Claire Thomas

Backstraight Boys (& Girl) Athletics Chat

Sports EN ↓ 214 episodes

Join Jody, Bayo, and Claire each fortnight as they discuss athletics' hot topics, cover live events, and host stars of the sport in longer interview specials. Hit 'subscribe', give us a rating, and join in the conversation on Twitter: @BackstraightB and @Claire_GThomas.

Author

Claire Thomas

Episodes

#39 – Late Finishes, Even Later Medal Ceremonies, and – Lately – Legal Life: Christine Ohoruogo Interview Special (Part Two) 20.01.2019 1:09:24

Send us Fan Mail Just like a lot of Christine Ohoruogo's races (there was just never a dull moment watching her run, was there?), this episode comes in two parts. That's right; we're providing you with almost 90 minutes of her amazing insights and recollections, you lucky ducks. If you enjoyed the first instalment: welcome back. If not: go and listen to it right now. It's just...

#38 - Switching Codes, Missing Tests, and Striking Gold: Christine Ohoruogo Interview Special (Part One) 15.01.2019 1:13:36

Send us Fan Mail Watching Christine Ohoruogo race was exhausting. The gun would go. She'd be in the mix. You'd not panic - knowing that her finish was her greatest strength. Another hundred metres would pass. She'd look off the pace. The butterflies would begin. You'd quell them. 'It's fine. Chrissy finishes like a train.' The athletes would exit the bend. Ohoruo...

#37 - Championships, Challenges, and Champers: A Mimosa-Fuelled Romp Through The Rather Brilliant 2018 07.01.2019 1:38:28

Send us Fan Mail 2018 was a doozy. A vintage year. Mondo, Dina, Eliud, Kevin, Laura, Abderrahman, Nafi, Niamh: we could list athletes until 2020 rolls around, but we've just received our accreditation for European Indoors in March, and are rather excited to crack on with covering that for you instead. It was a year in which 6.69 didn't even get you on the women's long jump podium at...

#36 - Freaky Fridays, Sprinting Prodigies, and Imaginary Libraries: A Day at Fudge Project London 18.12.2018 2:08:40

Send us Fan Mail 'He's got a sprinting library. In his house,' Asha Philip asserts from the physio table, as she receives treatment at the end of a long day's training. 'A bag of books,' adds Seye Ogunlewe, sat alongside. You'll have to listen to this episode to find out whether or not Steve Fudge actually owns a collection of speedy tomes, but - either way - his...

#35 - Freezing Temperatures, Warm Hearts, and Hot Takes: Backstraight Does Parkrun 02.11.2018 55:26

Send us Fan Mail As we hit 'publish' on this episode, 1,810,242 runners have - over the last 14 years - given up their Saturday morning lie-ins to cover an astonishing 120 million kilometres of parks worldwide. It is in no way hyperbolic (and, trust us, we know all about hyperbole on this show) to describe parkrun as a global phenomenon, and we had a myriad of questions about the mass pa...

#34 - Diamond Duels, Continental Contests, and Historic Hustles: The Final Month of an Epic, Herculean Season 20.09.2018 48:05

Send us Fan Mail DISCLAIMER: This is not the episode for the pedantic. This is not the Diamond League review for those with photographic memories. Steer away, those of you with encyclopaedic athletics' knowledge looking for a factually-accurate review of the Continental Cup. This is a look back at some spectacular results, some thrilling contests, and some extraordinarily confusing scoring sy...

#33 - Sumos, Steeples, and Seizing Silver: Eilish McColgan Interview Special 16.09.2018 1:17:36

Send us Fan Mail Before Jessica Ennis-Hill in Beijing, there was Liz McColgan in Tokyo - winning global 10,000m gold less than a year after giving birth to Eilish. In just two years’ time, the McColgans will be back in Japan, and hoping to reach another international podium, for - despite her parents’ best efforts not to push her into the sport - Eilish has followed in her mother’s footsteps, and...

#32 - Super Families, Scintillating Showdowns, Shoddy Scheduling : A (Pretty Rushed) Wrap of Berlin, 'The Best Champs Ever' 19.08.2018 1:04:40

Send us Fan Mail Imagine being a teenager and becoming a double European Champion in 24 hours. Contemplate how it would feel to vault 6.05 just a year after being legally able to buy glue in the UK. For a second, ponder reaching a continental final in your Senior GB debut. Berlin was brilliant, but it didn't half leave us pondering our comparatively useless adolescents. Jakob, Mondo, Imani, N...

