Sporting Witness

• Creating ‘HawkEye’ and goal line tech

  In 2000, keen cricketer Paul Hawkins wanted to turn his passion into innovation when he created the technology we now know as ‘HawkEye’ and goal line technology. It was first used in cricket in 2001.Then, after several controversial sporting moments, involving Serena Williams and Frank Lampard, it was introduced in tennis and football. Now it’s used in more than 25 sports around the world. 50-year-old Paul Hawkins tells Megan Jones he’s not ready to hang up his bat, racket, or boots just yet. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.(Photo: Dr. Paul Hawkins, inventor of the Hawk-Eye system. Credit: AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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• The Flying Mother and the first Giro D'Italia Femminile

  The story of the longest consistently run cycling grand tour for women. Now known as the Giro Rosa, the Giro D'Italia Femminile was first raced in 1988. The race featured a total of nine stages with an average of 87km per day. The winner was Italian Maria Canins. When she started cycling, she was nicknamed ‘Mama Volante’ – ‘The Flying Mother’ – as she was a 32-year-old mother who was originally an accomplished cross country skier. She tells Tom Whalley about that first race. A TBone production.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.(Photo: Maria Canins in the 1986 Tour de France Feminin. Credit: Rene Boulay/ Creative Commons)

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• Kwame Nkruman-Acheampong: The Snow Leopard

  In 2003, Kwame Nkruman-Acheampong put skis on for the first time. Seven years later, he was competing in slalom at the Vancouver Olympics, the first Ghanaian to ever qualify for the winter games. Kwame grew up in Ghana, but in 2002, at the age of 28, he moved back to UK. To support himself through his masters degree, Kwame decided to get a job and ended up working at the local indoor ski centre in Milton Keynes. Dubbed the "Snow Leopard," he tells Harry Stott how he qualified for the games. A Message Heard production. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.(Photo: Kwame Nkruman-Acheampong competing in Vancouver 2010. Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images)

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• The woman who faked her Boston Marathon win

  In 1980, Rosie Ruiz was crowned the female winner of the Boston Marathon.But the Cuban runner was not known in marathon circles and her victory instantly raised eyebrows.Men's champion Bill Rodgers was there when Rosie was crowned at the finish line with laurel leaves."I became suspicious of Rosie pretty quickly," he said. "A really fit, strong, marathoner, woman is pretty tough. Rosie was not that fit looking. It's just as simple as that."Bill tells Vicky Farncombe about the subsequent investigation and how Rosie's story, in an odd way, changed marathons for the better.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.(Photo: Rosie Ruiz being crowned at the Boston Marathon. Credit: Getty Images)

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• Surfing the biggest waves in the world

  The story of how the legendary surfer, Garrett McNamara, pioneered riding the colossal 100ft waves at Nazaré on the Portuguese coast. At Nazaré in 2011 he broke the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed at the time, officially judged to be 78ft (23.8m). Nazaré has since become a centre of big wave surfing. Garrett McNamara spoke to Alex Last in 2020 about how he first came to surf at Nazaré and why he risks his life to ride giant waves. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.(Photo: Garrett McNamara riding his record breaking wave at Nazaré in November 2011 - recognised at the 2012 WSL Big Wave Awards (Credit:WSL/Ribiero)

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