Podium

What does it really take to make the podium? Which of the biological, environmental and psychological factors really shape a champion's route to the top? To answer these questions, Ben Oakley has taken the original step of combining existing research with a study of leading athletes' autobiographies. Looking at the early histories and initial challenges of serial champions in their own words, Podium sheds new light on their commonalities. A similar focus in training, similar influences around them and, above all, similar mental attributes are revealed - and tales of individual brilliance are given a fresh twist. From Ian Thorpe, Usain Bolt and Chrissie Wellington to Victoria Pendleton, Lionel Messi and Roger Federer, all we see is a smooth progression to glory, but each is a rocky path punctuated by critical episodes, and it is the response to these events that can transform talented people into winners. Podium is fascinating reading for anyone interested in the big names at the peak of their respective sports, and essential for coaches or parents of the next budding star. This enthralling read will enrich your interpretation of champions' lives and provide a map of the complex paths through sport to the podium.

Ben Oakley is Head of Childhood, Youth and Sport at the Open University. He was a world champion competitor and then a coach at two Olympic games for the sport of windsurfing. Ben was also an academic consultant to the BBC during and in the build-up to the Olympics, including writing for the BBC Sport website.

Part I Explaining the path to the top
1 Behind the lines
2 How could I have got it so wrong?
3 Champion DNA?
Part II From child to elite athlete
4 How do champions' paths differ?
5 From playground to podium: Playing then specialising
6 Winning parents: Getting the balance right
7 Are younger siblings more likely to become champions?
8 Selection myths and compromises revealed
9 Location, location, location: Revealing the geography of success
10 Fitness and recovery epiphanies
11 From passion to persistence, perfection and obsession: How does personality shape champions' paths?
Part III Turning points and mental tools
12 How do critical episodes shape champions?
13 Broken bodies, broken minds?
14 What is in a champion's mental toolbox?
15 Learning from defeat: Rhetoric or reality?
16 Confidence
17 Keeping it all together: Nerves
18 Under pressure: New approaches
Part IV The Coach
19 What I wish I'd known about Olympic coaching when I started
20 Learning from behind the lines: Coaching stories
Part V Specialist characteristics
21 Do champions think differently about pain?
22 A pothole, or worse, on the path: Depression
23 Looking back and redirecting the rocket: Retirement