Join Tony Armstrong on a trip through the annals of sports history to uncover some of the most extraordinary, untold tales that will captivate, surprise, and inspire. From footy to Formula 1, this is the show that celebrates the winners, losers, and the weird stuff between.
It’s the year 1990, in the small town of Vinton, Louisiana, where a horse race is about to get started. A thick fog has settled on Delta Downs Racecourse. Visibility for this one-mile race is almost zero. It seems like winning is going to be a close-your-eyes-and-hope situation. But jockey Sylvester Carmouche has a sneaky plan to take them all by surprise. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Long before Serena, Ash and Naomi, women’s tennis was dominated by one name. Known as “la Divine” - The Goddess - Suzanne Lenglen was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. Not only was she an unstoppable force on the court, but she was also a pioneer of fame, fashion and celebrity in women's sport. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
There’s nothing wrong with a little sibling rivalry. But if you can’t back it up in the sporting arena yourself, maybe don’t provoke your brother or sister. When Maria Teresa de Filippis took an interest in motor racing, her brothers mocked her. They didn't think she stood a chance. Well, that was all the inspiration Maria needed to prove them wrong. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Justine Blainey was playing ice hockey as early as 7 years old. She loved it so much that she was determined to go pro, but her aggressive style of play often got her into trouble with the referee. So, she opted to join the boys team, where bodychecking was allowed. But that move was far easier said than done. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Most of us, if we’re lucky, will get the chance to grow old. It's a time for retirement and relaxation, for slowing down and watching the world go by. But that wasn't the case for Man Kaur. In 2009, aged 93, she spontaneously decided to take up running. And then, she took on the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nineteen boxers competed in the 1960 Olympic Games. And after three rounds of wins, Australian Tony Madigan reached the semi-finals, looking for a place in the gold medal bout. His opponent? A promising but little-known amateur, boxing in his first ever Olympics: Cassius Clay. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It’s human nature to want to push the limits of our capabilities. But it’s easy to forget that some things, which seem ordinary now, weren’t so simple until we achieved them. Midway through the 20th century, running a mile in under 4 minutes seemed impossible. But one man dared to try: a medical student from London named Roger Bannister. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dakar Rally is one of the world’s toughest motor races. Since the late 70s, the globe’s best rally drivers have competed in the off-road endurance event. But prior to 2001, the race had only seen male champions. Then came Jutta Kleinschmidt, who was determined to shake things up a bit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Australians practically wrote the book on how to do cricket right - from the backyard to summer afternoons at the 'G. But even in this sunburnt country, we still needed a Plan B for a rainy day. So we headed indoors to invent a whole new kind of game. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Climbing Everest is an adventurer’s dream. But for Spanish mountaineer, Edurne Pasaban, it wasn't enough. She wanted to become the first woman to climb all “eight-thousanders”, the world’s highest peaks, above 8,000 metres. So, one down and thirteen more to go... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
CrossFit is like regular gym, but faster and with more handstands. It requires all-round body strength and incredible willpower. It probably helps to have a good sense of humour too, because the sport certainly has its critics. It's no wonder then, that an Aussie has won more CrossFit world titles than anyone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We all knew that one kid in PE class that was good at every sport they tried. Well, Peter Mullins was that kid. He was sport-obsessed and had a natural ability to pick up new skills like it was nothing. So much so, that Peter became a champion athlete in many of them, earning him the unofficial title of Australia's greatest all-rounder. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The 1980 Olympics in Moscow were defined by controversy, even before the Games had begun. More than 60 countries had staged a boycott. But it also had a direct impact on competition. The men’s triple jump was fiercely contested but the results were hotly disputed, and would change the rules of the event for good. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Australia loves its athletes, especially our women's Olympic swimming team. As is now tradition, they're quickly labelled “ours”. Our Shane. Our Libby. Our Arriane. But where did it all begin? Meet Mina Wylie and Sarah “Fanny” Durack, the Australian women who dived into the history books more than 110 years ago. