Off The Podium - An Olympics Podcast

We're jumping right back into the sport of equestrian today as we speak with one of Australia's top showjumpers leading into the Paris Olympics, Hilary Scott, about her incredible career and her Olympic aspirations! We find out from Hilary just what led her into a career in the sport and how she was able to progress up the ranks to be on the cusp of her first Olympic appearance. We also learn about the unique aspects around showjumping and just what training is required in order to be the best in the sport. Added this we learn more about what her horse Milky Way, find out her thoughts on competing against a music legend's daughter and get her take on some unique ways we can change the sport leading into the Brisbane Olympics! It's a jumping good time that you won't want to miss! So get to listening!

It's time to jump back on your bike here on Off The Podium as we return to the sport of cycling by speaking with Aussie track cyclist Kristina Clonan about her incredible career and hopes for the Olympics in Paris! We learn from Kristina just how she went from a promising young track & field star into endurance cycling and how then that brought about a switch to her current discipline of sprint cycling. We also learn just how the disappointment of not making the Tokyo Olympics helped spur her towards her current level of success and which moment really helped propel her towards an world beating attitude. Added to this we find out about her Commonwealth Games experiences in 2022, why she loves cycling so much even when she's not competing and how the movie 'Napoleon Dynamite' is a bit of a sore spot for her. It's a fun and informative chat that you simply can't miss!

We're back for our latest newscast and it's a big one this week as we're joined by the hosts of the Olympics Podcast 'Sitting on Our Rings', Brendan Low & Trent Hawkins, to talk all things to do with the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and the most recent developments around the bid! We find out direct from the city itself just what on earth is happening, how we have ended up in an embarrassing new situation and whether we could be at risk of losing the Olympics altogether. We also bring you the latest news from around the world to do with the Olympics and bring you the latest in our Paris 2024 sports previews by going over archery, swimming and athletics! It's one action packed episode that you can't miss!

We're super pumped to bring you another CROSSOVER SPECIAL EPISODE with our good friends over at the Keep The Flame Alive podcast to talk all things Paris 2024 on both sides of the Pacific and give our unique insights into the world of the Olympics! We're once again joined by Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown from the show to hear just how they are preparing for Paris and what unique coverage they have been doing in the lead up to the Olympics. We also find out just how their preparation is going for being on the ground for their first Summer Olympics in person and just why us bumping into them there might bring our own unique takes. Added to this we talk more about Tkflastan, talk more about Chairy and talk more about all the other burning issues in the world of the Olympics and Olympic podcasting! It's one hell of an episode that any fan of Olympic podcasting won't want to miss!

We're super pumped to bring back one of our favourite guests on Off The Podium as we catch up with Aussie breaker Rachael Gunn ahead of her Olympic debut in Paris in two months time! We find out just what the feeling of officially stamping her tickets to Paris was like since we last spoke to Rachael and just how it has been a whirlwind for her since that moment. We also learn about her preparation ahead of the Olympics and what she hopes to achieve in Paris. Added to this we learn more about the great b-boy name she gave Ben, why she is pushing for the sport to be allowed in schools and just what the hope is for the sport after the Paris Olympics given it won't be included in the 2028 Olympics. It's another epic chat that you won't want to miss!

It's that time of the week for our weekly news episode and this week we're joined by another American Olympic superfan in Connor Bunnell to go over all the latest Olympic news and bring you some epic sports previews! We go over the first ever Olympic Qualifier Series from Shanghai to see what we think of the event and whether or not it's something we should be seeing more of in the future. We also go over some 2036 bid news and have a look forward to just where we think those Olympics could be headed. Added to this some further selection news and looking at the Canadian Swim Trials, there's plenty to get you pumped on the news front! Then we also get into some more sports previews for the Paris Olympics as we take a closer look at football, judo and basketball! It's one hell of an episode that you simply can't miss!  

It's time to get back to the sport of boxing with an incredible talk with the Australian super heavyweight representative in Paris, Teremoana Jr Teremoana, about his rise through the sport and hopes at the Olympics in July! We learn what unique viewpoint he has of his sport and just why his family is so critical to why he does what he does. We also find out about the world of super heavyweight boxing and all the incredible intricacies that come around how it is done at the highest level. Added to this Teremoana tells about his incredible training regime, just why not only he will create Australian Olympic history in Paris but the entire Australian boxing team, and which other sport just might see him make an appearance after his successful run at the Olympics. It's one of our most insightful and engaging chats ever that will deliver you a knockout of excitement! So get to listening!

