The Sam Oldham Podcast

In 2013 whilst taking part in the Pro Gymnastics Challenge as part of the World team I heard a familiar voice introduce himself to me. Mike Chanales had been the cameraman, coach, physio, sports psychologist and best friend to Paul and Morgan Hamm as they attempted to make a comeback ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Mike fell in love with the sport of Artistic gymnastics in the early nineties and went on to represent the Ohio state university college gymnastics team in the NCAA championships. Following his competitive career Mike began a profession in medicine and later married Dominique Moceanu the 1996 Atalanta Olympic champion who was part of the famous magnificent seven women's US gymnastics team. Throughout his gymnastics journey Mike spent time with some of the very best gymnasts in the world and he is now coaching his son Vincent who has aspirations of reaching the highest level in the sport. This is one of the very best conversations we've had on the podcast and I want to thank Mike for being such an incredible human being. And this is his story. 

In this episode of the Sam Oldham podcast I'm joined by Kensley Behel the lady behind the Neutral Deductions men's gymnastics channel. Kensley will be travelling to Germany to cover the 2025 European gymnastics championships in Leipzig that will take place in May. We take a look at the top teams heading into the event and chat about the individual athletes we expect to be challenging for the podium places. The Ukrainian team will be without Illia Kovtun who has switched federations since the Paris Olympic Games. Great Britain have a very strong team including Olympic medalists Jake Jarmin and Harry Hepworth who will be hoping to take back the title. Luke Whitehouse is hoping to make history in his attempt to win three back to back European floor titles. Three other athletes will be coming into the competition as defending champions: Marios Georgiou in the all around, Eleftherios Petrounias on Rings and Jake Jarmin on the vault. The remaining apparatus finals will be incredibly exciting and we both make our bold predictions for who will win gold. And this is our story.

In the summer of 2024 Sam Mikulak was part of the coaching team that supported the US Men's gymnastics team on their way to the Olympic podium at the Paris Olympic Games. Sam Mikulak had incredible gymnastics career winning six national titles, two world championships medals and he represented Team USA at three Olympic Games. Sam was part of the Michigan wolverines college gymnastics team that won back to back NCAA titles in 2013 and 2014 and has a gymnastics skill named after him in the code of points. He faced many challenges throughout his career but his character and determination have inspired athletes from around the world. Whilst spending time with the German gymnastics hero Fabian Hambuchen last year he spoke of how it was Sam Mikulak who had changed his outlook on the sport. This episode with Sam is probably my favourite conversation we have had on the podcast to date and we hope you're able to find real value in his stories. It was mental health awareness week in the UK when this episode was recorded and Sam himself has struggled with depression throughout his young life. A problem shared is a problem halved and Sam certainly made me feel less alone last week so I want to thank him for being an amazingly positive force in the world. And this is his story.

In March 2025 I was fortunate enough to spend a weekend with the current Olympic pommel horse champion Rhys McClenaghan. I was taken back by his incredible attention to detail, all around  professionalism and overwhelming generosity. These were all qualities I had experienced a few months earlier whilst filming with the Rio 2016 Olympic High bar champion Fabian Hambuchen. Growing up alongside the greatest British gymnast of all time Max Whitlock MBE, I witnessed first hand exactly what it takes to become an Olympic champion in the sport of men's gymnastics. All three of these athletes broke records and were able to compete consistently against the best of the best for many years. And this is my story.

In April 2025 Joe Fishburn broke the eliminator record on his way to winning the final of gladiators series 2 and he lifted the famous trophy at the Sheffield arena. Joe is a two time European medalist in the sport of gymnastics competing in the discipline of team gym which includes tumbling, vaulting and a the floor exercise. He represented the sport of gymnastics throughout the game show excelling in many of the events on his way towards the final. Joe trained with Roddy Mackay, who was one of the original gladiator contestants on the show back in 1993 to prepare for this series at the Scarborough gymnastics club where he grew up. And this is his story. 

