Podcast appearances and mentions of jarrod loobeek

For Australian shooter Elena Galiabovitch, her third Olympics didn't exactly go to plan. Competing in both the 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events, she performed below where she expected to be and left Paris bottling her experiences up and not wanting to talk about them. But as we welcome back Elena to the show today, she finally opens up about her experiences at the Games in 2024 and find out just what happened and how she now feels about the prospect of continuing on towards a fourth Olympics. It's a deep and emotional dive into the psyche of an Olympian like you've never heard before, as we not only cover the lows of Paris, but also find out how those lows were transformed into some moments that she now can reflect back on with a smile on her face. Click away, listen away and be blown away by one hell of an interview!

We're back for our latest Newscast as Ben is joined by Jamie once again to go over all the big Olympic news from the last month. We chat about the recently announced LA 2028 plans, including updated venues and events and just why it all isn't good news for the 2028 Olympics. We also catch up on the newly announced social campaign for Team Australia ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics and discuss the recent findings from the 2024 Paris Olympics official report. Added to this a very important discussion around some of our favourite Olympic movies of all time and just why we might be at war with a fellow Olympics podcast, it's an episode that you can't afford to miss! So get to listening and get informed and entertained!

A special treat coming your way today as we sit down with Filipino gymnast Levi Jung-Ruivivar to talk about her incredible rise through the sport and experiences in Paris at her debut Olympics! We find out just how young she started in gymnastics and how her famous partents helped shaped her growing up. We also learn about the decision to compete for the Philippines over the USA, and just what it meant to her to be part of a history making team at the Paris Olympics. Added to this we find out just how close she came to not competing in Paris after a scary medical incident days before, learn about her pin obsession during the Games and how this podcast fit in to that obsession as well as why we could see her in some other sports at the Olympics in the future. It's an incredible chat with an incredible athlete that you won't want to miss!

A massive interview coming down your speakers today as we chat with 2x US Paralympic track & field star Noelle Lambert about her journey in the sport, overcoming many obstacles to get to the peaks she has achieved as well as covering some of her extraordinary pursuits outside of her athletic career. We find out more about her early days playing lacrosse and how that shaped her into the incredible track athlete she is today. We also find out just how she was able to rise so quickly in athletics, and what that means for her continued progression through the sport. Added to this we find out why she wasn't joining the chocolate muffin trend in Paris, find out whether Jeff Probst still has a potty mouth and learn more about a fellow athlete on Team USA who probably owes her a medal or two. It's a wide-ranging chat that you can't miss! So get to listening and enjoy! If you wish to support Noelle's Born to Run Foundation you can do so here: https://theborntorunfoundation.org/

Are you pumped to get into another Opening Ceremony review? And even more so given we're finally doing an Opening Ceremony from the 'golden age' of ceremonies? Well if you weren't before, you will be now as we bring you our review of the Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony and go over all the classic moments that made this such a memorable one! From awkward volunteers yelling and shovelling random snow, to over excited speech readers and Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado banging drums, it's an incredible opening ceremony that you simply must revisit! So take a trip down memory lane, get your slam poetry ready and your sky canoes packed as we bring you an epic episode that you won't want to miss!

We're on target once again with our next episode as we bring you back into the great sport of shooting by chatting with Australian skeet shooter Joshua Bell to learn more about his career and unique discipline. We find out from Josh the specifics of skeet and just how it differs from other disciplines such as trap. We also learn why Australia is missing that Olympic medal in the discipline and why he believes he is on track to become the first ever Australian skeet shooter to medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in three years time. Added to this we hear about his 'kid in a candy store' moment during his Olympic debut in Paris, find out how the disappointment of not making both Rio and Tokyo helped him towards his first Olympics in 2024 and learn just why climate change is set to change shooting in the coming years. It's another insightful and entertaining chat that we know you won't want to miss!If you want to help Josh on his way to LA, you can donate to him here: https://asf.org.au/projects/joshua-bell/josh-bell-eyes-set-on-la

