Flame Bearers

When Mihaela was 9, she went to a park and saw some kids inline skating. She didn't realize it was actually for the winter sport of speed skating, but she was curious enough to give it a try herself: "In that moment, I decided my life. Here I am 13 years later, still doing it" despite the fact that Romania doesn't have any rinks for her to train on. Mihaela is now her country's fastest female spee...

3x Paralympic Gold Medalist, Kendall Gretsch is one of the only athletes who competed in Tokyo this past summer who is also competing in Beijing. Less than 6 months ago Kendall won gold in Paratriathlon, and she's now one of the Para Nordic favorites in Beijing. In this episode we talk about how Kendall got into para sports, what the postponement meant for her, and her goals for the future. Contri...

Dr. Natalia Siuba-Jarosz is an elite Polish Parasnowboarder and Doctor in Radiology. She has gone by Simba ever since her last name was misspelled in grade school, and the nickname stuck. In this episode we hear how Natalia balances both the world's of elite snowboarding and being a doctor, as well as her thoughts on women in the sport. Hint: we need more women. "Now it's changing, but almost all...

Valentina or 'The Lioness' grew up in Italy as a 'very competitive child' with her three sisters and one brother. She describes her heritage as "the perfect mix" of cultures, crediting each of her parents and their respective origins with various parts of who she is today (her Dad is from Italy and her Mom is from the Ivory Coast). Valentina is the first Italian to ever win a Skeleton medal in the...

When Aline was 15 years old, she was in a car accident that paralyzed her from the waist down. That said, she says "sport changed my life, not the accident." According to Aline sport gave her wings, the ability to travel, and to meet people from all over the world. In this episode, we speak with Brazilian Paralympic cross-country skier, Aline Roche about her passion for sport, and what it’s like t...

Mialitiana (Mia) is the first woman Winter Olympian from Madagascar and her goal is to "inspire all Africans." While she grew up in France with her adoptive parents, a big part of Mia's identity is as a Malagasy, and she wants to be living proof that a black African woman can reach the top in this sport. In this episode, Mia shares what it means to be the first and only Malagasy woman to compete i...

Reigning Olympic gold medalist, Mariama Jamanka never thought the words 'Olympic Champion' would apply to her, as a relative newcomer to bobsledding and as a member of the former 2nd German sled. In PyeongChang, Mariama and brakewoman, Lisa Buckwitz shattered all expectations, shocking the world by winning gold. In this episode, we speak with Mariama about her underdog gold medal and what it’s lik...

US Olympic bronze medalist and 2X National Champion figure skater, Bradie Tennell has already made a career out of breaking records…and unfortunately her feet. As of Dec. 31 2021, (just after this interview was recorded), Bradie made the tough decision to withdraw from figure skating Nationals due to her chronic foot injury. Though Bradie’s path to the Beijing Olympics ends here, her journey is we...

To kick off Season 2, we speak with 2x Russian Paralympian (soon to be 3x), biathlete and wheelchair racer, Akzhana Abdikarmova. She shares what it means to represent the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and sheds light on the invisibility of disability in Russia, how it has evolved, and how it hasn’t over the past 30 years. Akzhana grew up with spina bifida and is constantly looking for ways to in...

It’s been a while since the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, but we wanted to amplify and celebrate a voice the world missed in Japan. 2x Olympic gold medalist and 3x World Champion runner, Caster Semenya was barred from competing in her events because of her higher than 'normal' testosterone levels. Caster was legally blocked by the International Association of Athletics Federations (now World Ath...

Kamila started taekwondo when she was 9 years old and was the only girl on the team; years later, she's still the only woman, this time on Kazakhstan's Parataekwondo Paralympic team. In this episode, we speak with Kamila and her coach, Sultan, with the help of her friend and colleague, Meyept, Manager, National Paralympic Committee of Kazakhstan who translated our conversation live from Russian. I...

Jessica Long is one of the most successful athletes in Paralympic Games' history, holding 23 medals with 13 of them being gold. As she heads into her fifth Paralympics, Jessica shares that while her gold medals are "super cool", for her, it's "really about the journey." In this episode, this naturalized American swimmer from Russia shares what it's like to grow up adopted, without legs, and born o...