It's time to get back on your horse today as we move back to the sport of equestrian and once again learn more about dressage as we chat to one of Australia's best dressage riders Jemma Heran about her amazing career and Paris prospects! He discover just how Jemma got into the sport and what it was about dressage that tickled her fancy. We also learn more about the dressage discipline to try and understand it more and why we should be getting more excited about it for Paris. Added to this Jemma tells us what she hopes to achieve in Paris if she makes it, her excitement about the location of the event at the Olympics and her take on whether the horse should also get a medal at the Olympic Games. It's a great chat that you won't want to miss, so get to listening to get even more excited!

We're back for another NEWSCAST as we bring you all the latest Olympic news you want and need with special guest, Olympic superfan Patrick Riley! We talk about the excitement of the Olympic flame hitting French soil for the first time and the epic ceremony that came with it. We also discuss our thoughts on the new theme for the Olympics and just who might be in line to light the cauldron in a couple of months time. We also bring you the latest qualification news from around the world and find out how it will effect some medal prospects moving forward. Added to this is our latest bunch of sports to preview, as we go over the new kid on the block in breaking as well as previewing sport climbing and skateboarding! It's an epic episode that will get you up to date with all things Olympics! So get to listening!

We're pumped to bring back the great sport of artistic swimming through your speakers today as we sit down with two Australian Olympians in Kiera Gazzard & Rayna Buckle to learn about their respective journeys in the sport as well as their Olympic experiences in Tokyo and hopes heading into Paris! We find out from both of them just how they got involved in the sport and their unique journeys that saw them become teammates in 2021 at the Olympics. We also find out just why artistic swimming might be the hardest sport in the world and how they combat that when it comes to training together. Added to this we find out about their experiences at the recent World Championships and why they were such a big deal for the sport in Australia, learn what they can do outside of the pool to help with their routines and discover whether or not Chairy would be good at artistic swimming. It's one hell of an interview you simply can't miss!

It's time to get back into the sport of cycling today as we chat with Australian Tokyo Olympian and multiple World Championship medallist Grace Brown about her amazing career and hopes for Paris! We find out from Grace how a promising running career transitioned into an even more promising cycling career and how she was able to adapt to the sport so quick that she went from picking up the sport to representing Australian within three years. We also find out about her narrowly missing out on a medal during the Tokyo Olympics and whether Australian women are cursed in the time trial event. Added to this we find out about her recent success at the Commonwealth Games and World Championships, learn more about her unique degree and find out just why Chairy might help her win a medal at the Olympics later this year. It's a great chat that you simply can't miss!

It's been a long time coming but finally we are here to bring you our first ever news episode on Off The Podium with the debut of our weekly Newscast! That's right, after many years of teasing we would bring you a dedicated news episode, we're delivering on our promise with a news episode every week in the lead up to the Paris Olympics! And what a way to begin, as we welcome to the show for the first time American Olympics expert and NBC researcher Hallie Carmen to give her take on all things Olympics and discuss the latest news from the week. On the agenda this week is the recent controversy surrounding China and their Olympic swim team, as well as the IOC's announcement on the Refugee Olympic Team for Paris and a bunch of recent qualifications for Australia, the USA and Canada. Added to this we'll bring you a teaser of a great interview we have this week airing for you, as well as our first three sports previews ahead of the Paris Olympics as we go over badminton, table tennis and diving! It's an epic way to kick things off on a brand new type of episode! So get to listening and get informed!

It's a sport that we love but a sport we've somehow barely covered, but today we go about fixing that as not only do we bring equestrian back to 'Off The Podium', we bring for the first time the discipline of dressage to the show as we speak with one of Australia's best riders in the sport Jessica Dertell about her career, Paris prospects and also to learn more about just what dressage is! We find out from Jess how she got involved in the sport and just what it was about dressage in particular that tickled her fancy. We also learn the intricacies of the discipline and why it may be one of the hardest Olympic sports to fully master. Added to this we learn just what an Olympic appearance would mean to Jess, why Australia has always seemingly struggled in the discipline despite all our other equestrian success, and just how influential the great Andrew Hoy is to her and her fellow riders. It's an amazing chat that you'll get a lot out of, so tune in and get riding!

We're excited to get back into the great sport of triathlon today as we speak with Aussie triathlete Natalie Van Coevorden ahead of her push towards the Paris 2024 Olympic Games! We find out from Natalie about her quick progression in the sport, from being poached at a young age right through to finding herself on the very competitive World Triathlon Series. We also find out just what happened around her Tokyo qualification and why she wasn't selected and how she is using that disappointment towards her Paris 2024 tilt. Added to this we learn just why karaoke isn't going to be on her agenda any time soon, learn more about her experiences at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and find out just how she thinks she would go against Emma McKeon in a triathlon. It's a fun and amazing chat that you should already be listening to! So get to it!

