The conclusion of the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 last Sunday (15 March) marked a historic finish in Italy, with 611 athletes from 55 delegations earning some 412 medals. We highlight one of their stories in this episode: Czech para biathlon skier Carina Edlingerova, who explains how her guide dog, Riley, has shaped her life - as an athlete and as a person. And with the ISU World Figure Skating Championships set to begin next week (24 March) in Prague, we feature Olympics.com con...
Mar 19, 2026•19 min•Season 6Ep. 14
Milano Cortina 2026 is far from over. The Paralympic Winter Games are underway already, with the Opening Ceremony set for the Arena di Verona on Friday (6 March). Host Nick McCarvel is joined by his Olympics.com colleague Lena Smirnova to preview some of the biggest storylines, including 50 years of the Paralympics, the USA-Canada sled hockey rivalry and a set of high-achieving Austrian siblings in alpine skiing. Nick also speaks one-on-one with Dani Aravich, a para cross-country skier and biath...
Mar 05, 2026•29 min•Season 6Ep. 13
The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 are officially over. It's been a memorable and inspiring 16 days of Olympic greatness, and host Nick McCarvel puts the final weekend into perspective, with standout performances from the U.S. men's hockey team, free ski legend Eileen Gu and Norway's Johannes Klaebo. After six (yes, six!) golds this Games, Klaebo brings his tally to 11 overall, and is well and truly the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time. Nick has one more exclusive for listene...
Feb 23, 2026•22 min•Season 6Ep. 12
"The destiny for Cortina for me was to be peaceful, even if I didn't get a medal." Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin is opening up after her first Olympic gold in eight years, revealing her mentality in a one-on-one sit-down with Olympics.com's Alessandro Poggi. Another American gold medallist is also discussing her unique approach after coming back from retirement, as Alysa Liu won the Olympic figure skating title, making her the first American woman to do so since Sarah Hughes at Salt Lake Cit...
Feb 21, 2026•22 min•Season 6Ep. 11
In the days since his Olympic debut came to a close, Ilia Malinin has been in a reflective mood. On Tuesday, he sat down exclusively with Olympics.com podcast host Nick McCarvel in one of his few post-competition interviews, the famous Milan Duomo in the backdrop. "Medals don't really define who you are," he said in a wide-ranging chat. Malinin discusses the pressure that he felt at these Winter Olympics, his thinking around the quadruple Axel, his plans moving forward and the amount of support ...
Feb 19, 2026•37 min•Season 6Ep. 10
A month ago, Federica Brignone wasn’t sure she could even compete at Milano Cortina 2026. Now, the 35-year-old skier is a double Olympic champion. “I had no pressure because it was already amazing to be here,” Brignone told reporters after her second gold, captured in the giant slalom. “I just tried to enjoy every single moment out of it. I didn't feel the pressure, [which is] crazy because I'm at a home Olympics.” Brignone has helped spearhead a thrilling hardware haul for the Italians: a recor...
Feb 17, 2026•35 min•Season 6Ep. 9
Figure skating always has a flair for the dramatic - and this Winter Olympics has been no different. Mikhail Shaidorov's shocking gold medal in the men's event came as favourite Ilia Malinin fell to eighth place. In ice dance, the competition was one of the closest in history - with Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron edging Madison Chock and Evan Bates by just 1.43 points. Olympics.com contributor Gracie Gold joins host Nick McCarvel to help reflect on both Shaidorov and Malinin, an...
Feb 15, 2026•30 min•Season 6Ep. 8
There is something about curling and the Olympics that captures fans’ imagination every Winter Games. Olympics.com curling reporter Chloe Merrell joins host Nick McCarvel from Cortina to help explain the phenomenon - and set the scene from the historic Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. Chloe breaks down each of the three curling events, including the mixed doubles, where Swedish siblings Isabella and Rasmus Wranaa surprised for gold. The men and women are underway, and we hear exclusively from th...
Feb 13, 2026•31 min•Season 6Ep. 7
It's a big Winter Olympics for ice hockey. Why? The stars of the NHL are back on Olympic ice. And women's hockey is riding a wave of success from its record-breaking new league, the PWHL. Olympics.com producer ZK Goh joins host Nick McCarvel to break down the men's tournament, and we also hear from hockey great TJ Oshie, who believes NHL teammates will have no issue facing off against one another in the best-on-best format: "I think hockey players have a pretty easy time with that switch," he sa...
Feb 11, 2026•36 min•Season 6Ep. 6
Four years ago, Shane Pitter didn't know what bobsleigh was. An athletics teammate told him, "It's a thing where you get in a tiny little box and you push it down the ice." At Milano Cortina 2026, Pitter pilots not one but two Jamaican bobsleighs, while compatriot Mica Moore competes in the women's monobob. It marks a continuation of a fairy tale program for the Caribbean nation, with echoes of the 1990s cult classic movie, "Cool Runnings." "That movie inspires me," said Pitter, who is a spearfi...