He delivered one of our most memorable interviews of all time in the lead up to the Paris Olympics and he is back to tell us about his Olympic experiences and more as we bring back to the podcast the amazing Teremoana Jr Teremoana! After setting not only the boxing world on fire in Paris but the entire Australian sporting world, Teremoana goes over what it was like for him on the ground during his Games debut and opens up about why it's actually difficult to talk about his time at the Olympics. We also learn why he believes he left Paris as the true winner of his division, and why he takes his defeat in the quarter-finals in a much different way than you would expect. Added to this we find out more about his return to the professional ring since his Olympic debut, hear about his unique experiences in Monaco and find out what a certain Australian sporting legend told him about a possible career change in the future. It's another incredible chat with one of our favourite guests that you won't want to miss!

It's been a while since we've brought you a Newscast episode but that's about to change today as we bring you all the latest Olympic news to get you pumped and excited! Ben is joined by Jamie Lyko to go over all the big happenings in the world of the Olympics over the last month, with plenty to cover! We have a new IOC President, some venues finally happening for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics as well as some very interesting ideas for future city hosts of both the Summer and Winter Olympics! We also bring you some other updates including finding out how Team OTP members have been doing and updating you on some exciting things coming up on this show! It's a bumper edition of your favourite type of episode as the Newscast returns in style!

We're shooting back into your speakers today with the return of one of our favourite guests, Australian shooter Sergei Evglevski, to hear about his experiences at his second Olympics in Paris and everything else in between. We find out from Sergei just what happened on the ground at the Games and how he is now reflecting on his performance more than eight months later. We also learn just how the sport has reacted to the viral nature of a certain other shooter in Paris and whether that is a good or a bad thing for professional shooting. Added to this we find out from Sergei what the deal is with his new found obsession with Powerade, whether or not the AOC has learnt how to spell his name properly and why 2024 turned out to be the best year of his life. It's another epic interview with an epic guest! Tune in!

Luke Perry has risen the ranks of indoor volleyball, going from the suburbs of Perth in Australia right to the very top tiers of the sport in Europe to be widely recognised as one of the top liberos in the sport. But how does a kid from a country that has little volleyball coverage go to the biggest stage in his sport to become one of the best players in the world? We learn from Luke more about his journey and discover just how a promising Australian Football career transitioned into volleyball. We also find out just how he was able to navigate the tricky volleyball landscape coming from Australia, and just where the sport currently sits down under as it prepares to host another Olympics in seven years time. We also find out more about just exactly what a libero is and learn why any volleyball fan on the planet needs to get to Poland to fully experience the sport. It's one wide-ranging chat that you won't want to miss!

History was made last month in Australian winter sport when for the first ever time at a World Cup, Australia swept a podium in the women's freestyle skiing aerials at Deer Valley. In fact it wasn't just a podium sweep for Australia, with the top four places all belonging to athletes wearing the green and gold. Finishing third in that event was Abbey Willcox, who secured her third career World Cup podium in the process, and today joins us on the show to talk about that moment and her extraordinary career in the sport of freestyle skiing. We find out from Abbey just what that moment not only meant for her, but what it means for the entire winter sports community in Australia in the lead up to the 2026 Winter Olympics. We also find out just what it means for her push towards a potential Olympic debut in Milano Cortina and what it would mean to her to reach that goal after the heartbreak of not making the team in 2022. Added to this we find out just how she is now using the love of the sport to drive her in her career, which teammate she thinks would be perfect on reality TV and which 1990s banger is always on her playlist ahead of each competition. It's an incredible chat with Abbey that you won't want to miss!