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Shane Kelly is one of Australia's cycling greats. Throughout his incredible career, he won it all. Everything, that is, except for a gold medal at the Games. Considered the greatest cyclist in the world in 1996, one split second mistake in Atlanta set Shane up for a life lesson in failure, and how to overcome it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Pistol shooting is a sport that takes a very particular set of skills. But for Karoly Takacs, a sergeant in the army, it came naturally. He was so good that he dominated national championships and had set his sights on his ultimate goal: to win a gold medal. That was until a tragic accident during an army training exercise threatened to destroy his sporting dream. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Australia has always been a sporting nation, but the green and gold wasn't always synonymous with winning. This is the story of how our greatest failure on the world stage gave rise to new a generation of athletes and put Australia on the path to Games glory. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The United States absolutely dominated the 1904 Summer Games in St. Louis, claiming over 200 medals. Their closest competitors, Germany, won just 15. But it turns out, some of those medals attributed to the USA weren't actually won by Americans. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Games in Sydney was full of memorable moments for Australia, like Cathy Freeman's 400m Gold, and Ian Thorpe's dominance in the pool. But for one athlete, it's a Games they'd rather forget. Jane Saville was on the brink of a historic result for her country, competing in front of a home town crowd, when everything changed in an instant. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In a small town in the north of France, stands a statue - a monument honouring a fallen hero. A plaque carries the name of a soldier, but this isn't a regular war memorial. It recognises a once forgotten Australian champion athlete who embodied sportsmanship and made history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Don’t miss Find and Tell, the search for the next generation of Australian storytellers. Think of it like one of those TV talent shows... but for podcasting! You'll hear from four Australians as they go head-to-head to Find and Tell unique and interesting stories from around the country, based on a new theme each episode. Follow along each Wednesday as host Jamila Rizvi decides which storyteller will take home the grand prize and be crowned the Find And Tell champion. Search Find And Tell on you...
It's the last Grand Prix of the 1959 Formula 1 season and Jack Brabham is on the verge of his first Driver's Championship. He only needs to finish ahead of his two closest rivals to secure an F1 crown. But on the final lap, every driver’s worst nightmare becomes Jack Brabham’s reality. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
To put it bluntly, English football in the 1970s was a boys club - to the extent that stadiums didn't even have women's toilets. Even the media rooms were full of male journalists. That was until one woman looked to challenge the status quo. A photographer named Hy Money had a passion for taking pictures, and nobody was going to stand in her way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Patrick Mills is one of our country's greatest athletes. He's a star on the basketball court and an NBA Champion. But the secret to his success stems from his childhood, and a very special junior b-ball club that shaped Patty into the player he is today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The winter of 1954 saw one of the most gruelling motor racing events in history: an 18-day, long-distance rally around Australia. And the man tipped as favourite, turned up to the start of the race wearing a gorilla mask and driving a car full of explosives. This is the story of “Gelignite Jack”. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Les Darcy was a boxing champion and a national hero…until he wasn't. At the height of the First World War, he secretly boarded a ship to avoid impending military conscription. His destination? The glitz and glamour of New York's professional boxing scene. But by the time he arrived, the world had turned its back on this rising star. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dennis Bergkamp was one of the greatest footballers of his generation. By his early 20s, he was a star in the making. But in 1995, Bergkamp's contract negotiations with Arsenal hit a snag when the club learned about his greatest fear - a serious phobia that threatened to disrupt Dennis' football career. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Being called "the Lionel Messi of…" anything is a badge of honour. To be that good at your chosen sport is an incredible achievement. But Gary Hunt is the best in the world at a sport so extreme, that one wrong move could cause serious spinal injuries…or even death. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In 1896, Arthur Richardson became the first person to cross the Nullabor on a bicycle. It was his first taste of the open country and it left him wanting more. Four years later, Arthur set his sights on another record – to be the first person to circumnavigate the entire continent on a bike. But the adventure quickly turned into a race, when three other blokes just so happened to be attempting the same feat, at the exact same time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Curling is a sport that's usually associated with cold places, like Scotland, Canada or New Zealand. So, just how did Australia, the driest inhabited continent on Earth, manage to produce an Olympic-qualifying curling team? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
