Best Day Ever W/ Kara and Rudy

Curtis Thompson is one of the top javelin throwers in the world and is a consistent force for Team USA. A two-time Olympian, five-time US champion, and an NCAA champion at Mississippi State, Curtis has built a reputation as one of the best American Javelin throwers of his generation. Curtis's incredible career is highlighted by a 2023 Pan American Games win, two NACAC titles in 2022 and 2025, and a bronze at the 2025 World Championships - the first world championship medal by a Team USA athlete in nearly 2 decades on the first ever all-Americas podium in the men's javelin. Curtis's success as an athlete is only outdone by his own humility and humbleness. With such a strong presence in his sport, what day will Curtis Thompson say is his Best Day Ever?This episode was brought to you in part by: Munti Coffee. Use code "bestdayever" to get 10% off your first order at MuntiCoffee.com.

Laulauga Tausaga (Lagi) is one of the greatest female discus throwers of all time. Lagi burst onto the pro scene in 2018, where she placed 3rd at the USATF Outdoor National Championships. Then, in 2019, she made the final at her first World Championships, all while still attending the University of Iowa (go Hawkeyes). Since then, Lagi's career has been nothing short of incredible. She has earned multiple NCAA podiums, a NACAC title, has made multiple World Championship finals, and was the first ever American woman to win the discus throw at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. With such an incredible career, what day will Lagi say is her Best Day Ever?This episode is all about the things outside of our performances that make good days so good, and how, sometimes, our best days are when we make a breakthrough that changes our perception of our careers forever. Best Day Ever is hosted by Rudy Winkler and Kara Winger. They use their experiences as track and field pros to talk to other athletes about the mental side of the sport and to help their guests dive deep into all of the details that make their favorite days in sport so special. Listen to new episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts.

Sam Mattis is one of the best discus throwers of all time. He currently holds a PR of 71.27m, which puts him at #2 all-time in the USA and #15 all-time in the world. He is an NCAA champion, multiple time USATF Outdoor champion, World Championships finalist, and an Olympic games finalist. Sam has had a long career containing many twists and turns. What day will he say is his Best Day Ever?

Alex Rose has experience as a professional discus thrower as far back as 2012. He has an extremely storied career; he currently holds the 13th best throw of all time, is a 9 time Oceana Championships medalist (with 8 golds), and is a World Championships bronze medalist. With a long history filled with all sorts of ups and downs, what day will Alex say is his Best Day Ever?

With two decades of throwing experience, encompassing 2 American records, 3 Olympic teams, multiple national titles, and many more special moments under his belt, what day will our co-host Rudy Winkler say is his Best Day Ever?In this episode, Rudy and Kara unpack his Best Day Ever. It is a conversation about his journey in this sport as a pro, how our best moments often follow moments of great struggle, and about how the people and things outside of our performances are the things we care about the most.

After more than two decades in the sport, spanning four Olympic Games, two American Records, a World Championship silver medal, a Diamond League Final win, and countless moments in between, what day would our beloved co-host Kara Winger call her Best Day Ever?In this episode, Kara and Rudy unpack her Best Day Ever and everything behind it. It’s a conversation about defining success on your own terms, overcoming great challenges, appreciating the process, and understanding what truly means the most to an athlete as accomplished and storied as Kara Winger. #bestdayever #athletevoices #sportspodcast #olympics

Welcome to Best Day Ever! The podcast where your hosts, Kara Winger and Rudy Winkler, talk with fellow athlete's about their Best Day Ever. So much of sport happens when the cameras are off, or, in niche sport, when cameras might be on but it’s not the biggest stage, so only die-hard fans are watching or will ever know. Athletes are measured by athletic performance, at the right time. By medals, trophies, records, and podiums. But what are the moments that make those moments possible? What if athletes put more worth into the lead-up, the behind-the-scenes, the personal victory that meant more than any fan might know that it did? If you asked an athlete, what would THEY say was their best day ever? Even if an athlete’s best day ever is their PR, Olympic gold, World Championship title, or any of the big things we might expect, why did those moments mean so much? What more happened beyond the field of play that day to bring out the best in that human, at exactly the right time?Kara and Rudy will connect with athletes using their decades of combined experience competing at a high level in sport. Each episode will be about 20 minutes long. New episodes will be uploaded every other Monday.If you have requests for guests, or need to reach us in any other way, you can email us at: support@bestdayeverpod.com.