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The Secret Olympian
- The Inside Story of Olympic Excellence
- Narrated by: Paul Thornley
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
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Summary
The vast majority of us can only dream of being an Olympic-level athlete - but we have no real idea of what that means. Here, for the first time, in all its shocking, funny and downright bizarre glory, is the truth of the Olympic experience.
It is an unimaginable world: the kitting-out ceremony with its 35kg of team clothing per athlete, the pre-Olympic holding camp with its practical jokes, resentment, fighting and freaky physiological regimes, the politicians' visits with their flirty spouses, the vast range of athletes with their odd body shapes and freakish genetics, the release post-competition in the Olympic village with all the excessive drinking, eating, partying and sex (not necessarily in that order,) the hysteria of homecoming celebrations and the comedown that follows - how do you adjust to life after the Games?
The Secret Olympian talks to scores of Olympic athletes - past and present, from Munich 1960 right through to London 2012, including British, American, Australian, Dutch, French, Croatian, German, Canadian and Italian competitors.
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What listeners say about The Secret Olympian
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- H
- 23-02-13
Factually incorrect and poorly read
I found this hard work. Read as one liners all the way through that became annoying. All based on the experience of 4-5 athletes and dismisses the research of other authors without understanding their theories. A very disorganised narrative, jumping around different aspects and riddled with factual mistakes. Avoid this one
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Overall
- steve
- 24-12-12
not as good as watching 2012!
some good stories and experiences but started to run out of steam. It was one I had to keep pushing myself to go back to rather than feeling like I had to hear the next chapter.
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Overall
- Daniel
- 30-05-12
What really goes on!
A insiders view of the greatest sporting event in the world. Anon explores the world of an elite athlete before, during and after the Olympic games. He/she also draws on the experiences of other Olympians to demonstrate how the Olympic experience and Olympic movement have changed over the decades.
Anon discusses the thorny issue of drugs in sport and strongly supports the lifetime bans for drug cheats.
We get a behind the scenes look at the village, the partying, the food, the partying, the accomodation, the partying...
Paul Thornley is an excellent & unobtrusive narrator.
All in all a very insightful, entertaining and thought provoking book for anyone who has an interest in the Olympics and sport in general.
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