Off The Podium - An Olympics Podcast

We're on target to break a drought on this show today as for the first time in a few years we get back to the great sport of archery! And what better way to do it than speaking with Aussie Olympian Peter Boukouvalas about his recent experiences in Paris and learning more about the great sport he competes in! We find out from Peter about which other sport he could've been an Olympian in and just what unique thing happened to get him to switch from that intro archery. We also learn about the very unique training regimes from his sport and just how intensive it actually is. Added to this we find out about his Paris experiences, his take on being involved in the Opening Ceremony and just what he has to say to the many people who doubted that he could ever make an Olympic team. It's an incredibly open and deep chat that you defintely won't want to miss!

It's been a while since we've hit the sand for beach volleyball but we're back to talk about as we sit down with Aussie Olympian Mark Nicolaidis to learn about his career and his experiences in Paris earlier this year! Mark has had a stellar rise to the top in his sport, a rise that started off on the indoor courts in Queensland and saw him become a pirate. How? Well you'll find out in this chat. You'll also find out how his partnership with Izac Carracher was able to blossom so early and bring them immediate success when they came together as a team, and how they were then able to overcome disappointment along the way to their very last minute selection for the Paris Olympics. Added to this we find out about his experiences at both ceremonies in Paris, learn more about his potential bromance with an Australian TV personality and learn which fellow Olympian could be joining him in a special coffee project moving forward. It's an incredibly entertaining chat that you won't want to miss!

We're excited to return to the sport of judo today on Off The Podium and for the very first time interview the brother of a former guest as we speak with two-time Australian Olympian Nathan Katz about his judoka journey as well as his Olympic experiences! We learn from Nathan's perspective about what it was like growing up in such a judo obsessed household and why he always wanted to pursue the sport he loved so much. We also find out more about his two very unique Olympic experiences, including just how he went from sitting in a car with some Chinese food and a bottle of wine two weeks before an Olympics not having qualified to finding out that he was going to be on a plane to the Games. Added to this we hear about what role Kate Bush played in his career, just why his brother should have a movie made about him and learn why doing judo on a water bed isn't the smartest idea. It's another epic chat that you can't miss, so get to listening!

Pumped to be able to go back into the vault for our latest CLASSIC OPENING CEREMONY REVIEW as we transport you back to 1998 and review a fascinating Nagano 1998 Winter Olympics opening ceremony! Just how pumped are we to talk about sumo wrestlers and children of the corn? Why did so many winter athletes in 1998 want to look like spys from the 1950s? Do we appreciate the ceremony taking place during the day and the fact it was the last one we have ever seen not take place at night? How great is napkin man? Were we shocked to see the man who discovered Prince involved in this ceremony? Are the Japanese organisers the politest we have ever seen in any opening ceremony? How epic is the cauldron lighting? And is the Ode to Joy sequence one of the greatest ever Olympic opening ceremony moments in history? There's so much to unpack in one hell of an opening ceremony so listen in to find out more!

It's rugby 7s time here on Off The Podium as we chat with Aussie triple Olympian Henry Hutchison about the highs, lows and everything else in between from his incredible career! We find out from Henry just how important the 2003 Rugby World Cup was to him and how that set him on a path towards being a triple Olympian. We also find out what it was like playing the sport in Melbourne after moving there from Sydney, and just how the city has embraced rugby over the years. We also learn more about each of his unique Olympic experiences, learn just what made the Stade de France so special in Paris and why Olympic Handball holds such a close connection to him. So get to listening and get enteratined in another massive interview!

Are you ready for a punchy interview? We certainly are! As we return to the sport of boxing today to chat with Australian Olympian Tiana Echegaray about her epic career and journey through the sport and of course her Olympic experiences in Paris earlier this year! We learn from Tiana about her incredible story that took her from a mundane 9 to 5 job in Sydney five years ago to the Olympic Games in Paris. We also learn about how her tight family and strong community upbringing helped get her to that point, as well as just how she wants to use her Cook Island heritage in the future to further develop it on the world stage. Added to this we find out a controversial opinion when it comes to the viral Paris chocolate muffins, learn just how good her drawing skills are when it comes to one of her teammates and find out just why a night with the Australian boxing team at karaoke is something we all need to put on our bucket lists. It's one hell of an interview with one hell of an athlete, so tune in and make sure you don't miss a second of it!

A bit of history on the show today as for the first time we bring back a guest for a third time to chat, as we catch up with the increidble Aussie wrestler Jayden Lawrence to learn all about his experiences in Paris at his first ever Olympics! We find out from Jayden just whether the Olympics lived up to his expectations and how he felt about his two matches during the Games. We also learn about his unique experiences at the Opening Ceremony, and find out just how long it took to get his formal jacket dry after all the rain that night. Added to that we find out more about his recent meeting with King Charles, find out which part of the world he is a bit of a celebrity in and learn about the unique beverage that is horse milk. It's another incredible chat with an incredible athlete that we can't wait for you to get into! 

