Daley: Olympic Superstar; Simone Biles: Rising

“Vadim Jean’s film Daley: Olympic Superstar was both overdue and thorough, taking in his early tough years on a Notting Hill estate where he shimmied up drainpipes to see his best mate and learnt to run by fleeing the attentions of his stern mum, Lydia, who did multiple jobs to put food on the table, including cleaning his primary school in the early hours. It was an unvarnished portrait that didn’t have to look far to find less pleasant sides to the man and his life, but it didn’t shy from them either.”
Ben Dowell, The Times

“No hagiography, Vadim Jean’s Daley: Olympic Superstar hailed his astonishing sporting achievements but spent almost as long on when iconoclastic mischief tipped into something more problematic. While making telling use of archive footage and contemporary interviews with Thompson, his children and assorted admirers, Jean’s film confirmed Daley Thompson’s biggest fan to be Daley Thompson. And why not?”
Gabriel Tate, The Telegraph

“If you watched Simone Biles: Rising only to marvel at what the most decorated gymnast in history can do, that would be a couple of hours well spent. It is astonishing to see her moving through the air, rapidly contorting her body with such astounding motion that gymnastics is still having to adjust its parameters to accommodate her abilities. Moves have been named after Biles, some of which have been completed only by her. But the Biles story is much more dramatic than her legendary physical prowess. This four-part documentary series, the first half of which arrives just before she returns to the Olympic stage in Paris, has more twists than even her most intricate routines.”
Rebeca Nicholson, The Guardian