At the age of four, Ni Negah Widiasih lost use of her legs at age four due to polio. In Rio she made history, becoming Indonesia's first Paralympic powerlifting medalist. Ni Negah is a firm believer that 'You were born to stand out, to be appreciated and loved for who you are.' According to her, her journey to Tokyo is thanks to the unwavering support of her family and friends. Despite her unique...

In this episode, we speak with 4X Pan American Games' gold medallist and soon to be 2X Canadian Olympic Jacqueline Simoneau. At home, she's Jacqueline and in the pool, she goes by Jackie. We hear how her journey to the Olympic pool has been “synchronized” with hard work, a touch of glamour and the loving support of family and friends. We explore how the sport of artistic swimming evolved from the...

At age five, Danusia watched Elena Zamolodchikova of Russia compete on TV, and decided then and there that she wanted to be an Olympic gymnast. 22 years later, Danusia's dream is coming true: she'll be Jamaica's second-ever Olympic gymnast. In this episode, we begin by talking about how Danusia got into gymnastics, talk about what it means to represent Jamaica, and transition to discuss the power...

Being a "non traditional athlete" with brachial plexus has never held Deja back. Even though her condition was caused by medical malpractice during her birth, this 2x Paralympic gold medalist (100m & 200m) says she wouldn't change a thing if she could: she's where she is today because of what she's been through. In this episode, we talk about what it was like growing up with brachial plexus (also...

To date, Ray is the only Lebanese athlete who has qualified for Tokyo, but Ray is used to blazing her own trails: she was the first Arab female Olympic Trapshooter, a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, Ammunition Line entrepreneur, Academy founder, and servant leader for her country of Lebanon. She's definitely someone to keep in your crosshairs! In this episode, we speak with 6x World Champion m...

Sarah Davies is Great Britain's best ever female weightlifter on a pound for pound basis, lifting between 100-125kg (or 220-275 lbs) depending on the event, snatch or clean and jerk. She's also an international beauty pageant queen. Sarah’s journey is about defying convention, whether it’s in beauty pageantry or weightlifting: she goes for what she wants, and takes action for what she believes is...

Carlotta is not only a Vice World and European Champion, but also an outspoken activist who leads by thoughtful example. She believes that inaction is action in and of itself, whether it comes to racism or environmentalism. Carlotta grew up competing as the only black rower in her community and knows what it's like to be known for her skin color before people see her character. She fell in love wi...

Eliza showed up to her first fencing class in a dress and little patent leather shoes because she wanted to make a good first impression. In tow, came siblings Robert Junior and Gracie. Flash forward to today, she's currently ranked as the #6 fencer in the world. In this episode, US sabre fencer, Eliza Stone, discusses how a small pizza shop changed the trajectory of her family’s life, and how her...

Tamara (Tami) basó los 18 años, más de lo previsto. Ahora tiene 23 años y se está convirtiendo en una de las mejores jugadoras de tenis de mesa del mundo. Ella nació con la espina bifida. Tami fue la primera jugadora de tenis de mesa Chilena en ganar oro en los Juegos Parapanamericanos, y es la primera jugadora de tenis de mesa chilena en clasificar para los Juegos Paralímpicos de Tokio. En este e...

Tamara (Tami) was introduced to table tennis in a rehabilitation center: Tami was born with spina bifida and had a life expectancy of 18. She is now 23 years old, the first Chilean table tennis player to win gold at the Parapan American Games, and on her way to Tokyo. Tamara's ability to reach and connect with a wide range of people is almost as impressive as her constantly changing colored hair (...

You've already met some of our incredible athletes, but we wanted to provide you with an even more unfiltered snapshot of who they are. As bonus content, we sat down with an intimate group to discuss their resiliency during the Games' postponement and their wishes moving forward. Brought to you in partnership with the student-led Harvard Kennedy School’s Women in Power Conference, this discussion...

2016 Paralympic silver medalist, 2x World Champion, and 5x World medalist, Sophia Herzog is passionate about breaking stereotypes. She grew up in a small town of 450 people and was the first person with a disability to go to through her town's high school, so she's used to being the first. In this episode, Sophia opens up about her experience underwater and under most people’s eyeline as well as u...

When Haydy won the 2019 Pentathlon African Championship, she became the first athlete worldwide to qualify for Tokyo. She now hopes to become the first Egyptian woman to compete in two different Olympic sports: she will be competing in modern pentathlon, and she's additionally hoping to qualify in fencing. In this episode, Haydy Morsy discusses trailblazing as a young woman athlete and aspiring sp...