance. A professional BMX Racer measuring in at 5 foot 5 inches and a buck fifty, Donny Robinson looks the part of the consummate underdog. Originally from California, "dR" is a BMX national champion, and with the trip to Beijing right around the corner, he's not planning on slowing down. Donny began at age five at the Napa Valley BMX track, during the summer of 1989. In 1996 he was named as one of "The 10 Hottest Amateurs" and future top Pro BMX'ers by BMX Plus! BMX debuts as an Olympic sport in 2008, opening new doors for Donny including additional sponsors and cutting edge training techniques. For a year Donny has lived by these rules: a strict diet, strong faith and plenty of family time.

Three years ago at the University of Arkansas, 23-year-old Wallace Spearmon Jr. was the yin to Tyson Gay's yang, the gregarious personality to Gay's quiet demeanor. Now these two are rivals seeking the same international glory. Spearmon, Jr."like his father"is one of the all-time great sprinters produced by Arkansas. As a freshman, Spearmon became the first Razorback in history to win the NCAA Outdoor 200m title. He was a three-sport standout at Fayetteville HS, where he played basketball and wide receiver in football for two years. Wallace's fiance is fellow athlete Monica Hargrove who, like Wallace, is training for a spot on the U.S. Olympic track team. Wallace and Monica have something else in common - their coach, Wallace Spearmon, Sr.

119-pound boxer Gary Russell Jr. grew up in the ring?he's been shadowboxing since age two. Growing up in Capital Heights, Md., Gary was coached his entire life by a father who once had his own Olympic boxing dreams. Gary is the youngest member of USA Boxing's Elite Team and the number one amateur international bantamweight champion of the world. He won both the U.S. Championships and National Golden Gloves at just sixteen. Gary is slowly adjusting to life away from Dad and home as part of the USA boxing team. Watch Gary morph from boy to man as he must choose between listening to his father and learning the ways of international fighting.

Breaking Janet Evans? swimming record last year just shy of her nineteenth birthday secured Kate Ziegler's legacy in history and set the stage for her international dominance of distance swimming. But, as the calendar turns, the pressure to perform at a higher level is building. This George Mason University freshman must adjust her dry-land training routine and diet if she wants to peak at the perfect moment. She's out of bed at 4:30 am every morning, balancing a day crammed with two practices, a strict food regimen, college classes and media requests, with a little time left over for friends and family. Kate, a Great Falls, Va., native, swims the 1,500 meter faster than any woman ever has, however, Kate won't be swimming the 1,500 freestyle as there is no such Olympic event for women (although it's offered for men.) Her coach of seven years, Ray Benecki, keeps her grounded as she sets her eyes on gold in Beijing.