The Podium is back. Join host Zora Stephenson for fresh angles and deeper dives on the people, places and performances that will shape the medal count. New episodes weekly before the opening ceremony and daily during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games beginning July 26th on NBC & Peacock.
Jun 03, 2024•2 min
Paralympians are well-versed in the challenges of life and sport, and yet fun sems to permeate the ranks of competitors at all levels. Through the experiences of Team USA’ Brittani Coury & Lera Doederlein, we’re reminded why we should all seek fun in sport. Follow The Podium now to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch coverage of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.
Mar 14, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 62
Top sit ski racer Andrew Kurka is collecting Paralympic heartbreaks that would shake even the toughest competitors. While the Alaskan had ambitious goals to add to his Paralympic medal collection in Beijing, the void in his trophy room from these Games has marked an even bigger win: the triumph that comes from getting back up, and out on the slopes. Follow The Podium now to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch coverage of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.
Mar 13, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 61
Visually-impaired skier Danelle Umstead and her guide Rob Umstead share every twist and turn of their lives and their Paralympic aspirations on and off the slopes. The couple discuss race strategy, headset etiquette and why facing down the biggest challenges is possible, and faster, together. Follow The Podium now to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch coverage of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.
Mar 11, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 60
The 6 month gap between paralympic games has left athletes with an unprecedented challenge: finding their podium form after going all-in for Tokyo. Oksana Masters and Kendall Gretsch kick into high gear and even higher medal counts, explaining what it takes to go from one winning season to the next in record time. Follow The Podium now to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch coverage of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.
Mar 09, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 59
Mike Schultz designed a prosthetic leg to help him return to motorsports racing, but it’s the process of adapting his design for other athletes that he found his way to the Paralympic podium, and his most meaningful work. Follow The Podium now to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch coverage of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.
Mar 07, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 58
As the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games begin, we look into the increasingly united front of para and able-bodied athletes through the experience of skier Thomas Walsh. Walsh and host Mallory Weggemann expand on how para athletes may better embody traditional sportsmanship despite their less traditional ways of competing. Follow The Podium now to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch coverage of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.
Mar 05, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 57
There's a city in central Florida that has proven to be the epicentre for American long track speed skating excellence. We speak to medalists Erin Jackson, Brittany Bowe and Joey Mantia to figure out just what about the subtropical town makes fast athletes on ice. Follow The Podium now on Spotify to get automatic downloads. We thank you for tuning into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games and stay tunes for the 2022 Paralympics starting March 4th.
Feb 21, 2022•17 min•Season 2Ep. 56
Indigenous athletes are rare in the Winter Olympics, but for the select few in Beijing like Greenlandic biathlete Ukaleq Slettemark and Team USA hockey player Abby Roque, their unique background is a point of strength. Follow The Podium now on Spotify to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
Feb 20, 2022•16 min•Season 2Ep. 55
In a sports landscape of ultra-specialized athletes, there is meaning in finding the compromise of doing different sports in different seasons. We talk to nordic combined skiers Taylor Fletcher & Jared Shumate along with summer and winter Olympian Nathan Crumpton about what it takes to shift gears between multiple sports. Follow The Podium now on Spotify to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games....
Feb 19, 2022•20 min•Season 2Ep. 54
Skiers like Paula Moltzan return to the same training and competition venues year after year, allowing them a front row seat to the distressing spectacle of climate change. We check in with her and On Her Turf’s Alex Azzi to collect stories and actions from winter Olympians concerned about the future of snow and ice. Follow The Podium now on Spotify to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
Feb 17, 2022•16 min•Season 2Ep. 53
Doubles luge is like two people dancing on a knife’s edge. And while the soundtrack may not exactly make it to your Spotify favorites, its rhythms and steps are much closer to the heat of a crowded dance floor than the sub-zero Yanqing weather might lead on. Luge Medalist and Dancing with The Stars contestant Chris Mazdzer helps us make the link between ballroom dancing and this most intimate of sliding events. Follow The Podium now on Spotify to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networ...
Feb 17, 2022•18 min•Season 2Ep. 52
Olympians in Beijing are proudly donning their matching national uniforms from the ice and snow to the dining hall. Despite, or perhaps because of that uniformity, small gestures and equipment choices are speaking volumes about the athletes who populate the results sheet. One athlete and one sport seem to be getting their message across quite well: Andrew Blaser in Skeleton. He joins Lauren Shehadi to explain why equipment choice can be so much more. Follow The Podium now on Spotify to get autom...
Feb 16, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 51
There’s one telltale way to spot an Olympian, and it’s not their muscular physiques or worldly attitudes. It has become tradition for each to get the Olympic rings tattooed on their bodies. Kaillie Humphries and Elizabeth Beisel tell us why they wear their Olympic experiences on their sleeves. Follow The Podium now on Spotify to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
Feb 15, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 50
Grabbing your snowboard or skis while midair has both style and efficiency advantages, but within that simple action lies a gripping world of variations and personal history. US freeskiers Nick Goepper, Mac Forehand and Colby Stevenson are joined by snowboardcross racers Lindsey Jacobellis and Nick Baumgartner to explain how grabs can hand you gold or leave you empty-handed. Follow The Podium now on Apple Podcasts to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every momen...
Feb 14, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 49
Elana Meyers Taylor was meant to bear the flag for Team USA. Instead, she spent the first days of these games in isolation following a positive COVID test for her, her husband and toddler. Elana’s situation allows Lauren Shehadi and On Her Turf Blog editor, Alex Azzi, to explore the added challenges that female Olympians face and how they do so with unbridled optimism for an increasingly equal sports landscape. Follow The Podium now on Apple Podcasts to get automatic downloads. And tune into the...