In 2021 Eddie Penev tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee for the third time whilst preparing for the Tokyo Olympic qualification event for team USA. Eddie first represented Bulgaria following in the footsteps of his parents who both competed at the highest level in the sport of gymnastics for their country. At the 2010 World gymnastics championships Eddie qualified for the floor exercises final finishing in 6th place. Seven years later he repeated that achievement at the World championships in Montreal however this time he wore the red, white and blue of team USA. He won multiple NCAA and national titles throughout his career as part of the Stanford university gymnastics team and later on the US Olympic training centre squad. Eddies journey has been full of challenges and is an incredible example of resilience in face of real adversity. As he approaches the final chapters of his gymnastics career Eddie is once again wearing the Bulgarian flag on his chest and hopes to compete well in 2025 at the European championships next month. And this is his story. 

In 2024 Rhys McClenaghan made history becoming the first Irish men's artistic gymnast to ever win an Olympic medal. Performing one of the greatest pommel horse routines of all time to become the Paris 2024 Olympic champion. Rhys is the only gymnast to have ever held the European, Commonwealth Games, World championships and Olympic titles at the same time. He is now a Red Bull athlete and recently took part in Dancing with the stars winning the TV reality show trophy. His Olympic legacy will inspire generations of young Irish athletes to dream of competing on the biggest stage of all. We were lucky enough to spend time with Rhys at the National training centre in Dublin and had the amazing opportunity to watch him train alongside the Irish team. Thank you to Rhys and the coaching team based in Dublin for giving us their time. And this is his story. 

In 2023 Winston Powell represented Great Britain at the junior World gymnastics championships. Winston qualified for the all around final in seventh place and two individual apparatus finals at his first global championships, competing against the best young talents in the World. Most recently he finished an impressive 9th all around at the British gymnastics championships and took the bronze medal on the High Bar for the city of Birmingham gymnastics club. Winston hosts a gymnastics podcast interviewing the very best young gymnasts in the country titled " The Game of Gymnastics "And this is his story. 

In January 2025 I sent out an email to all the contacts I still have in sports media and broadcasting. This is something I've done now for the past four years but have had a very limited success. However this year British gymnastics contacted me to see if I would like to be part of the live broadcasting team, covering the British gymnastics championships which would be shown live on the BBC. Alongside Sydney Davis in the studio we covered the British championships all around event and apparatus finals. It was an incredible opportunity for me to share my gymnastics knowledge and watch some of the best gymnasts in Great Britain from the best seats in the house. As a young athlete I was inspired by watching and listening to the great Mitch Fenner commentate on the performances of my childhood heroes. And this is my story. 

In 2012 Syque Caesar made history when he represented Bangladesh at the London Olympic Games in men's gymnastics. He also captained the Michigan wolverines college team winning back to back NCAA titles in 2013 and 2014. Following his gymnastics career Syque turned his attention to coaching the next generation of US athletes, spending six years at Stanford university as an assistant coach. He then went on to coach out of the US Olympic training centre before taking on his current role at EVO gymnastics, working with some of the best talents in the country. Syque works alongside his old Michigan team mate,  Olympian Sam Mikulak who together were part of the coaching team supporting team USA who won bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. And this is his story. 

In March 2025 the 117th British gymnastics championships took place in Liverpool at the M&S Bank arena. We were kindly invited by the British gymnastics media team to attend the Podium training session and had the opportunity to interview some of the top male gymnasts competing. The British all around men's gymnastics title is the most prestigious domestic trophy in Great Britain and the winner is awarded the original trophy from 1896. This championships marks the start of a brand new Olympic cycle as the journey towards the LA 2028 Olympic Games begins. Jamie Lewis recently became the English champion and went into this event as the firm favourite to claim his first senior British title. Luke Whitehouse the double European champion on floor and Paris 2024 Olympic finalist has ambitions to challenge on all six events. First year senior gymnast Jonas Rushworth is an extremely exciting talent, who is hoping to impress with his beautifully technical style of gymnastics. Courtney Tulloch is now a Dad and the changes to the rules in the new code of points, has played a key role in his decision to continue in the sport. Harry Hepworth has big plans to challenge for major championship medals on all three of his favoured apparatus moving forwards following his historic Olympic vault medal in Paris. Jake Jarmin is now a vastly experienced athlete having competed at multiple Olympic Games. His motivations are to challenge for World and Olympic all around honours in the next chapter of his career. And these are their stories. 