Since first joining us on the podcast in 2023, Stacey Hymer has continued her rise through the sport of taekwondo that saw her go all the way to her second Olympics in Paris in 2024. It was a rise that also saw her took gold at the Pacific Games in the lead up to her second Olympics, a gold medal that Hymer used as a spurring point as she pushed to break Australia's 24-year medal drought in Olympic taekwondo. And although an Olympic medal wasn't to be for Hymer in Paris, she took a lot away from her time at the Games in a whole variety of different ways. In this great chat with Hymer, she details exactly what those ways were and lets us know that even despite losing in the first round at the Olympics for a second time, still is still able to reflect back on her experience as one of the greatest days of her life. She also explains how she is using her added Olympic experience towards growing the sport more in Australia and just how she hopes to use that in a push to a third Olympics in LA in 2028 and just what she may use it for in Brisbane in 2032. It's another increidbly open and honest chat with Stacey that you won't want to miss!

Since last appearing on this podcast, Grace Brown has gone on to massive things. The Australian cyclist created history in Paris at her second Olympics by becoming the first ever Australian woman to medal in the road time trial, a medal that just happened to be gold. The gold medal was Australia's first of their record breaking Paris 2024 campaign, and also happened to be the first ever summer gold medal for a member of Team OTP. Grace then added two World Championship gold medals to her name a month later, and retired from the sport. And in another great chat with Brown, she goes over her incredible 2024 and just how she was able to achieve such amazing success, and how some unique lead up events that many would find hard to deal with might have actually helped her on her path to glory. We also find out how her Paris experience compared to her Tokyo experience, learn more about those damn village chocolate muffins and also discover why there could be a bit of skateboarding or breaking in her future. It's an epic chat with an epic individual that you won't want to miss!

With another 50 episodes in the bank it's that time to bring you another BEST OF episode, as we go over our last 49 episodes that brought you memories, laughs and everything else in between for THE BEST OF OFF THE PODIUM PART 9! You'll hear the best bits from episodes 401-449, which includes our entire Paris 2024 coverage as well as some incredible interviews and hilarious special episodes! It's the episode that will bring you all the memories and entertainment you need today! So click away and get to listening!

Now that we're less than a year away from the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics, we're continuing to get excited by speaking with some great winter athletes on this show! And what is even better is when we bring back a former guest for another chat, as we welcome back Canadian freestyle skier and Olympic medalist Lewis Irving to learn how his preparation is going for next year and just what we can expect from him at the 2026 Olympic Games! We learn from him how a serious crash not long after we spoke with him in 2023 has shaped his lead up to his third Olympics, and how his miraculous recovery from the crash has helped spurred him on in his performances since. We also find out about some significant Canadian Olympic history he could create next year and what it would mean to him to achieve that. Added to that we find out about the best place to eat at in Quebec, how his Italian is shaping up for next year as well as just where in the world he experienced some of the best poutine he has ever had. It's another incredible chat with Lewis that you simply can't miss! So get to listening to avoid disappointment!

We're taking a brief break from our recent winter content to go back to summer and also return to the Paralympics today as we chat with Australian paratriathlete Jeremy Peacock about his incredible career and journey in the sport as well as his Paris Paralympic experiences! We find out from Jeremy about why it took him so long to get involved in his sport as he opens up about some very raw challenges that he had to overcome in order to reach that point. We also learn more about his Paris experiences, including whether the fact that he is a Paralympian has fully hit him yet. Added to this we of course talk about poop in the Seine, all things to do with Phryge and finding out just which of his main rivals he likes to beat more than others. It's another incredible chat that will lift your spirits up higher than the Eiffel Tower today, so get to listening and get pumped!

We're now less than a year away from the 2026 Winter Olympics which means we're back to bring you our fifth LOOKING AHEAD episode where we go over all there is to look forward to about the Milano Cortina Olympics next year! We go over why these Games are set to be so unique with their geography, and whether we like just how much they are spread out or wish things were a little more compact. We also go over the new events and new sport set to take the Olympics by storm, hear the official anthem for the Games that perhaps might be better suited to another annual European music event and of course go over every aspect of the mascots of the Games and see if we can work out what on earth a stoat actually is. Added to this some extra fun shenannigans in extra fun Italian style and you won't want to miss a second of this episode! So tune in, get stoated and change your windows for another epic time!