Feb 09, 2026•23 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Four years after facing immense pressure at a home Games at Beijing 2022, Eileen Gu is evolved - and ready to tackle what she calls "my first second Olympics." The freestyle skiing superstar sat down exclusively with Olympics.com ahead of her competing at Milano Cortina 2026, where she is looking for a clean sweep of golds after winning a pair of them four years ago: "There's no burden," she explained. "There is nothing to defend, right, like, 'Defending gold medalist?' No, I'm here to compete -...
Feb 07, 2026•35 min•Season 6Ep. 4
"I've always gotten back up," Lindsey Vonn told reporters on the eve of the Winter Olympics at Milano Cortina 2026. The skiing legend is battling another injury - a torn ACL - following a crash last week in Switzerland, but remains determined to race in what would be her fifth career Games. "I will do everything in my power to be in that starting gate," she said. Vonn is the focus of our first official podcast from MiCo 2026, with competition underway - and the iconic Opening Ceremony set for Fr...
Feb 05, 2026•17 min•Season 6Ep. 3
We're officially just days away from kicking off the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, with competition set to get underway on 4 February - and the Opening Ceremony scheduled for the 6th. With that in mind, host Nick McCarvel is joined by fellow Olympics.com reporter ZK Goh to talk about some of the big must-know storylines ahead of the Games, including "Quad God" figure skating star Ilia Malinin, the comeback of Lindsey Vonn, the USA-Canada women's hockey rivalry, cross-country skiing g...
Jan 21, 2026•51 min•Season 6Ep. 2
There might be no story more awe-inspiring at Milano Cortina 2026 than that of Deanna Stellato-Dudek, a 42-year-old figure skater who left the sport for 16 years - only to return, and then win a world title. The Chicago native, who now competes for Canada, is the subject of a new Olympic Channel documentary called Deanna's Dream , which is available to stream for free now on Olympics.com . "This story is way bigger than me," Stellato tells host Nick McCarvel in the latest episode of the podcast,...
Jan 08, 2026•40 min•Season 6Ep. 1
Executive producers Malala Yousafzai and Arian Moayed sit down to discuss the film, Champions of the Golden Valley , and its many themes as the documentary is now streaming exclusively on Olympics.com. "This such a powerful story about the people of Afghanistan and how much they desire peace in their community," Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights activist Malala tells host Nick McCarvel on the pod. "And how skiing, a sport, can give hope to our community." Yousafzai and Moayed also hit on...
Dec 25, 2025•35 min•Season 5Ep. 25
There is set to be just one new sport added to the Olympic programme for Milano Cortina 2026, but it is one with historic roots in the Italian Alps. Ski mountaineering will feature both a sprint and mixed relay event in its Winter Olympic debut, and on this episode of the podcast, host Nick McCarvel dives deep - or rather, scales the mountain - to understand this fascinating sport, often set in the most picturesque of outdoor courses. Skimo stars Emily Harrop, Cameron Smith and Johanna Hiemer he...
Dec 11, 2025•50 min•Season 5Ep. 24
For the first time in four Winter Olympic cycles, alpine skiing is making a return to some of its most famed downhill tracks. Tucked in the Italian Dolomites, Cortina (women) and Bormio (men) will host Milano Cortina 2026's downhill competitions. In this episode, Nick McCarvel is joined by Olympics.com skiing expert Alessandro Poggi to break down just what that means to the athletes ahead of February. Nick and Ales also discuss some of the biggest storylines of the alpine skiing Olympic season, ...
Nov 26, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 5Ep. 23
If you fall in love with the world of figure skating every four years, this episode is for you. Host Nick McCarvel and fellow Olympics.com producer Lena Smirnova sit down to discuss the biggest storylines in the sport ahead of February's Winter Olympics at Milano Cortina 2026. And there's a lot of them! From the "Quad God" Ilia Malinin's dominance to the fascinating story of 42-year-old Deanna Stellato Dudek to the surprise comebacks of Olympic medallists and more, Nick and Lena bring reporting ...
Nov 12, 2025•57 min•Season 5Ep. 22
Believe it or not, the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 are only 100 days away! Host Nick McCarvel is joined by Olympics.com colleagues ZK Goh, Chloe Merrell and Nischal Schwager-Patel for a special countdown roundtable, focusing in on their Winter sports: Ice hockey, curling and ski jumping, respectively. They preview the top storylines in those disciplines and beyond, including the NHL’s return to the men’s hockey event, the inspiring story of the Filipino curling team, a 44-year-old S...
Oct 29, 2025•54 min•Season 5Ep. 21
For the first time since last year's Paris Olympics, the biggest stars in gymnastics are set to gather in one place - this time for the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships - held in Jakarta, Indonesia. "It's going to be interesting to see some of these new talents and how they step up into the spotlight," says Olympics.com gymnastics producer Scott Bregman, who joins host Nick McCarvel to help preview the event. Bregman is referring to an open opportunity for the women in attendance as ...