In 2024 at the Paris Olympic Games Ellie Black became a four time Olympian, helping the Canadian women's gymnastics team finish 5th in the final. Individually Ellie finished 6th in the All around event and she was the recipient of the Olympic fair play award for her act of sportsmanship towards fellow competitor Melanie De Jesus Dos Santons. Ellie Black is the most decorated female Canadian gymnast of all time and has won three World championships medals throughout her incredible career to date. She has plans to continue in the sport as we ahead towards the LA 2028 Olympic Games. And this is her story. 

In 2024 at the Paris Olympics Frederick Richard was part of the US men's gymnastics team that won the bronze medal for the first time since the Beijing 2008 Games. Since then he has used that success as a springboard to build his brand Frederick Flips and he's also collaborated with some of the biggest superstars on the planet. Teaming up with Noah Lyles the 100m Olympic champion to learn how to sprint faster and showing IShowSpeed how to do a double backflip. The rules in gymnastics have changed significantly as we head into the LA 2028 Olympics and Frederick is already performing brand new routines. Partnering up with TURN, Frederick debuted his brand new men's gymnastics uniform at the recent Winter cup which got the whole gymnastics community talking. And this is his story. 

In 2015 Lucie Colebeck won the individual silver medal at the World tumbling championships in Odense Denmark. Throughout her career Lucie won multiple major championships medals for Great Britain and trained at Pinewood gymnastics club under the watchful eye of coach Vladimir Podobin. She went on to perform with Cirque Du Solei following her successful tumbling career in the world famous Algeria show. Lucie's attention has now turned to content creation. She is building a large community through social media and has plans to help other athletes make the transition into retirement after sport. Lucie has found a way to use her years of tumbling training to financially support her lifestyle and share her passion for the sport of gymnastics. And this is her story. 

In 2024 Bryony Page won an Olympic gold medal in the women's trampoline final and made history in the sport by becoming Great Britains first ever female Olympic champion in gymnastics. Bryony first made history at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games by winning a surprise silver medal and then followed that up with bronze in Tokyo five years later. She is a double individual World champion and graduated university with a first class honours degree in biology. Since the Olympic Games last summer Bryony has had the opportunity to train with the world famous Cirque Du Solei at their headquarters in Montreal Canada. Bryony Page has played a key role in the success of trampolining and gymnastics in Great Britain over the past decade. And this is her story. 

On February the 11th 2024 my son Ozzy came into the world. Overnight there was a seismic shift in my reality and the weight of responsibility to now care and provide for two human beings nestled on my shoulders. The first year of Ozzy's life has been the most rewarding, challenging and at times overwhelming chapter of my story so far. He's the happiest little boy in the world and I'm soo proud to be his Dad. And this is my story. 

In this episode of the Sam Oldham podcast I sit down with Nile Wilson to have what has now become our annual conversation about all things gymnastics and life. In 2016 at the Rio Olympic Games Nile made history by winning Great Britain's first High Bar medal on this apparatus taking the bronze. Nile Wilson gymnastics clubs now operate out of six premises around the country and provide opportunities for thousands of children to participate in gymnastics. We talk about Nile's plans to start creating Youtube content again and cover topics such as: Over training, managing pressure and how to build a successful career as an athlete leading up to the LA 2028 Olympics. And this is pour story.

In the summer of 2024 Harry Hepworth and Luke Whitehouse represented Team GB at Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Recently I had the opportunity to sit down and interview Dave Murray, Andy Butcher and Jaron Morgan three of mens program gymnastics coaches at the Leeds gymnastics club. Leeds has a long rich tradition in producing high level men's gymnastics, with five Olympians and two Olympic medalists following Harry and Lukes success in Paris. They talk about the hardworking culture that's the foundation of their coaching philosophy at the club. You can now watch our short film starring Harry Hepworth, Luke Whitehouse and then Leeds gymnastics clubs coaching staff on the Sam Oldham YouTube channel titled "Building Olympians | Harry Hepworth & Luke Whitehouse" and this is their story. 