#31 - Jeanette Stepping Up, Kyle Stepping Back, and Berlin Looking Thrilling: Our Big European Preview Episode 04.08.2018 1:17:31

Send us Fan Mail 102 athletes have been named in the British team, at least 80 of whom seem to have been selected for relays, but - despite 'the world and his wife' having received the nod (B. Furlong, 2018) - there were still some raised eyebrows and furious tweets. We pick over some of these, along with the events we're most looking forward to watching, the youngsters we think cou...

#30 - Monaco, Muller, and Millicent: Journalising at the London Anniversary Games 22.07.2018 51:53

Send us Fan Mail For the first time in thirty episodes, all three of us were at the same meet, with nothing to do but soak up the atmosphere, interview some international stars, and discuss the world of athletics. And, if we do say so ourselves, we've delivered. Morgan Lake, KJT, Laura Muir, Sifan Hassan, Guy Learmonth, Sandra Perkovic, Maria Lasitskene (feat. interpreter), Adam Gemili, and -...

#29 - Champs (British), Cup (Global), and Pie (Humble): Brilliant in both Birmingham and London 15.07.2018 16:55

Send us Fan Mail The British Championships were outrageously good. Seriously - they were absolutely brilliant, and we're pleased as punch that our UK Sprint Queens reigned supreme by delivering the race of the weekend. Shout out to bronze medallist Jodie Williams for a magical bend, Bianca Williams for floating (elegant as ever) to a silver, and Beth Dobbin for proving everyone that - not onl...

#28 - Ice Creams, Henry VIII, and War Paint: A Little Bit of Everything with National Record Holder Dina Asher-Smith 27.06.2018 1:05:34

Send us Fan Mail Dina Asher-Smith believed she was in mortal peril during her first ever race: a cross country meet at primary school, entered in exchange for the promise of an ice cream. Thank goodness her sweet tooth was stronger than her reluctance to take part; the thought of a Dina-less athletics doesn't bear thinking about. Listing her achievements here seems silly for three reasons: A)...

#27 - Speedspiration, Hype Tracks, and the 23-second barrier: Our UK Sprint Queen Special 25.06.2018 1:30:14

Send us Fan Mail The ladies featured here might be super speedy - they're all bona fide sprint sensations - but this episode certainly isn't. It's an epic, 90-minute romp through some of the biggest names in British sprinting: Jodie Wiliams (06:51), Shannon Hylton (25:26), Beth Dobbin (33:04), Paula Dunn (51:00), Abi Oyepitan (61:02), and Dina Asher-Smith (78:14). Tell us about it;...

#26 – Shaunae’s Shorts, Bell’s Brilliance, and Highgate Hilarity: Our Latest Offering, Feat. Seb Coe 29.05.2018 1:01:21

Send us Fan Mail Hello there, beloved listener, and welcome to our twenty-sixth episode. Since we last caught up, Shaunae's gone sub-50 in baggy shorts, Claire's favourite Linden Hall's broken the Australian 1500m record, and Bayo's completed a half marathon (beer-fuelled, much to Jo Pavey and Seb Coe's disappointment).... Please enjoy, please subscribe and please let us...

#25 – Rain-Drenched in Boston, WL-Spoilt in Doha, and Beer-Soaked in Highgate: A Romp through Recent Meets 13.05.2018 53:18

Send us Fan Mail Boston was bonkers, but so was Mary Keitany’s race plan in London. The first Diamond League of the year (which was grossly under-publicised, obv) produced some phenomenal performances, including by Caster Semenya, who’s been dragged into yet another testosterone palaver. Can drinking the night before a... Please enjoy, please subscribe and please let us know what you think on all...

#24 – Aussie Thrills, English Spills, and Langford Lovin’: Gold Coast 2018 Done and Dusted 06.05.2018 1:25:31

Send us Fan Mail Jody, Bayo, and Claire are in the same country – as Anna in ‘Frozen’ sings whilst cavorting around Arendelle Castle – for the first time in forever. Backstraight is well and truly back. The boys have returned from duty as Track and Field News’ Gold Coast correspondents with, unsurprisingly, numerous interviews with some of the biggest names of the games, and – even less surprising...