Oct 15, 2025•33 min•Season 5Ep. 20
With World Mental Health Day set for October 10th, this episode of the Olympics.com podcast checks in on the mental health movement in the Olympic space - which has morphed by leaps and bounds over just the last five years. In a roundtable discussion, Olympic figure skating medallist Gracie Gold, an IOC Mental Health Ambassador, is joined by Scott Sloan, the IOC's senior project manager for mental health, in conversation with host Nick McCarvel. "When we say mental health, it's about aspiring to...
Oct 01, 2025•37 min•Season 5Ep. 19
There will never be another Olympian quite like Carl Lewis - on or off the track. The athletics superstar is a nine-time gold medallist, and navigated a nearly two-decade-long career that was full of headline-grabbing controversy. It’s all featured in a new Olympic Channel documentary, I’M CARL LEWIS! , which is out now and available for viewing in the USA and Japan. Lewis joins Olympics.com producer Scott Bregman for a discussion on the documentary, his reflections on his historic career, his t...
Sep 17, 2025•36 min•Season 5Ep. 18
It's been a big season on the track for athletics stars Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Kenny Bednarek of the USA. McLaughlin-Levrone is the two-time reigning Olympic champion and world record holder in the 400m hurdles, but has thrown her version of a curve ball at the sport - switching events to the 400m flat. Bednarek, meanwhile, claimed his first-ever American title, winning the 100m last month before finishing runner-up to rival Noah Lyles in a heated final metres in the 200m, the two exchang...
Sep 03, 2025•30 min•Season 5Ep. 17
The US Open tennis tournament is underway in New York City - where some of the biggest stars, like defending champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are aiming for the year's final Grand Slam. But there are plenty of players who are looking for their next big breakthrough, too. Enter 23-year-old American Emilio Nava, son of parents who met at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and enters the event at a career-high world number 101. The Southern California native joins host Nick McCarvel to discuss w...
Aug 20, 2025•26 min•Season 5Ep. 16
"There were a lot of intense emotions that went with it," says gymnastics superstar Simone Biles when recounting her triumphant return to the Olympic stage, just over a year ago at Paris 2024. "There was always a part of me that thought, 'What if?' And I think that was my anxiety talking. So if I could lower that voice, then I felt more comfortable competing." We all know what happened next: Biles scooped up a second individual all-around gold days after leading the U.S. to the Olympic team titl...
Aug 06, 2025•56 min•Season 5Ep. 15
July 26th marks one year since the Opening Ceremony of Paris 2024, an eye-popping start to what proved to be an Olympic Games to remember. While household names like Simone Biles, Tom Daley and Katey Ledecky soared, new stars in Leon Marchand, Noah Lyles, Summer McIntosh and Julien Alfred introduced themselves to the global Olympic audience. We dive back into Paris in this special rewind episode, featuring stories you may have not yet heard of - both on and off the field of play. Olympic champio...
Jul 23, 2025•45 min•Season 5Ep. 14
Having combined for nine Olympic medals at Paris 2024, American swimmers Kate Douglass and Regan Smith deserved a little rest. The close friends join the Olympics.com podcast to discuss their downtime - and why they felt like it was so important as they both set goals ahead of LA 2028 in three years' time. Among other topics, Douglass details an altered training approach at her collegiate alma mater in Virginia in a chat with host Nick McCarvel, while Smith opens up about her rivalry with Austra...
Jul 09, 2025•45 min•Season 5Ep. 13
Kasra Mehdipournejad wants you to understand something about refugees: "We are someone like you; we're not different," he says on the latest episode of the Olympics.com podcast. "Same, same. We are human." It's a stirring message from the member of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team in taekwondo, who reflects on his Paris 2024 experience with host Nick McCarvel with both World Refugee Day (20 June) and Olympic Day (23 June) top of mind. Mehdipournejad calls his Olympic debut "something really unique a...
Jun 25, 2025•43 min•Season 5Ep. 12
British diver Tom Daley was just 14 years old when he made his Olympic debut at Beijing 2008. The now five-time Olympic medallist is a household name in the UK and beyond, and is sharing his story in a new Olympic Channel documentary, '1.6 Seconds.' Daley sits down with Olympics.com producer Scott Bregman to discuss the project, as well as reflect on his nearly two-decade-long career in the water - and how he navigated his biggest moments, including coming out as queer, the passing of his father...
Jun 11, 2025•21 min•Season 5Ep. 11
Running is an activity over 600 million people participate in on a regular basis. This week on the podcast, we speak with two world-class runners who compete in vastly different running spheres: Marathoner Desiree Linden and 1500-metre specialist Yared Nuguse. Linden reflects on her decision to move on from marathoning earlier this year - but how she's far from done with running itself. Meanwhile, Nuguse - in our featured interview for the episode - speaks with olympics.com producer Matt Nelsen ...
May 28, 2025•33 min•Season 5Ep. 10
