Birmingham althletes put 'blood, sweat and tears' into training with a week to go until Paris Olympics 2024
The likes of Team GB gymnasts, Joe Fraser and Alice Kinsella are already in France ready to represent Birmingham.
Blood sweat and tears have all been leading up to this moment for West Midlands athletes as they travel to Paris this week for the 2024 Olympic games.
Matt Hudson-Smith, Delicious Orie, Alice Kinsella and Joe Fraser are all competing in Paris from next Friday, each representing their hometowns around the West Midlands.
Each have travelled to the French capital this week for some final training sessions and preparations ahead of one of the most important moments in their career.
Matt Hudson-Smith 400m track and field sprinter started his career with the Birchfield harriers in the Black Country, much like Delicious Orie who was raised in Wolverhampton.
Delicious won gold medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham and the 2023 European Games and he's now said he's ready for Paris.
Alice Kinsella is from Birmingham herself and won Bronze in Tokyo's 2020 Olympic Games. She started gymnastics at Tamworth Olympic Gymnastics Club, before moving to Park Wrekin Gymnastics and making Lilleshall Sports Centre her second home.
Birmingham's other gymnast Joe Fraser's been telling us he feels ready to compete despite his recent surgeries.
The 25 year old became the first British man to be crowned European all-around champion 2 years ago.
He was the first black man to win a gold medal in Great Britain’s first-ever gold medal on the parallel bars at the World Gymnastics Championships in 2019.
He also competed with Team GB in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but has since had 4 surgeries on his ankle and shoulder.
Joe's last surgery was in February 2024 but has been telling us, he and his team feel great about Paris.
"Training has been really good. We've been up at our national centre in Lilleshall so the team has all been together.
"We've worked really hard to get that team energy and try to give the boost that is required to be at our best. At the moment, I feel like we're in a very good place and I'm looking forward to getting out to Paris.
"To have even made the team, it's a dream come true. So, I know every moment I get out there I'll be soaking it up and taking it in because blood sweat and tears really did go into it."