Olympics.com Podcast

After she was passed over for the USA team for Sochi 2014, Mirai Nagasu was done with figure skating. “It wasn’t fun… I used to think, ‘I deserve to sit here in my puddle of tears and cry.’” She vowed to make a comeback and became the first American woman to land a triple axel at the Olympics – and took home Olympic bronze in the team event. Olympic champion Meryl Davis sat down with her to speak...

Thomas Fogdö was one of the best slalom skiers in the world, but his life took an unexpected turn after he broke his back in a training accident. Despite now being in a wheelchair, the Swede has continued to give back to the sport he loves so much and help other athletes who have suffered similar injuries. Thomas Fogdö on Twitter Active Life Foundation Alessandro Poggi on Twitter Ash Tulloch on Tw...

Great Britain’s Bernice Wilson was a promising young sprinter, but her career took a turn for the worse when she enlisted the services of ex-UK Athletics coach, Dr. George Skafidas. They began dating and he persuaded Wilson to start doping. She was caught, banned for four years, and vowed to come back clean. With her ban nearing completion, she tested positive again. But this time Skafidas had bee...

Bobby Clay's promising running future was put on hold because she over-trained and under-ate. After winning numerous British titles and earning herself a team GB bib, the young rising star's body broke. ''I got to the point where I sat down in the gym and my shin snapped. It’s something we do every day and I couldn’t even do that without breaking. If I can’t do that, how was I meant to run.'' Now...

Kenya's Wilfred Bungei seemingly had it all: Money, fame, and an 800m Olympic gold medal. However, after retiring he couldn't fill 'the vacuum' that training and competing once occupied, and slipped into deep alcoholism. On several occasions he almost lost his life, and missed the birth of his child. "There is only three destinations for an alcoholic: Institutions - which is treatment, you will go...

Lucy Davis isn’t your average Olympic silver medallist. A Stanford graduate with a major in architecture, she’s also a top-level equestrian showjumper. But even the best athletes suffer burnout, as Davis found out after winning silver in Rio. “I kind of lost a lot of motivation,” she admits – and it took her two years before she finally found a new calling. Part of that involves giving back to her...

If you’re looking for some motivation to achieve what you want in 2019, then have a listen to these amazing stories from across the Olympic world. We hear from Michael Phelps, Missy Franklin, Jordyn Wieber, and more. Whatever your aim for the new year, we hope these stories from the greats will inspire you on your way to greatness. LINKS: Missy Franklin Jordyn Wieber Yusra Mardini Michael Phelps K...

To celebrate our first incredible year, we have put together highlights from some of our most downloaded interviews of the year. We have an absolute stellar line-up including Simone Biles, John Orozco, Anthony Ervin, Brian Orser and Yuzuru Hanyu. LINKS: Simone Biles John Orozco John’s song Anthony Ervin Brian Orser Yuzuru Hanyu

Italian Michela Moioli felt nervous ahead of her first Olympic snowboard cross final at Sochi 2014. Those nerves turned to despair as her medal hopes were crushed when she crashed heavily. Aged just 18, her career was in jeopardy after suffering a torn cruciate ligament in her knee. But, she dedicated herself to making a comeback and, four years later at PyeongChang 2018, she won gold. We spoke to...

We sent Olympic champion figure skater Meryl Davis to Vancouver to cover the Grand Prix Final for the Olympic Channel Podcast. And she bumped into a familiar face.   Double Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser is coach to Yuzuru Hanyu, Javier Fernandez and Evgenia Medvedeva. Davis and Orser chatted about Hanyu’s ankle injury, Fernandez’s European Championships mission and what his opinion on...

British Paralympian David Weir has won more London Marathon titles than anyone on the planet. But despite his success, he’d never come to terms with his disability. He was born with a spinal cord transection that left him unable to use his legs.  Frustrated by his lack of options in the sporting world growing up, he went on to excel at wheelchair racing. Even after winning six gold Paralympic...

“It's not popular for men to be emotional in America. Especially black men.” Family tragedy. Injuries. A new mission in Los Angeles. You may remember US gymnast’s emotional NBC interview after he qualified for Rio 2016. He beat the odds to make the team after injuries and the sudden death of his mother. Orozco never made it to Brazil. Another injury ended his sporting career. Now, the 25-year-old...