In January 2023 we recorded the first episode of The Sam Oldham Podcast. Since then, we have released one hundred weekly conversations and have accumulated over 65 thousand downloads and 120 thousand streams through Spotify and Apple Podcasts. I've had the opportunity to sit down and interview 48 amazing men and women from the world of sport. Every episode has been available to watch on YouTube and this year we are going to produce our own documentaries sharing incredible stories from the world of sport. Together with my co-producer Sam Lindley we have created something that we are both very proud of. And this is our story. 

In 2016 at the Rio Olympic Games Fabian Hambüchen completed the full set of Olympic medals by winning gold on the High Bar. Fabian's Olympic journey began in Athens 2004 at the age of just sixteen where he took part in the Olympic final that changed the sport of gymnastics forever. The perfect 10 was no more and three years later at the 2007 gymnastics World championships in Stuttgart, his gold medal winning routine on the High Bar sky rocketed him to fame in Germany. He was the last man to beat the great Kohei Uchimura in 2009 before Kohei went on to become the most dominant male gymnast in history. Throughout his career Fabian won a total of 23 major championships medals and inspired a whole generation of young male gymnasts around the world with his incredible performances. I'd like to thank Fabian and his Dad Wolfgang for their amazing hospitality during our time in Germany. And this is his story. 

In this episode of the Sam Oldham Podcast, I had the opportunity to sit down and interview Wolfgang Hambüchen, the coach and father of the Rio 2016 Olympic High bar champion, Fabian Hambüchen. Wolfgang was a professional gymnast him self and during his career spent time in Japan studying and training.  In the 1970's the Japanese gymnastics team were the very best in the world producing legends such as Mitsuo Tsukahara and Sawao Kato. This influenced his gymnastics coaching philosophy and years later he encouraged Fabian to follow in his footsteps as young teenager and travel to Japan to train. Wolfgang moved to Wetzlar with his young family to become the head men's gymnastics coach in 1989 the year Fabian was born. Their incredible relationship is testament to Wolfgang's passion for gymnastics and determination to do the very best for his son Fabian. Who went on to become a superstar in Germany at the age of just sixteen and win a total of 23 Olympic, World and European medals throughout his career. It was a pleasure to spend time with them both in a recent trip to Fabian's childhood gymnastics club and thank you to Wolfgang for making us feel very welcome. This is his story. 

In 2008 Reece Pearson was part of the first men's British gymnastics team to ever win a major championships team Gold medal and beat Russia at the Junior European championships in Switzerland. He was a multiple English and British junior all around champion and is widely regarded as one of the best talents Great Britain produced of his generation. Reece walked away from the sport of gymnastics at very early age but has since gone on to qualify as an electrician and start a family of his own which is now his legacy. For many years we trained alongside one another at the Notts School of Gymnastics and were both coached by Sergey Sizhanov. Reece will always be a part of British gymnastics history and without athletes like him that paved the way for future success. Men's gymnastics in the UK would look very different today. And this is his story. 

In 2024 Kensley Behel was part of the NBC broadcasting team covering gymnastics for at the Paris Olympic Games working as the data analyst. She is a journalist specialising in covering the sport of Men's gymnastics and runs the Neutral deductions social media channel. In this week's episode Kensely shares some fascinating data analysis her team put together focusing on the Team USA men's gymnastics team. We discuss the future of men's gymnastics in America and what to expect in the coming Olympic cycle as we head towards LA 2028. There will be some big changes to the COP ( Code of points ) next year and we talk about how these may impact the athletes moving forwards. You can keep up to date with everything that is going on in the world of men's gymnastics through the Neutral Deductions instagram page. And this is our story. 

