The start of Buenos Aires 2018 is almost here. Over 4,000 elite sporting teenagers are descending on Argentina for the Youth Olympic Games. Former Youth Olympians include snowboarder Chloe Kim, diving’s Tom Daley and Spain’s badminton Olympic champion Carolina Marin. We’ve spoken to four athletes who we think you need to know about. At 18, Kanak Jha is already USA’s top men’s table tennis player. “The Youth Olympic Games is the biggest event there is for juniors and (to win) would just be unbeli...
Oct 03, 2018•17 min
The 23-time Olympic champion, Michael Phelps, opened up to the Olympic Channel Podcast about his struggles with mental health. “Being able to be open, to be honest (and) being your authentic self… that’s kind of the equation for success.” Phelps was third place in what was billed as the ‘Race of the Century’. The man who beat him to second place was three-time Olympic champ Pieter van den Hoogenband. Ian Thorpe, Michael Phelps, Grant Hackett and Klete Keller were all in the race – and all have s...
Sep 26, 2018•21 min
Sarah Storey has won more Paralympic gold medals than any other British woman. She won 14, in both swimming and cycling, across her ground-breaking career. During Rio 2016, she took the decision to breastfeed during competition. She thinks that it’s possible to be a breastfeeding mother and be on the top of your game. After Serena Williams’ coach advised her to stop breastfeeding, Storey also says attitudes in coaching need to change at the highest level of sport. “You have to consider the small...
Sep 19, 2018•19 min
Rhythmic gymnast Marta Pagnini is an Olympic bronze medallist from Italy who is totally confident with her body. She wants to promote a positive message. “I’m confident with my body and I shouldn’t be judged for my body, I should be judged for my performance as an athlete. And from what I do as a woman, not for my body.” SUBSCRIBE for the best interviews around the Olympics every Wednesday. LINKS: Anatomy Of: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/original-series/detail/anatomy-of/ Marta Pagnini Inst...
Sep 12, 2018•23 min
Sweden’s Rio silver medallist Nilla Fischer thinks we’re a long way from seeing a big, male star ‘come out’ in the sport. But the first openly gay referee in the English game, Ryan Atkin, believes homophobia is on the decline in football. We want to know what the men can learn from the women’s game about LGBTQ+ inclusivity. SUBSCRIBE for the best interviews around the Olympics every Wednesday. LINKS: Nilla Fischer video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=B5q8iORvrlA Ryan Atkin ...
Sep 05, 2018•26 min
Imagine you’re single. Your date turns out to be an Olympic figure skater. Six months later, you propose. She says yes. Liam Cross went from knowing nothing about figure skating to being physically sick before the Olympic Games in PyeongChang because he was so nervous about his wife’s performance. Together With Bruno Massot, Alonja Savchenko took gold in the pairs from PyeongChang 2018 for Germany. Her husband Liam Cross says that day was the most terrifying of his entire life. Why? Because he's...
Aug 29, 2018•21 min
Heptathlete Rebecca Wardell is on a mission to cycle through most of Europe and Asia before hopping on a plane and finishing her journey through New Zealand. After injury forced her hopes for a second Olympic appearance six weeks before London 2012, she’s now embarking on a trip to meet as many Olympians as possible and raise money for charity to get more women into sport. She says, “It’s definitely not as hard physically as you might think.” LINKS: Asian Games: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en...
Aug 22, 2018•26 min
Four-time Olympic medallist, coach, and NBC commentator Ato Boldon remembers Usain Bolt’s incredible world record breaking performance at Beijing 2008. The Trinidad and Tobago sprint legend has been at the stadium every time Jamaica’s Bolt has broken a record. He says that moment was simply iconic. As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of a race that won’t be forgotten, we spoke to Boldon about Bolt’s untied shoelace, the man who finished second Richard Thompson, and the celebrations that changed...
Aug 15, 2018•22 min
Less than three months after winning Olympic gold in cross-country skiing at PyeongChang 2018, Kikkan Randall was diagnosed with breast cancer. The 35-year-old American is receiving treatment and the prognosis is good. But she’s had to shave her hair off. Hair that she used to dye pink to stand out from the crowd. We talk about the colour pink, the dreaded moment she took ‘the call’ and making the most of every day. Remember to subscribe to the Olympic Channel Podcast for more inspiring stories ...
