Natural Born Winners - Season 1
Season 1
Episodes
Episode 1
In this episode Canadian 100 metre gold-medallist Donovan Bailey; World, Commonwealth and European champion sprinter Iwan Thomas; former Wales rugby captain Gareth Thomas; and World Superbike champion James Toseland will compete against each other in four epic challenges across the globe, each one tougher than the last.
Episode 2
The athletes move on to Turkey, where they train at Turkish oil wrestling under the tuition of one of the sport's greatest champions. Gareth's rugby training gives him an edge, while James finds his speed and agility are an asset. When they watch a match, they realise it is more dangerous than they thought, and Iwan and Donovan are forced to consider the possibility that they might get seriously injured
Episode 3
Sporting heroes Donovan Bailey, Gareth Thomas, Iwan Thomas and James Toseland are in India to discover the spiritual world of ‘Kalaripayattu', a fierce fighting system, said to be the root of all martial arts.
The hot weather, crowds, and spicy food are a culture shock for former rugby captain Gareth, who is used to the Welsh countryside.
They travel to Calicut, an industrial city home to one of India's most famous fighting schools, where they will train for a week in three key disciplines before going head to head with each other.
The mix of acrobatic moves and lethal weaponry requires extreme agility, precision and control. With the disappointment of his last two tasks, Donovan pledges to give it his all and see the challenge through.
They will be judged by a panel of Kalari masters and the winner will be the best in movement, stick fighting and stick and shield combat. But who will master the martial art and be crowned the champion?
Episode 4
It's the final sporting challenge for Donovan Bailey, Gareth Thomas, Iwan Thomas and James Toseland. They are off to Japan to master the skill and precision required for the ancient art of horseback archery, known as ‘Yabusame'.
Galloping down a straight track at high speed, gripping the horse with just their knees, they will be required to shoot with a bow and arrow at stationary targets and compete against each other.
Training starts in the UK with an archery and horse riding session. It's something none of them has done before, and Gareth has to conquer his first phobia – his horse.
Finally in Japan for a week of training before they begin, the men get under way learning the life of the samurai.
Being back in the saddle travelling at speed brings back old emotions for James, and some aspects of the competition prove too much for Gareth and Donovan.
It's their final challenge. Who will be named the ultimate competitor?
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