The mother of all challenges episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 2, 2023 · 27 MIN

The mother of all challenges

from Not by the Playbook · host BBC World Service

It was John Lennon who said "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans!" and that's certainly true for Olympic gold medal winning Triathlete Jess Learmonth. Jess had her sights firmly set on retaining the title she won in Tokyo when Paris rolls around next year, but then an unexpected and wonderful thing happened. She became pregnant! Her due date is in just two weeks time, but that doesn't mean she isn't still eyeing up an Olympic berth in ParisOn Thursday the new NFL season kicks off. One man sure to be watching will be Marc Buoniconti. He comes from American football royalty. His dad Nick was a Hall of Famer, a star of the unbeaten Dolphins team of 1972, still the only side to go undefeated throughout an entire season. Marc was all set to carve out his own NFL career when at the age of just 19 he suffered a spinal chord injury whilst playing at college; in that moment his life changed forever. Marc has been telling Sportshour's Shari Vahl about his tragic and yet remarkably uplifting storyImagine scuba diving without a breathing apparatus, diving down hundreds of feet on a single breath and holding it for as long as three and a half minutes. That's freediving and extreme sport that's growing in popularity and interest. But it's also one of the most dangerous. Alessia Zecchini is the world record holder and was recently subject of a documentary " The Deepest Breath " So what drives her to pursue such a dangerous and deadly pursuit? Sportshour's Stefano Montali has been delving deep : TOKYO, JAPAN - JULY 27: Jessica Learmonth of Team Great Britain reacts during the Women's Individual Triathlon on day four of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Odaiba Marine Park on July 27, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

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The mother of all challenges

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