Not by the Playbook

• 'W' stands for winner

  Our guest this week prove 'W' stands for winners. We hear from Sir Bradley Wiggins, Lori Walton, Jim and Jeff Whitley and Sir Clyde Walcott.As the Tour de France begins we hear from Sir Bradley Wiggins, one of THE stars of the 2012 Olympics. Just a couple of weeks after becoming the first British rider to win the Tour de France, the home favourite won gold on the streets of London to claim his 5th Olympic title and 8th medal in total. Wiggins was a poster boy for cycling, with his popularity transcending the sport. The hip icon of Cool Britannia was knighted in 2013 as Great Britain basked in the glow of a successful London games. So news of his struggles since retirement came as a shock. As if it reminded us that he was after all human. Battles with the bottle caused him to lose his bearings, his business and his wife. What a relief then when Joel Hammer met him to see a fit, healthy and once again Lycra clad Wiggins.WALCOTT: Exactly 75 years ago Sir Clyde Walcott and his teammates won a Test Match on English soil for the very first time. It cemented the West Indies as a force in international cricket and sparked wild celebrations among the newly arrived West Indian immigrant community. Sir Clyde Walcott scored a century in the gameWHITELY: footballers Jim and Jeff Whitley both played in the Premier League for Manchester City. The Zambian born brothers played in midfield and whilst their football careers were interesting, it's what they did off the field that sets them apart. Jeff battled addiction to drinks and drugs that drove his career off the rails. He now works tirelessly helping other professionals to avoid the same mistakes as him. Older brother Jim path has been very different. When his playing days ended, he started a new career as a star of stage and screenWALTON: Bill Walton won two NBA titles before becoming one of the most recognisable faces on American television. To say he was a character is an understatement! He was cult hero. He also lent his voice a new World Service podcast. Sadly, Bill died before he could finish narrating the series. To mark the first anniversary of his death Joel Hammer has speaking to his wife Lori from their "hippy home" in Hawaii about how she marked a year since Bill's passing and why for Lori and the Walton family the podcast has become something very important.(PHOTO: Sir Bradley Wiggins in action on his way to setting a new UCI One Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome June 7, 2015 in London, England. CREDIT: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

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• Colourblind

  Climber Janja Garnbret is one of the best examples of how easy becoming an Olympic champion can look. In both Tokyo and Paris she seemingly effortlessly ascended her way to gold. They sit alongside her eight World Championships. At 26 she is still young enough to continue to dominate for some time. From her home Slovenia, where she is a mega star, she joined Katie Smith to talk about just how much effort goes into making the very difficult look like a walk in the park, what it felt like to become a two-time Olympic champion and body image.Some say silver is "first looser" and there is no doubt a bitter sweet feel to coming second, even if you are considered one of Africa's greatest Olympic sprinter. Sadly for him there no better person to speak about what it feel like to land a silver, he won four Olympic silvers. We hear from for Namibia's Frankie Fredricks on how it felt to never make it to gold.We meet the Bronze who is a born winner. This bronze is about to set off to defend her gold medal winning performance of four years ago, because this Bronze is England footballer Lucy Bronze. She is part of the England squad looking to defend their Women's Euro title in Switzerland. So if we cannot talk to Lucy about what it is like to finish with a bronze (and yes, we know she won bronze in 2015 at the World Cup) we might as well ask her about the secret to her success, and it turns out that is a small dog called Nala.It seems more than a bit unfair to have our final guest, our guess that fits the theme because it's the "no medal at all" section of the show. Not least because Justin Phongsavanh won Paralympic bronze in the javelin in Tokyo. But with a chance to compete in front of his home crowd at the Games of LA in 2028 his dream appears to have been ripped away from him. Justin has been explaining what has happened and how he is coping. He also tells us about one night in 2015 when his life changed forever.(Photo: Janja Garnbret of Slovenia competes during the women's lead climbing qualification of the Climbing World Cup 2023 in Innsbruck, Austria. Credit: Marco Kost/Getty Images)