It's time to sprint yourself into another amazing interview as we chat with Canadian sprinter Duan Asemota about his journey in athletics that took him all the way to his first Olympics in Paris earlier this year! We find out from Duan just how the switch came to sprinting from a basketball background, and how he actually could've been going into space instead of the Olympics. We also get an incredibly detailed look into the analytics of the 100m, and learn just what is the difference between an athlete who is quick and an athlete who is fast. Added to this we learn about his experiences at Ohio State and the success he had there, his rollercoaster of emotions that came from his Olympic experience in Paris and just why you want to be careful playing him online in FIFA. It's an epic chat of epic proportions that you won't want to miss!

We're heading back to the water today, this time in the great sport of Canoe/Kayak sprint as we chat with Canadian kayaker Laurent Lavigne to learn all about his rise in the sport and learn more about his experiences at his first ever Olympics in Paris earlier this year! We find out from Laurent how watching his brother paddle one day led to an opportunity for him to paddle and start his epic rise through the sport. We also find about his experiences rising through the ranks that led him to breaking a significant Canadian medal drought, as well as how he felt once he knew he was on the radar of the Olympic team. Added to this we learn about the unique margins it takes to be successful in kayak sprint, learn just how obsessed he got with pin trading at the Olympics as well as just why his family has a very unique line of succession when it comes to dog ownership. It's a fun and informative chat that you won't want to miss!

As we continue to learn more from our Paris Olympians and their experiences at the 2024 Olympics, we're excited to bring back Judoka Josh Katz to the show to find out more about his time in Paris! We find out just what happened during his match at the Olympics, and how he has managed to recover from the disappointment it brought him. We also learn about how he was able to experience the Olympics differently at his second Games and how he has reflected on the experience after a few months. Added to this we find out just what is next for him, why there have been some extra challenges since he has come home and just why he has to replace a special piece Olympic equipment he has had for over eight years! It's an epic chat that you simply can't miss!

Who loves field hockey? We do! And you know who else does? Australian Olympian Tatum Stewart! And lucky enough for you we are joined by Tatum today to learn more about her passion for the sport and her epic rise through the ranks that led her to making her Olympic debut in Paris only a few months ago! We learn from Tatum what made her pick up a hockey stick and take that journey, as well as what chance meeting with a former Hockeyroo led her to take it just a bit more seriously. We also find out more about the Hockeyroos performance in Paris and just why the disappointment of losing in the quarter-final will only make them better in four years time. Added to his we find out more about some of her unique experiences in Paris and the unique people she met, just why she could be a major international DJ sometime soon and learn more about her epic TikToks! It's an insightful and entertaining chat that will make your day even better!

We're back into another epic interview today as we move back into the sport of rowing to learn more from Aussie Paris Olympian Paige Barr about her extraordinary career and Olympic experiences! We find out about Paige's journey in the sport and her rapid rise through the ranks in the world of rowing. We also find out about the challenges involved in selection for Paris and what that moment was like once she found out she was going to her first Olympics. Added to this we learn about why her music taste often doesn't sit too well with her teammates, just how good those chocolate muffins were in Paris and whether or not a title she received in high school means she can be captain of all things to do with boats! It's an incredible chat that will row yourself into excitement! So get to listening!

It's been a while since we have brought you a CLASSIC OPENING CEREMONY REVIEW and we're doing exactly that today as we go all the way back to 1976 and look at the Opening Ceremony for the Innsbruck Winter Olympics! Why is there so much marching band music? Seriously. Are so over it that we just can't talk about it? Or is it the fact that there isn't anything to talk about? Like...a few flags being waved, some marching countries, a speech that doesn't happen and the biggest flame you have ever seen in your life? Really...how are we going to do this? You're going to have one hell of a ride as we learn more about Austria in the seventies in an episode you'll have to hear to believe! Just don't say we didn't warn you about the marching music....(SERIOUSLY MAKE IT STOP!!!!!)

Super excited to bring you another incredible interview today as we sit down with New Zealand artist and film maker Zakea Page. In 2020, Zakea was the winner of the design contest for the Winter Youth Olympic medals, becoming the first ever New Zealander to design medals for an Olympic Games. It was with this moment that Zakea saw an opportunity to do something even more unique, and he soon found himself performing at the Opening Ceremony in Lausanne during the Youth Olympics. Zakea goes over just how he was able to achieve that very distinctive feat, what it meant to him to be able to represent New Zealand at the Youth Olympics in a way that perhaps could be the most unique ever seen, and just what part of that experience gave him a moment that made him feel 'immortal'. Added to these amazing stories, we learn more about how he took his Youth Olympic experience and turned it into a documentary that has been dominating the global film circuit, find out just how he is in a very unique club that involves the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Celine Dion and Bjork and also learn what it is like to hug Thomas Bach, Olympic Champion Fencing. It's an amazing interview that you simply can't miss!