China have sent some of their most promising athletes to Norway to transform them into Winter Olympians. A set of athletes aged 15-20 have been given an incredible challenge. They haven’t ever worn skis before but are still hopeful of becoming international level ski jumpers. We went behind-the-scenes on their first day on the slopes. Plus, double Olympic champion Aksel Lund Svindal, 35, joined us...

Swimmer Anthony Ervin won Olympic gold aged 19. His life then fell apart. He was homeless for a time, attempted suicide, and drank heavily. By 2016, he had completely turned his life around and won the 50m freestyle at the Olympics. Aged 35, he was the oldest individual Olympic gold medal winner in swimming. This time though - he was ready. “Winning can be a terrible thing that happens to you. It...

Four-time Olympic champion Simone Biles is now a 14-time world champion. The records fell in Doha with her achievements made all the more unbelievable after she was admitted into hospital on the eve of competition with a kidney stone. The Olympic Channel Podcast spoke to her just after she had won her dramatic all-around title. Plus, reporter Scott Bregman and gymnastics writer Blythe Lawrence ( @...

The consequences for failure in BMX at the Olympics are high. New Zealand’s Sarah Walker knows about this – she’s broken 18 bones over her career. A big crash meant she missed out on Rio 2016 after her silver medal at London 2012. She believes that the definition of failure should be reassessed. “(Society sees) failure as such a bad word. It’s so negative and this thing that you need to avoid (but...

As we gear up towards the artistic gymnastics world championships in Doha, we sat down with two incredible Olympic gold medal winning gymnasts. Jordyn Wieber became world champion in 2011 but then missed out on the all-around final at London 2012. "I felt like I had failed because I didn’t live up to those expectations." Now, she's at UCLA as a coach and is flourishing. Plus, we get the inside-tra...

Get up-to-speed with the new documentary 'The Golden Generation'. We have interviews from both directors - including with the Oscar-winner Juan Jose Campanella. Plus, we get the full low-down on why Manu Ginóbili and the rest of this Argentinian basketball team from Athens 2004 were really 'The Golden Generation'.

Waleed Abu Nada set up a weightlifting club in the biggest refugee camp for Palestinians outside of Palestine. Here was here in Buenos Aires for the Youth Olympic Games as part of the Jordan team. We spoke about our favourite moments from the past few days and also how he started his club. Plus, the latest headlines. LINKS: Documentary about weightlifting club

He’s 22 and already considered a veteran in the gaming world.  Jake Lyon says that Esports and the Olympics could learn a lot from each other. “You could be confined to a wheelchair… you can be a man, woman, young (or) old – all these barriers that would usually require divisions – in Esports they don’t mean anything.” Plus, we have the latest headlines from Buenos Aires and an athlete t...

Are the Olympic Games at risk because of climate change? Olympic bronze medallist snowboarder Alex Deibold worries it’s a real possibility.  “That’s what is at stake if you don’t take climate change seriously. ... The moments of triumph. The moments of joy.” Plus, we catch up on the headlines from the Youth Olympic Games and also give you an athlete to look out for here at Buenos Ai...

Olympic champion swimmer Chad le Clos opened up about how he dealt with his parents' cancer diagnosis just before Rio 2016. He argues that you must put everything to one side before stepping onto the blocks to perform. "You don't cry for losing. You cry for winning." We also have all the headlines and an athlete to watch for the day too.

He is aiming to be Africa’s first gold medallist at the Winter Olympic Games.    The track prospect swapped sports to skeleton - but some people still didn’t believe in Akwasi Frimpong.    “I definitely know what it feels like to be bullied. I definitely know what it feels to be laughed at. I definitely know how it feels when people tell you to give up.”   Plus, we have al...

Nyjah and Leticia are two of the world's top skateboarders and we asked about their feeds - what do they post and why?   Plus, we tracked down professional dancer Kaelynn Gobert-Harris on what grabs her attention on Insta and tips on how to make it.   We also have the usual headlines and an athlete to watch.

Double Olympic champion Jade Jones is 25 and aiming for a third title at Tokyo 2020. She's travelled to Argentina as an athlete role model to give advice to those competing. With that in mind, we fired some difficult questions about dating and being an athlete. How do you get that balance between your love life and elite sport? Plus, we have the latest headlines from Buenos Aires 2018 and the...