Focus: What Drives the World's Top Athletes

- Season 2

(2015)

When the odds are against, many succumb to the pressure and concede defeat. Overcoming the odds is what sport is all about. But for America's Cup sailor James 'Jimmy' Spithill and Paralympian Kelly Cartwright, they've defeated greater odds than most; demonstrating that the true extent of the human spirit and one's self-belief is immeasurable.

Defiance breeds progression. And when faced with either conforming to the norm or risking it all, history demonstrates that those "crazy" few who choose the latter often become our pioneers. Olympic triathlete Courtney Atkinson and free-runner Ryan Doyle are on a quest to move themselves and their respective sports forward.

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution applies as much to an athlete's career as it does to mankind. For professional skateboarder Ryan Sheckler and aerobatic pilot Hannes Arc, it truly is a matter of evolving or watching their careers die a slow death. Their sports may be worlds and 10,000 ft of air space apart but the two share a commonality: evolving their skill sets.

Hang glider Jon Durand and rock climber Sasha DiGiulian may not share much in common on the surface, but under the guise of their respective sports, they share a common competitor: themselves. Find out what lengths two of the world's most daring athletes go to in the quest for reaching their personal best.

Innovation, however big or small, is the lifeblood of professional sport and it's those daring enough to inspire and create change that are the real heroes. Big wave surfer Mark Mathews took the more traditional route to create the most innovative surf event of the 21st Century. Street trial rider Danny MacAskill opted for the contemporary route: a mate, a camera, a computer and YouTube. Both athletes have brought their sports into the global spotlight.

Glory. Every athlete chases it but when presented with an opportunity to seize it - that's when the most exceptional athletes separate themselves from the rest. For child prodigies Daniel Ricciardo and Jess Fox, they're under more pressure than most to prove a life's worth of hype will cement them as some of the best athletes of their generation.