With the Paralympics over, we wanted to bring you a very unique and special episode that might just be the most original we have ever done on Off The Podium. Today we are celebrating a truly iconic Olympian in George Eyser, an American gymnast who back in 1904 set the record for most Olympic medals won in a single day when he claimed six medals in gymnastics. What is even more incredible about George's achievement, is that he did so with a wooden leg. It's an amazing story about an amazing Olympian that very few people know the truth about, until earlier this year when Pulitzer Prize finalist writer Joshua Prager penned an amazing article going over George's career and uncovering some previously unknown facts about the man who has remained a mystery for more than 120 years. We sit down with Joshua to learn more about George, just why he decided to put 12 years of his life into writing this article, and find out just whether or not this incredible story might be on the path to the Hollywood treatment now that it has been fully revealed. It's an amazing episode that you won't soon forget!

Well it's officially time to say goodbye to everything Paris 2024 related as the 2024 Paralympics have drawn to a close, and we're back to go over everything to do with the Paris Paralympics in true Off The Podium style! We go over all the big moments, big athletes and big sports that we loved watching along the way! We also talk up just why some sports at the Paralympics are far better than the Olympics and what we would like to see worked into more future Paralympics! Added to this we learn just how sad we are that Paris is over and that we have to wait another four years for another Summer festival of sport! It's all here and more in our epic Paralympics 2024 recap that you simply can't miss!

As the Paris Paralympics continue, we are continuing on with our mini-series interviewing Paralympic legends. And today it's a big one, as we speak with legendary Australian swimmer Melissa Carlton about her extraordinary career that netted her nine Paralympic medals across two Paralympics. We find out about her start in the sport and her move from South Africa to Australia, and just how she went on to become one of the biggest name athletes in the state of Tasmania across the 1990s. We also learn about her journey to the Paralympics and just how she found the differences between swimming in Atlanta and at home in Sydney. Added to this we find out just what she has done with her medals, how she feels about being an iconic Tasmanian and how she was able to turn her successful swimming career into a successful career outside of the pool. It's another amazing interview with an amazing athlete that you can't afford to miss!

The Paralympics are here! And to celebrate the occasion we are continuing our mini-series in speaking to some Paralympic legends as we sit down with five-time Australian Paralympian in the sport of swimming, Matt Levy, to learn about his epic rise in the sport and his amazing achievements at the Paralympic Games. We find out how attending the Sydney Paralympics in 2000 was so inspirational for Matt and why that made him take up swimming on a more competitive level than he had ever before. We also learn about how he was able to adapt so quickly and find his way to the Paralympics only a few years later in Athens, and how through all of his Paralympic appearances he was able to use past performances as fuel towards achieving greater success. Added to this we learn more about his part in the epic 4x100m freestyle 34 points relay win in Tokyo, how he has used his story to help out others on a grand stage since his retirement and whether or not he feels a bit weird not being at the Paris Paralympics given it's the first time he hasn't competed at the Paralympic Games in 24 years. It's an amazing interview from one of the greatest Australian Paralympians of all time, so don't miss it and get to listening!

With the Olympics over for another four years, it's now time to switch focus to the Paralympics in Paris which are set to begin in less than a week. And in the lead up to the 2024 Paralympics we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to chat to some legends of the event and learn more about their unique and incredible individual journeys through sport. Today we begin this mini-series in perhaps the biggest way possible from a Canadian perspective, as we speak with the most decorated Canadian Paralympian of all time, Michael Edgson, to learn about his amazing career in swimming and just how he was able to achieve such success on the world stage. We find out just why swimming was his chosen sport and what it was like to rise through the ranks in Canada in the late 70s and early 80s towards his Paralympic debut in 1984. We also find out how he came to choose his specific strokes and which stroke he just never had a liking for. Added to this we hear the most extraordinary stories behind his most famous races, and why one of them actually came from defeat rather than victory, some epic tales of hanging out with some legendary Canadian athletes and just why he decided to hang up the goggles after the Barcelona Paralympics, despite still being so young. It's an absolutely incredible interview that you simply can't miss!

After an incredible last few weeks of amazing Olympic action, we bring our Paris 2024 coverage to a close with one last special episode! Join Ben as he brings you some exclusive snippets on the ground in Paris during the Olympics, featuring a variety of thoughts and insights as he documents his journey throughout the 16 days of competition. We also hear from some very special guests, including Jill and Alison from the 'Keep The Flame Alive' podcast, our special contributor Patrick Riley and two very special guests that you won't want to miss! It's one hell of an episode with one hell of an insight into the greatest show on earth!