In 2001 Sergey Sizhanov moved from Vladimir Russia to coach gymnastics at what was then called The notts School Of gymnastics in Nottingham. His incredible legacy is still being felt today throughout gymnastics clubs in Great Britain with many of his former athletes now coaching the next generation. Sergey is now the head of the Irish National team program and is based at the training centre in Dublin full time. The life lessons that I was lucky enough to learn through spending twenty one years with one of the very best gymnastics coaches in the world have had a huge impact on me as a young man. In this episode I talk about ten of the very best lessons he taught me throughout my career. And this is my story. 

In November 2024 Shane Curtis travelled out to Texas to compete in the Main Character professional Jujitsu event which was broadcast live on Flo Grappling. Unfortunately Shane injured his knee in a freak accident and had to withdraw from the competition where he was hoping to test himself against some of the world's best athletes. The initial spark that inspired him to get into martial arts came after watching the Bruce Lee film "enter the dragon" as a young energetic kid growing up. Shane only started the sport of Jujitsu at the age of nineteen and after a decade of training out of the Nottingham MMA gym he is now a black belt. Mixed martial arts has gained huge popularity in recent years thanks to the UFC and the podcaster Joe Rogan who share the incredible stories of the world's best fighters on massive platforms. After returning from America Shane has now set his sights on one day completing at the ADCC submission fighting World championships. And this is his story. 

In November the All Japan championships took place and this week I'm joined by Katharine Mills the very talented lady behind MAGNASTICS. She runs a twitter account and website focusing on mens artistic gymnastics, writing incredibly detailed articles by gathering competition data from the around the world. We both sit back and relive the Paris Olympic Games, sharing the big moments that stood out for us both. Katharine was able to watch all of the Japanese championships that took place last week and has some brilliant insight to share with the listeners. It's also that time In the Olympic cycle where the rules in gymnastics ( code of points ) change, so we give our initial observations and thoughts on what impact those decisions will have on the sport. And this is our story.

In 2024 at the Paris Olympic Games Harry Hepworth made history winning the bronze medal on the vault and becoming the first British man ever to achieve that milestone. Harry started the sport at the age of eight after seeing a live gymnastics demonstration during a visit from a local athlete to his school. In the three years prior to that encounter Harry had been diagnosed with Perthes disease and was unable to participate in sports activities. He entered Leeds gymnastics club with the goal of learning a backflip and is now one of the most exciting young talents in the world. In 2023 he made his senior global championships debut at the World championships in Belgium, qualifying into three individual apparatus finals and making history in the process. At the age of 18 Harry was sidelined with a double stress fracture in his spine which makes his Olympic success at the age of just twenty even more remarkable. And this is his story. 

In 2023 Heath Thorpe was crowned the Australian national all around men's gymnastics champion for the first time. Despite this achievement he was not selected ton represent team Australia at the World championships and Olympic qualification event later that year in Belgium. Heath has a large online following within the gymnastics community thanks to his unique style of gymnastics and ability to communicate through social media and content creation. He now trains in Europe and is based at the gymnastics centre in Ghent full time. Heath is an openly gay male gymnast in a space where many athletes are fighting against the publics preconception that gymnastics is a girls sport. With the new code of points rewarding more original skills on the High bar, Heath hopes to start achieving international success on the world stage with his incredible routine in the lead up to LA 2028. And this is his story. 

In the past few weeks I've had the opportunity to share my story with a professional footballer, active British gymnast and a university student. Each of those conversations focussed of a different piece of the puzzle that makes of a professional sportsman's career. In this episode I'm going to talk about some of the key topics we touched on in those conversations. I've also had the opportunity to record an advert and for the first time me and Sam have produced our own content for a someone else to use. And this is my story. 

In 2024 at the Paris summer Olympic Games Anthony Harding took the bronze medal alongside his partner Jack Laugher in the 3m springboard synchronised diving event. Anthony's international career was kickstarted at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aries where he won the individual silver medal and has since been on the podium seven times at major championships. He started diving at the age of six and moved to Leeds at the age of just sixteen to pursue his Olympic aspirations. Gymnastics plays a key role in the sport of diving and for seven years Anthony worked with a former team mate of mine and European champion Ruslan Panteleymonov who sadly passed away in 2022. British diving achieved their best ever medal total in Paris and Anthony was a big part of that success. He has hopes of competing as an individual alongside the synchronised events moving forwards and heading into in LA 2028. And this is his story.