Aug 08, 2018•27 min
Courage is easy to talk about but hard to practise. How can we find the courage to speak out for the right thing? And do you have the courage to face your fears? Greek gymnast Eleftherios Petrounias won gold on the rings at Rio 2016. His journey to that moment was difficult. He was bullied as a child for being short and lost his father two weeks before he became world champion in 2015. We also talked to him about the bravery of US gymnasts – like Aly Raisman - who spoke out against their abuser ...
Aug 01, 2018•20 min
Figure skater Denis Ten died suddenly on 19 July 2018. There was an immediate outpour of emotion after the Sochi 2014 bronze medallist was reportedly attacked and stabbed in Kazakhstan. The Olympic Channel Podcast spoke to Olympic gold medallist Aljona Savchenko. She was friends with Ten and gives a moving a tribute. Plus, we dug into our archives to find an interview with Denis Ten that we did before PyeongChang 2018. LINKS: Gamebreakers: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/playback/gamebreakers/...
Jul 25, 2018•17 min
The sun beats down hard on the Madrid street and it’s hot. The ice here is normally in drinks to cool down. The Spanish capital doesn’t seem like a natural first choice for Winter Olympians. That was until Javier Fernandez slowly worked his way to becoming one of the world’s leading figure skaters. He is a two-time world champion and took home a bronze medal from PyeongChang 2018. As a young man, once he reached a certain level, he knew he had to leave his country behind. He has trained with the...
Jul 18, 2018•20 min
The swimmer won Olympic gold in 2004 with Michael Phelps and just a few years later he was jobless and living in his car. Klete Keller experienced the highs of beating Olympic swimming legends like Ian Thorpe but, after his winning career was finished, he sunk into a deep depression. Keller lost his marriage and his job over the course of 24 hours. His life fell apart and he spent 10 months living in his car. The American used to blame everyone but himself for his situation but now he has come t...
Jul 11, 2018•40 min
What happens when you are expected to stand on the podium as an Olympic medallist – but you finish fourth? Swimmer Katinka Hosszu was favourite for gold in 2012. (Interview starts at 03:05) During the race, she realised that she was in third position and the person in first couldn’t be caught. She started to be mentally distracted. The Hungarian finished the race and looked up at the board to check her time. She had finished fourth and was ‘devastated’. Some were even advising her to walk away f...
Jul 04, 2018•24 min
It’s time to start thinking about the new Olympic cycle for figure skating. So, we asked two Olympic champions what they think Yuzuru Hanyu and Evgenia Medvedeva should do next. Russia’s Evgeni Plushenko (interview starts at 02:56) says that Hanyu is ‘from a different planet’. And hints that the Japanese double Olympic champion could be capable of doing the quad axel. Plushenko also says that if Medvedeva feels more comfortable training with coach Brian Orser then – why not? We also spoke to USA...
Jun 27, 2018•27 min
If you have a look at Yusra Mardini’s Instagram feed – there are clues about what she does: pictures of swimming training and plenty of selfies. She’s clearly an international standard athlete. But her story runs deep – after fleeing Syria and swimming for 10km alongside a boat of displaced people looking for a new start, she ended up in Germany training for the Olympics. She refuses to be defined by her status as a refugee and wants you to reassess what you think about the word too. In a huge a...
Jun 19, 2018•22 min
Everywhere Luka Doncic has gone – he’s won. From the Eurobasket with Slovenia to the Euroleague with Real Madrid, the 19-year-old is hot property for the NBA Draft. But what makes him so special? And could we see Slovenia finally compete and even challenge at the Olympic Games? We speak to ESPN’s Senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski about why basketball dealmakers are so interested. Plus, we hear from to Bostjan Nachbar, who has played in the NBA and in Euroleague. He’s also Slovenian, knows Do...
Jun 13, 2018•24 min
Physical trauma is, on the surface, much harder to stomach than any emotional pain. Imagine choosing between sparring a few rounds with a boxer compared to being called a few names. The choice seems easy. But, as an elite boxer watches cuts and bruises heal after a big fight, they say it's the emotional scars that can last a lifetime. Olympic bronze medallist boxer David Price has faced the worst of both. Price has suffered both internet abuse and brutal knock-downs. He admits to crying (in a po...
Jun 06, 2018•26 min
When two-time Olympic silver medallist figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva announced that she was leaving her coach to join Brian Orser in Canada, it was a surprise. We managed to grab a word with the two-time world champion about anime, meeting EXO, and her thoughts on PyeongChang. But she also gave us the lowdown on what she thinks of moving to Canada. ***LINKS*** EXO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdssuxDdqKk TRAILER FOR NEW DOC: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/playback/five-rings-films-the-p...