An absolutely massive chat coming down your speakers today as we speak with an athlete who not only owns a piece of history, but is set to take the reigns of one of the biggest teams at the Paris Olympics. Anthony Nesty is a swimmer from Suriname who in 1988 created history by winning Suriname's first (and only) Olympic gold medal in the 100m butterfly, and further added to this tally by taking bronze in Barcelona in the same event. And if that wasn't enough for Anthony he is only months away from coaching the US men's swimming team at the Paris Olympics, with all the eyes of the world fixated on his team of superstars. In this great chat with Anthony, we learn about his rise through the swimming ranks and just what it meant to Suriname to have an Olympic gold medallist. We also learn more about the developments in swimming over the years and how different athletes are that he coaches now compared to himself when he was competing. Added to this we find out just how the mood is in the US Swim Team ahead of Paris, how they are feeling about Australia in the lead up to the Olympics and just whether or not Chairy can play a part in the team in July and August. It's an amazing chat with an amazing individual that you won't want to miss!

Our latest episode in our classic Olympic Opening Ceremony series is here as we once again go over an Opening Ceremony we have already covered in looking at the 2018 Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony from PyeongChang in South Korea! Has this Opening Ceremony actually improved since we watched it six years ago? How excited are we to have so much mascot interaction in this ceremony? Why are we still disappointed by the lack of Psy, even though there is technically Psy in it? Are we in awe of the soprano singer still? Are we slowly becoming nostalgic for Thomas Bach (Olympic Champion Fencing) and his very long speeches? And does this episode make us want to re-visit some other recent Opening Ceremonies for another look? It's all here in another epic episode that you won't want to miss!

A very special mid-week episode of Off The Podium coming your way today to celebrate 100 days to go till the Paris 2024 Olympics! Direct from the Australian Olympic Team's opening ceremony uniform launch in Sydney, we speak to Aussie Chef de Mission for Paris 2024 and Olympic legend Anna Meares, as well as Olympians Michelle Heyman, Tilly Kearns, Mariafe Artacho del Solar, Tom Green and Nick Malouf about their thoughts on the uniform as well as just how they are preparing for the Olympics in just 100 days time. It's one massive episode to celebrate one massive occasion that you simply can't miss!

It's a return to the Winter Olympics today as we sit down with Aussie Olympian Jenny Lyons to chat about her incredible skiing career across two different sports that took her to three Olympics and a whole bunch of success along the way! We learn from Jenny just what took her into skiing and what the scene was like in the sport of alpine in Australia during her early years. We also find out about her three Olympic appearances and her honest assessment of why the Olympics weren't always the best experiences for her. Added to this we find out about her bronze medal at the X Games in 2012, what Australia needs in order to get more people involved in alpine skiing and just what could lead her out of retirement once again to give a fourth Olympics a crack. It's a fun interview that you will get a lot out of so be sure to tune in!

After a couple of years away from talking to sport climbing athletes we now bring you two in the space of two weeks as we sit down with Campbell Harrison to learn about his career in the sport as he gears up for his Olympic debut in Paris! We find out from Campbell just what drew him into the sport and the progression he made towards his Olympic qualification. We also learn about the qualification process in the lead up to Tokyo and the incredibly difficult decisions he had to make that ultimately cost him a spot on the team for the Olympics. Added to this we learn more about the unique parts of his body he has to train in order to bring in peak performance, just what he hopes to achieve in Paris as well as just why Chairy could be used as a motivational tool for him heading into his first Olympics. It's a great chat that you won't want to miss!

It's been nearly three years since we last spoke to an athlete from sport climbing and today we finally fix that drought by speaking with Australian Olympian Oceania Mackenzie about her incredible career in the sport, Olympic experiences in Tokyo and what to expect from her second Olympic appearance in Paris later this year! We find out from Oceania how she got started in the sport and at what event she competed at that sparked her passion for the sport even further towards her debut Olympic appearance. We also learn about the mental aspect of the sport and whether doing puzzles can help when it comes to competing. Added to this we learn more about her hopes for Paris later this year, just why she loves vlogging so much and what bonus aspect of becoming an Olympic gold medallist will spur her towards glory at the Olympics even more. It's a fun chat that you can't miss!