In 2024 Molly Thompson-Smith represented Team GB at the Paris Olympic games in professional climbing. She is a fave time UK national champion and in 2017 became the first British Women in history to win a World Cup medal. Molly took bronze at the 2020 European championships in Moscow and is a driving force within the sport, promoting diversity in the climbing community. Her career has spanned two generations and Molly has seen climbing become a legitimate career path since the sports recent inception into the Olympic movement. With LA 2028 an exciting opportunity many athletes are looking at extending their time horizons. Molly is supported by some of the biggest brands in the world including The North Face. And this is her story

In 2015 James Hall qualified for the Great Britain men's gymnastics team as the travelling reserve that went on to win a historic silver medal at the World championships. Since that senior team selection he has become one of the most consistent athletes within the British team, winning eleven major championships medals in the process. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games James achieved a top 8 finish in the all around event which puts him in a very exclusive club of British men. He was an anchor for the British team that finished fourth at those Games and narrowly missed out on making a second Olympics this summer in Paris. Like a true professional, James showed incredible character in response to the disappointment of missing out on his Olympic aspirations and wholeheartedly supported the team as a reserve. Alongside his team mates Jake Jarmin and Samuel Gingham they have just launched a sports clothing brand called Satus. In 2017 James won the all round bronze medal at the European championships in Romania the home country of his longterm coach Ionut Trandaburu. And this is his story. 

In 2021 Joe Cemlyn-Jones finished second all around at the British Gymnastics championships and was selected to represent Great Britain at the World championships in Japan. The story of his first experience competing at a major championships is one of continuous setbacks and challenges. However he used those lessons to go on to become the Northern European champion just a few short weeks later whilst representing team Wales. Joe trains alongside the likes of Joe Fraser, Dominic Cunningham and Joshua Nathan at the city of Birmingham gymnastics club. He founded JCJ Bricks selling lego online to support his sporting career which has now become a very successful business and allows Joe to train full time as a professional athlete. Joe has goals to compete at the Commonwealth Games in 2026 in Glasgow and compete for Great Britain at the highest level in the future. And this is his story. 

In 2024 Felix Dolci was part of the Canadian men's gymnastics team that finished 8th in the Paris Olympic Team final. This was the first time Canada had qualified a full mens team for the Games since Beijing 2008. Felix has been a driving force behind the recent resurgence of mens gymnastics in Canada and their success internationally. In 2023 he became the Pan American all around champion following on the back of helping Canada qualify for the Olympics. He was part of the new generation of athletes that grew up with the internet at their fingertips and has subsequently built a strong following online through social media. One of the standout moments of the Paris Games this summer was his fall from the High Bar in which his hand guard snapped in the all around final live on television. Incredibly he was able to continue performing and showed the world just how tough the sport of mens gymnastics can be. And this is his story. 

In 2012 following the London Olympic Games I began to struggle mentally after experiencing such an incredible high point. At times I felt completely isolated and turned to partying in an attempt to numb those feelings of loneliness. Many athletes go through a similar process which is often referred to as the Olympic Blues. Four years later I had a different experience after failing to qualify for the Olympic team in Rio but it was equally as challenging to navigate. The Paris Games is now in the rear view mirror for most of us but the athletes that took centre stage will be gradually adapting back into their normal daily life. For me personally this time has been a great opportunity to reflect on the year so far and talk about parenthood, the podcast and my own training goals beyond 2024. And this is my story. 

In 2024 it's easier than ever to share your story if you're an aspiring athlete and build a brand thanks to social media and the internet. However in some ways it's more difficult to stand out from the crowd and build a successful career in professional sports. With national governing bodies ever increasingly focussing on smaller groups of athletes, funding and elite sportsman or sportswoman's lifestyle is a massive financial challenge. Throughout my gymnastics journey I was supported by Red Bull, Sky Sports, My Protein, Super Dry, TURN Gymnastics, local businesses and local sports grants all of which helped support my career. In this episode I break down what I would do If I was to build a professional sports career in 2024. And this is my story. 