May 30, 2018•28 min
It’s not every day that you receive an invitation to visit the home of one of the biggest skateboarders around. So the Olympic Channel Podcast naturally leapt at the chance to speak to Nyjah Huston at his apartment in Los Angeles. Why on earth are we concerned about skateboarding? Well, the sport is going to be at Tokyo 2020. And if you have any doubts as to why skateboarding should be at the Olympic Games – this episode should set that straight… LINKS SLS: http://streetleague.com/ Nyjah’s ‘Til ...
May 23, 2018•23 min
Surfing legend and 11-time world champion Kelly Slater invited us to his new ranch in California, USA. He has created a wave pool that, he claims, produces the best artificial waves in the world. It's located roughly 160 kilometres inland and we took a visit. Olympic Channel podcast reporter Ashlee Tulloch also caught up with six-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore who looks, simply, remarkable on Kelly’s wave. Surfing is making its first Olympic appearance at Tokyo 2020 so grab your board (or...
May 16, 2018•27 min
Nine-time Olympic champion Carl Lewis has some big ideas about how to shake up the athletics world and make the sport even more entertaining to watch in the post-Bolt era. Plus, we hear from the grassroots with ex-sprinter turned Olympic Channel social media don Mathilde Delorme. LINKS: Olympic Channel Podcast: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/features/podcast/ Far From Home: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/playback/far-from-home/core-branded-far-from-home/ Podcast recommendation: https://sou...
May 09, 2018•23 min
Sparkles, music and dancing… the Olympians are already crushing the latest season of ‘Dancing with the Stars’. We went backstage and managed to grab a quick word with some of the contestants like Adam Rippon, Tonya Harding and Chris Mazdzer. Plus, we got the lowdown on what it takes to be a good judge from dancing legend Peter Maxwell from the World DanceSport Federation.
May 02, 2018•18 min
Is the world's future in good hands? Four-time Olympic champion Johann Olav Koss gives his reasons to be optimistic. Plus, Syrian refugee swimmer Yusra Mardini stands as an example to show that her generation can have a ‘no excuses’ attitude. Remember that if you like the podcast - subscribe and leave a five-star review where you can… (Update - we had to resend because of an audio glitch - all fixed now!)
Apr 26, 2018•18 min
We are all scared of something, aren’t we? But imagine the fear that is racing through the veins of a BMX rider at the Olympics: it’s dangerous and some of your peers have struggled with life-changing injuries. So how can you compete with complete focus? We take advice from Olympic champion Connor Fields who says conquering fear is just part of his job. We also have skateboarder Shuriken Shannon who talks about what spooks him out. Plus, Shannon speaks on behalf of the skateboarding community ab...
Apr 18, 2018•20 min
Expectations can affect any achievement. Five-time Olympic champion Missy Franklin went into London 2012 without any expectations and had the time of her life. At Rio 2016, she admits her approach wasn’t correct. What are her expectations for Tokyo 2020? Plus, Singapore’s first ever Olympic gold medallist Joseph Schooling beat the world and Michael Phelps in Rio. How can he manage expectations going forward in his career?
Apr 11, 2018•25 min
To become the world’s first Olympic champion in skiing and snowboarding was impressive – but how difficult is it to have two passions? Can you balance two things that you love? Ester Ledecka opens up about her dual passion for skiing and snowboarding. Plus, Olympic gymnast turned actor Danell Leyva reveals why he’s walked away from the sport he loved. And what if your passion isn’t paying the bills? Olympic bronze medallist snowboarder Alex Deibold led a chat with some of his US teammates who ha...
Apr 05, 2018•23 min
For an Olympian, pushing things to the maximum is normal. But where is the breaking point? We speak to pro-surfer Mick Fanning about when your days of performing at the maximum have passed, sport climber Josh Levin about peaking performance and we put snowboarder Sven Thorgren through his physical paces.
Mar 28, 2018•22 min
It’s a generational gap of gold as all the guests are gold medal winners. We have 15-year-old Russian figure skater, Alina Zagitova, on why she had to give up sweets to be Olympic champion. Michael Johnson gives us his view on the world of athletics. Plus, why is six-time Olympic champion cyclist Chris Hoy preparing for a very chilly expedition?
Mar 20, 2018•24 min
Double Olympic champion figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu spoke to the Olympic Channel podcast in English which was an absolute pleasure. Plus, Hope Solo talks about life away from the football field and freestyle skier David Wise opens up about dealing with disaster – both in, and out, of competition.
Mar 14, 2018•27 min