Feb 13, 2022•18 min•Season 2Ep. 48
With the world’s eyes focused on them, it’s no surprise Olympic champions are giving a thought to how they look. Nathan Chen, dressed by Vera Wang, and Julia Marino by Prada are the newest Olympic medalists to mix winter sport and high fashion and join host Lauren Shehadi to talk about their own take on high-flying fashion. Follow The Podium now on Apple Podcasts to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
Feb 12, 2022•11 min•Season 2Ep. 47
In sliding sports, the all-important clock tallies the forces of speed by time. But there is one variable every skeleton, luge and bobsled athlete always wants more of: Weight. US four-man bobsled team of Frankie Del Duca, Jimmy Reed, Carlos Valdes and Hakeem Abdul-Saboor are trying to get to the very upper limit of the allowed weight to maximize speed and five-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender explains how making yourself heavy is about being light in your mental approach. Follow The Podium now on ...
Feb 11, 2022•17 min•Season 2Ep. 46
Every podium at the Olympics is accompanied by a song, but for skier Colby Stevens and figure skaters Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, music is part of what propels them to medal ceremonies to begin with. On today’s show, soundtracks to win medals to, directly from the athletes that won with them. Follow The Podium on Apple Podcasts now to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
Feb 10, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 45
Training, performing and winning is better done with those we love. And that extends right up to sharing the podiums steps. Madison Chock and Evan Bates are creating love stories on and off the ice, and now on Olympic podiums. Jaelin Kauf stood on a mogul podium with her mom as a toddler and has turned that support into an Olympic Silver. Follow The Podium now on Apple Podcasts to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic ...
Feb 09, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 44
Watch something long enough and certain trends start to appear. Commentators Todd Richards, Todd Harris and Trond Nystad’s unique abilities are to get you closer to the action despite being 1000s of miles away from Beijing. With that experience, we turn to each to figure out why their respective countries excel at the Winter Olympics. Follow The Podium now on Amazon Music to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games....
Feb 08, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Listen to a special Winter Olympics episode of the TODAY podcast. Hear all the history-making moments, athlete interviews, and inspiring stories every morning on the TODAY podcast — your daily destination for news on the go. Follow and listen to TODAY now: https://link.chtbl.com/olympics_today
Feb 08, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Stratton Mountain School is a small prep institution in southern Vermont, one that seems to excel at readying its students for a very successful field trip every 4 years to the Winter Olympic Games. We talk to some of the SMS alumni currently competing in Beijing about their experience at the school. Louie Vito, Ben Ogden and Julia Kern show the camaraderie that exists between its incredibly decorated and long list of 46 Olympic alumni. Follow The Podium now on Amazon to get automatic downloads ...
Feb 07, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 41
The Slopestyle course that hosts the ski and snowboard events is turning heads because of its innovative features and ancient looks. Unmistakably, its inspiration is the nearby Great Wall of China. We catch up with Dirk Scheumann of Schneestern, the lead designer and course builder to understand his design philosophies and the cold realities on the ground in Zhangjiakou. Follow The Podium now on Amazon Music to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of t...
Feb 06, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Team USA consists of a record 224 Athletes for these winter games. They‘ve made it to the games on chartered flights and wear the same uniform, but each also has their own journey to the games. Amongst the crowd, connect with stories from the members of team USA. From loss to levity, see how the experience of the Opening ceremony means different things to Chris Lillis, David Wise, Red Gerard, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Alex Hall, Summer Britcher and Winter Vinecki. Follow The Podium now on Amazon to g...
Feb 04, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 39
NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano and 10,000m Speed Skating Gold Medalist Ted-Jan Bloemen explain how oval racing's truths carry over from the speedway to the ice. Speed, risk and constant improvement turn out to be the fuel behind both racers. Join Lauren Shehadi for Season 3 of The Podium from NBC Sports. Remember, starting February 4th, The Podium will speed up to a daily release schedule until the closing ceremony, and don't forget we're back for the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Games starti...
Feb 01, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 38
As sports fans stateside fall asleep on February 20th, 2018, the US is embarking on a historic run of performances. By the time they turn down the lights next, their medal count will have shot up by nine. Seven of those new medals are hanging around women's necks. American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin and hockey player Kendall Coyne Schofield take us through that momentous day in Pyeongchang and how it tells the story of much more than a single 24hr period. Instead, that medal run is illustrati...
Jan 25, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Recent Winter Games have seen less-than-abundant natural snow. But that hasn't changed the forecast for incredible performances. So what does a winter athlete's life look like with a lot less winter? American aerial skiers Ashley Caldwell and Justin Schoenefeld join host Lauren Shehadi to share how their journey to the games involves more days in the pool than on snow. Listen to Season 3 of The Podium from NBC Sports.
Jan 18, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 36
Big Air Skiing will make its Olympic debut in 2022. Everything about the format, venue and competitors point to an event high in airtime and consequences. Medals can be won in mere seconds, but below the scary stunts lie life lessons about patience and personal growth. Olympic medalist Nick Goepper is joined by sit skiers Josh Dueck and Jay Rawe to explore why they fell in love with big jumps, no matter the cost. Join Host Lauren Shehadi on Season 3 of The Podium from NBC Sports....
Jan 11, 2022•41 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Biathlon is a fan-filled, high-drama and celebrity-making sport, just not in the US. And yet Amercian biathletes are etching their way into the competitive landscape abroad with every rifle shot and ski stroke. Lowell Bailey, director of high performance at US Biathlon and current competitor Clare Egan take contrast their stateside and European realities and give us insight into the last winter olympic sport their nation has yet to medal in. Join host Lauren Shehadi on season 3 of The Podium fro...
Jan 04, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 34