In June 2024 just one month ahead of the Paris Olympic Games Edgar Boulet announced his retirement from the sport of artistic gymnastics. He was best known for his incredibly exciting performances of the High bar which earned him the nickname "the showman" and in 2017 he competed in the European final. In 2018 alongside his four team mates, France took the bronze team medal at the European championships in Glasgow behind Russia and Great Britain. The French team have struggled in recent years and failed to qualify a mens team for their home Olympic Games this summer after finishing 19th at the World championships in 2023. Gymnastics is a big sport in France and they have a successful league but their national team structure is potentially restricting their ability to keep athletes in the sport. However their junior team recently won silver at the European championships and Edgar shares his hopes for the future of French gymnastics. And this is his story. 

In 2024 at the Paris Olympic Games the sport of gymnastics attracted a huge amount of attention thanks to American superstar Simone Biles and Stephen Nedoroscik, who went viral all over the world thanks to his performances on the pommel horse. USA gymnastics is in an incredible position thanks in part to athletes like Ian Gunther and Frederick Richard who are showcasing the sport to massive audiences through social media platforms. Ian Gunther is a four time NCAA team champion with Stanford university gymnastics team. He has been consistently creating content since 2020 and now has 1.49 million subscribers on YouTube and over two billion views on TikTok. Ian travelled out to France for this summers Games to support his team mates and create new gymnastics content. And this is his story. 

In 2028 the best athletes, coaches and support staff will make their way to Los Angeles for the Olympic Games. Paris 2024 was a mixture of incredible performances and massive controversy. The future of the Olympic movement has never been more unpredictable with the huge financial burden of hosting the Games and the integrity of sport coming into question. In this episode I breakdown my big takeaways from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. And this is my story. 

In 2012 at the London Olympic Games Daniel Purvis was part of the British men's gymnastics team that made history winning the first team medal in a century. Between 2010 and 2018 Dan won a total of sixteen major championships medals for Great Britain and team Scotland. On many occasions his incredibly consistent performances at the very highest level played a key role in the success of the men's British gymnastics team. Which included World championships team silver in 2015 and European gold in 2012. And this is his story. 

In the final gymnastics events of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Six men's gold medals and four women's were awarded to the best specialists in the sport. Carlos Yulo made history winning two titles for the Philippines, Rhys McCleneghan performed one of the best pommel horse routines in arguably the greatest final on that event of all time. The Chinese men dominated on the still rings and Zou Jingyuan proved to be the most dominant athlete across the whole of gymnastics, running away with the parallel bars final. High bar became a game of who can stay on the apparatus, with the highlight being seventeen year old Angel Barajas winning silver for Colombia. In this episode I'm joined by Daniel Keatings the world silver all around medalist, 2008 Beijing Olympian. And this is our story.

In the men's Olympic all around final that took place on Wednesday night in Paris Oka Shinnosuke was crowned the all around champion ahead of the two Chinese athletes Zhang Boheng and Xiao Routeng. The top 24 gymnasts on the planet competed across the six men's gymnastics events in a very competitive final. Joe Fraser and Jake Jarmin performed  incredibly well to finish 5th and 7th for TeamGB. Daiki Hashimoto the raining Olympic and World champion struggled once again on the pommel horse and the unluckiest man of the evening was Ukrainian Ilia Kovtun who finished in fourth place. I'm joined today by Daniel purvis London 2012 Olympic bronze medalist. And this is our story.

In the Men's gymnastics team final that took place in the Bercy arena last night in Paris. The Japanese team took the title after the Chinese men threw away a three mark lead heading into the final rotation. America came out on top in the battle for bronze and Stephen Nedoroscik mirrored the performance of Sasha Artemev at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games to secure team USA's first Olympic team medal in sixteen years. The GB team finished in fourth, repeating their results from Rio and Tokyo and were able to hold off the strong Ukrainian team. I'm joined in this episode by Hamish Carter a former GB athlete and current Team Scotland gymnast. And this is our story. 