#23 – What a Legend! What a Champion! … What a Relief: Cathy Freeman Interview Special 11.04.2018 12:57

Send us Fan Mail We’ve not seen any of the Australian coverage of the Commonwealths, but – if the Gold Coast production team is anything like the BBC – they love showing historic montages of Aussie athletic greats (whilst there are field event and distance finals taking place –... Please enjoy, please subscribe and please let us know what you think on all our socials. Thanks for listening and fo...

#22 – Mixed Zone, Potential Medallists, and Moustaches: Trackside Snippets from the Gold Coast 10.04.2018 14:44

Send us Fan Mail The Commonwealths have been stressful in a number of ways: four separate teams to follow for the usual Team GB stalwarts; deciding which will yield more Twitter traction – #GC2018 (lost amongst the masses?) or #GC2018Athletics (too specialist?); and the delicate balancing act of turning... Please enjoy, please subscribe and please let us know what you think on all our socials. T...

#21 – Indoor Golds, Commonwealth Golds, and a Golden Coast: Welcoming in GC2018 06.04.2018 45:01

Send us Fan Mail Claire’s back in England, but Jody and Bayo have jetted off to the Gold Coast, where they’re representing the hallowed establishment of Track and Field News as Commonwealth Correspondents! We’ve not had the chance to dissect last month’s World Indoors, so here’s our gap-bridging offering:... Please enjoy, please subscribe and please let us know what you think on all our socials. ...

#20 – Pioneering, podiums, and philanthropy: ‘Gold Medal’ Mary Peters Interview Special 25.03.2018 53:58

Send us Fan Mail Queen Mary The Great. When we contrived to bump into Mary Peters at the BAWA awards luncheon back in November, Jody told her he’d rather interview her than Usain Bolt, and – on this week’s pod – you’ll hear why. A lengthy and lofty career... Please enjoy, please subscribe and please let us know what you think on all our socials. Thanks for listening and follow us on Social Media...

#19 – Bowerman Babes, Fruit Loop Luck, and Avocado Anthems: Courtney Frerichs Interview Special 09.03.2018 1:09:32

Send us Fan Mail 11th August 2017. London. Courtney Frerichs eats a bowl of fruit loops for breakfast. She lines up for the women’s steeplechase final, the word ‘Fearless’ inked temporarily upon her arm. She trusts implicitly in her coaches and sticks with Emma Coburn. She wins her first... Please enjoy, please subscribe and please let us know what you think on all our socials. Thanks for listen...

#18 – Big British Stars, Brilliant Bosworth, and Backstraighting in Birmingham: The 2018 British Indoor Championships 20.02.2018 1:05:26

Send us Fan Mail As fun as these descriptions are to write, the way to sell you on this episode is a list: a star-studded who’s-who of the athletes Jody spoke to at the 2018 British Indoor Champs, many of whom shrugged off the challenges of tight bends, injury... Please enjoy, please subscribe and please let us know what you think on all our socials. Thanks for listening and follow us on Social...

#17 – Singing, Sledding, and Soaring: Jaz Sawyers Interview Special 25.01.2018 48:39

Send us Fan Mail Need a lawyer? An outstanding tongue-in-cheek cover of a Sheeran track? A Summer and/or Winter Olympic role model? Or just an absolutely cracking new Instagram follow? Look no further than Jazmin Sawyers. This girl can do everything, and – as we discovered in December –... Please enjoy, please subscribe and please let us know what you think on all our socials. Thanks for listeni...

#16 – Country Crossing, Pimple Popping, and SPOTY Speculating: A New Year of Athletics and Resolutions 11.01.2018 51:53

Send us Fan Mail Much to Claire’s delight, this week is the first episode with complete gender parity (Jody’s off sunning himself in Goa). In his absence, Bayo and the Backstraight Girl discuss December’s Euro Cross Country Championships, Farah’s shock SPOTY victory, and the resolutions they’d like to see made... Please enjoy, please subscribe and please let us know what you think on all our soci...

#15 – Brickbats, Bouquets, and a general Athletic Bonanza 27.12.2017 1:12:56

Send us Fan Mail Part two of our latest recording session. We talk about the things we love in athletics, and those we really don’t. Expect cameos by Whitney, Flo-Jo, Fort Minor, and a whole host of other snippets from across the history of this inspiring, infuriating, and glorious sport.... Please enjoy, please subscribe and please let us know what you think on all our socials. Thanks for liste...