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• Play your cards right

  Not by the Playbook comes from The Queen’s Club in London where Katie Smith is unboxing her pack of cards.British para standing tennis player Nicky Maxwell has always had a sporting ace up his sleeve, including now as President of the International Para Standing Tennis Association, but his life in sport hasn’t been without its challenges. The former Harvard University sprinter shares what life was like as a para athlete in the US collegiate system and his Paralympic ambitions for para standing tennis.The US queen of Mexico’s rodeo, Paola Pimienta tells us all about the Mexican tradition of charrería and its all-female synchronised team equestrian competition, escaramuza. It’s a traditional sport which can be adrenaline-fuelled, so what’s it like to take part and how has it helped Pimienta connect with her Mexican heritage?After former England cricketer David “Syd” Lawrence was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease last year, it led to a race against time to tell his story in an autobiography. It’s a life which has seen Syd become the first English-born black cricketer to represent his country in 1988, before injury brought an end to his international career at age 28. He’s now been awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours. Cricket journalist Dean Wilson helped Syd put the book together and he talks about the process and Syd’s life both on and off the cricket pitch.Every pack of cards needs a Jack so hear the story behind Jack Nicklaus’ record sixth Masters win, plus there’s a spade on hand for trip to the farm which supplies strawberries to Wimbledon.Listen to Not by the Playbook on the BBC World Service every Saturday at 0900 GMT, or find it as a podcast wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Get in touch with us via email and use the hashtag #NBTP on social media.Image: Magician Jeff Thomas, Manager of Hollywood Magic on Hollywood Boulevard does some magic with deck of playing cards, November 12, 2001 in Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)

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• Driven

  Sir Roger Bannister is most famous for being the first man to ever run a sub 4 minute mile. He once said "The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win". This week, guests who have displayed the drive needed to overcome the most serious challenges life can throw at you. The word "drive" can have many different meanings. From maneuvering a car, to pushing a cause and making positive change... Carol Glenn does all three! A Motorsport fanatic, she has successfully done many roles within the sport. She's been a race marshall, secretary of the meeting, championship co-ordinator and a clerk of the course. All roles dedicated to ensuring events run smoothly and safely. To hold those positions is rare for a woman in a male dominated sport... even rarer as a woman of colour! In fact she was the first black woman to become a licensed race official in the UK. Her latest endeavour might just be her boldest yet as she sets about changing the face of the sport to ensure those who want to take part, regardless of colour or background, are given an opportunity. She has set up the Next Racing Generation Academy and so unsurprisingly is a very busy woman.We meet a father and son duo completely driven to be the best in the business! The business of boxing promotion. Not since Don King has a promoter achieved the same level of fame as their boxers. And you can add Barry and Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Promotions to that list. How have they got to such a place? Well by being driven of course.The majority of boxers only fight a few times each year. It's not only extremely physically demanding, but mentally challenging too. But Londoner Johnny Greaves arrived late to the professional ring just before his 30th birthday ... he had one goal ... one hundred professional fights. So driven was he, that he achieved this rare feet by the time he was 34. Averaging a bout every other week, for four years straight. And what makes his journey even more unusual is that Johnny lost ninety-six of those fights, but as you'll hear for him - his record of wins and losses is nothing compared to challenges he overcame just to step in to the ring. Johnny's is a remarkable story, he's detailed it all in a new book, Bright Lights and Dark Corners(Photo: Carol Glenn with Sir Lewis Hamilton. Credit: Carol Glenn)

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• Paoline Ekambi: Keeping her promise

  Basketball pioneer Paoline Ekambi's changed the perceptions of women's basketball in the 1980's when she played in the USA. She introduced a style of play off and on the court that broke new ground. In turn she also aided the path for French stars likes Tony Parker and Victor Wembanyama to make it in the NBA. In fact Paoline knows Victor very well indeed! But sporting success and the glory it brings can often mask the pain of an athletes life away from the track, field or court. After her career ended Paoline has worked tirelessly as an advocate for those who have survived child sexual abuse. WARNING: Paoline's story is deeply upsetting, a story of the most awful betrayal of trust and how sport was her route to what she calls "freedom" We're not too far away from the first anniversary of the Paris Olympic's. In what was a return to normality for the Games following the sterile and spectator free games in Tokyo three years before. The crowds were so enthusiastic, none more so than in the coastal city of Marseilles where the sailing took place. Australian sailor Matt Wearn won gold at the last two Games in the "Lazer class", that's a single handed sail dingy, not much bigger than a bath! So what was it like to compare and contrast a gold medal winning experience at the two Olympics so drastically different from each other?When the French sports TV channel L’Equipe - the broadcast arm of the famous French newspaper bought the rights to the world darts championship - little did they think 18 million viewers would dip in and out of the game. It’s now one of the most popular sports on the channel and the number of players and clubs in France is on the rise. Chris Bockman reports from FranceAhead of the French Open tennis finals at Rolland Garros we hear from 1989 winner Chinese-American player Micheal Chang. He became the youngest male winner of any tennis Grand Slam, and it all happened just days after the Tiananmen Square massacre. Michael Chang was gripped by TV coverage of the killings and dedicated his only major win to the people of China. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this show, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of emotional help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide. Head to befrienders.org. They will listen to anyone who feels they have nowhere else to turn. All contact is anonymous if you prefer.Photo: Paoline Ekambi on the front cover of L'Equipe in the 1980's (Credit L'Equipe)

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