When Robbie Manson announced that he was hanging up his oars ahead of the Tokyo Games, he’d already achieved a bucket-load of amazing sporting achievements.

The New Zealander had competed at back-to-back Olympics in London and Rio, had secured a spot for Tokyo – and, with multiple World Rowing Cups and a World Rowing Championship bronze medal in 2015 under his belt, no-one would have blamed him for wanting to do something new.

But as much as he enjoyed coaching, something about the sport kept pulling him back – and, after returning to full time competition, Robbie has earned himself a spot at the Paris Olympics in just a few months from now.

So, we needed no further excuse to get Robbie on the podcast than that to talk all about his amazing journey and this is a fascinating conversation.
It touches on mental health, burnout, stepping away from the sport you love and finding a way back again, being your authentic self, the importance of visibility amongst others and so much more.

It’s considered, it’s powerful, it’s never anything less than real – and we’re really grateful for Robbie for making the time to join us for it.

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@robbie_manson

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@jack_murley
jack.murley@bbc.co.uk