17 August 2012
Last updated at 03:09 GMT
Back in 2005, when London was awarded the Olympics, photographer Paul Floyd Blake set about finding some of the young athletes who hoped to compete in the 2012 Games. He eventually followed 16 people, taking portraits of them every year.
But after hundreds of hours of training and hard work, how many of the group made it into Team GB this summer?
Here – as he explains what happened – take a look at some of the photographs he took for his book, Personal Best.
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Images from Personal Best by Paul Floyd Blake can be seen at Impressions Gallery Bradford until 9 September 2012.
Sport England cut table tennis funding by 50% – to £1.2m – for the period 2009-2013. Future funding is currently under negotiation.
All images copyright Paul Floyd Blake. Music by KPM Music.
Slideshow production by Paul Kerley. Publication date 17 August 2012.
Related:
Impressions Gallery – Bradford
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