In July and August of 2024 the best male gymnasts on the planet will compete for eight gold medals at the Paris Olympic Games. The top eight teams, 24 all around gymnasts and eight individual specialists on all six apparatus will battle it out for Olympic glory. In this episode I'm going to predict my top three athletes ahead of each gold medal event. I'm going to talk about what it's like to compete at the biggest show on earth and also share my big takeaways from the brand new Simone Biles documentary that released on Netflix this past week. And this is my story.

In 2015 Kelly Simm was part of the British women's gymnastics team that won a historic bronze medal at the World championships in Glasgow. Kelly represented team England at three consecutive Commonwealth Games between 2014 and 2022 winning two gold, a silver and a bronze medal in the process. The World university Games is the second biggest global sporting event after the Olympic Games and in 2015 Kelly became the all around champion in Gwangju South Korea. Kelly officially retire from the sport in January this year and is now using her experiences in gymnastics to positively impact the next generation. And this is her story. 

In June 2024 the Men's US Olympic gymnastics trials took place and the five men that will compete for a medal in Paris have been confirmed. Fredrick Richard, Body Malone, Paul Juda, Asher Hong and Stephen Nedoroscik are the team tasked with battling it out in France. I'm joined in this episode by Kensley Behel who has been doing an incredible job keeping the men's gymnastics community informed thanks to her Neutral Deductions social media channels and podcast. Today we are going to preview the Paris Olympic Games now that the twelve men's teams have been finalised. And this is our story. 

In 2012 at the Junior European Championships, Jay Thompson succeeded Louis Smith, Daniel Keatings and Max Whitlock to become the pommel horse gold medalist. Throughout his career Jay competed for team England and Great Britain winning over thirty medals both nationally and internationally. A combination of injuries and challenges in the sport led to him sharing his experiences publicly during the summer of 2020. Since retiring from gymnastics, he's turned his creative talents into photography and videography to build a successful career of his own. And this is his story. 

In August 2023 during a pre-season training session at Keyworth United football club I was involved in a collision that led to an all too familiar trip to the Queens medical centre hospital in Nottingham. An investigation into the shoulder and neck pain I was experiencing began. After multiple scans and an Arthogram the shoulder specialist revealed I had full thickness tears in three of my shoulder tendons and recommended shoulder surgery to fix them. I chose not to operate at the time but last week once again I ended up in A&E unable to move my neck. And this is my story. 

In 2023 at the Artistic gymnastics World championships Team USA took the bronze medal in the men's final. They are now favourites to finish on the podium at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games this summer for the first time since taking bronze at the Beijing games in 2008. Individually their squad is incredible strong and the impressive comeback after multiple knee surgeries in 2023 by Brody Malone to be crowned the US National champion last week surprised the gymnastics community. With the likes of Fred Richard, Khoi Young, Yul Moldauer, Asher Hong, Shane Wiskus, Donnell Whittenburg and Paul Juda all hoping to make the Olympic team. It's going to be a classic American dog fight. Today I'm joined by Kensley Behel the brilliant human being behind the neutral deductions social media channel that follows the world of men's gymnastics. And this is our story. 

In 2010 Luke Folwell made history becoming then most successful British gymnast at a Commonwealth Games winning five medals for team England in Delhi. Luke competed for Great Britain at the highest level and was start of the World championships team in 2007 that took the first steps towards the incredible success we see today from British men's gymnastics teams. He now plays a key role in that continued success and was part of the coaching team that supported the athletes who recently claimed the junior European title for the first time since 2016. Luke has experienced both sides of the sport. And this is his story. 

In June 2024 my current coaching role at the Notts Gymnastics Academy is coming to an end. I've now been coaching gymnastics for three years and I'm in process of working towards my level 3 qualification. The opportunity to work alongside Josh Champion, who I consider to be my coaching mentor has been invaluable during that time. I have made mistakes, learnt some incredible life lessons and experienced real joy in my young coaching journey so far. I hope to continue learning and developing as a coach moving forward. And this is my story.