A very special episode to close out the month today as we sit down with one of the most well known Olympic historians on the planet, Philip Barker, to learn about his career in the world of the Olympics and learn more about his very unique profession that we all pretty much dream we could have! We find out just how Philip got in to the Olympics and how that path took him towards his current profession. We also find out a vast variety of incredible Olympic stories and facts, as Philip goes over some unique insights into the Olympic bidding process and where we sit with it now, as well as the general celebration that each city has when it comes to hosting the Olympics Games. Added to this some great talk about everything from Antwerp to Brisbane, and you are in for one hell of a historical ride from one hell of a smart man. It's one of our most unique interviews ever, so get to listening to avoid disappointment!

We've never hidden our admiration for Olympic pin collecting on this show and we have always wanted to dive deeper into what is often called the unnoficial sport of the Olympic Games. Well today we are finally doing so as we bring you a very special episode on what it takes to become an avid Olympic pin collector as we are joined by German pin collector Yorick Spieker to learn more about the unique hobby and just how big of a hobby it actually is! We learn how Yorrick found himself at his first Olympics as a 19-year-old and how he was then able to acquire his first pin. We also learn how different the art of trading was 30 years ago, and how he was able to build such an extensive collection over the years having only attended two Olympics. Added to this we learn more about the etiquette of pin trading when actually at an Olympics, just why there is an endless amount of Olympic pins out there with no perfect collection ever possible and find out how asking for a certain pin in Paris could've very much led to the death of someone had they given it up. It's an amazing chat with so much to learn from, so get to listening and get more excited about Olympic pins! 

After returning to the slopes last week with a great returning winter guest, we're doing the same once more today as we welcome back Australian skeleton racer Nick Timmings to find out how he is prepping for the 2026 Olympics, how the Beijing Olympic experience was for him in 2022 and everything else in between! We hear from Nick about why his Beijing experience wasn't exactly what he was hoping it to be but how it helped spur him on in continue in the sport and track towards his second Olympics next year. We also find out how his Beijing experience enabled him to have a different Olympic experience in Paris last year and contribute to the Olympics in a much different way. Added to this we clear the air and talk about the elephant in the room when it comes to a certain co-host of this show and his comments about Nick during the 2022 Olympics, find out why Tasmania was one of the coldest places he has ever been to and cotinue our campaign to get a sliding track built in Australia for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane. It's an amazing chat that once again you won't want to miss!

After starting the year off with a bang last week, we're continuing into 2025 with another massive interview as we welcome back one of our favourite guests to the show in Canadian ski jumper Ale Loutitt to catch-up on her impressive achievements since our last chat and look ahead to what we can expect from her at the Milano Cortina Olympics next year! With a World Championship, Junior World Championship, World Cup overall bronze and a World Record being added to her resume since our last chat, just how does Ale compare each of these achievements? We find out, as well as finding out whether we are her good luck charm that she needs each time she heads into a new season. Added to this we learn about a puppet called Gary, how getting injured actually helped her towards more success and find out how even jumping 10cm could get Ben a record he would proudly own. It's another amazing chat with an amazing guest that you won't want to miss!

An absolute treat coming your way today on the show as we chat with iconic Canadian Paralympian Chantal Peticlerc to learn more about her incredible career that saw her go on to be the equal most successful Canadian Paralympian of all-time! We find out from Chantal just how hard her competitive instinct drove her across her career, including some very unique methodologies she used in order to achieve even higher standards. She also talks about the impact of THAT race in 2000 in Sydney against Australian Louise Sauvage and how that was a turning point in not only her career but also how the Paralympics were talked about globally. Added to his we learn more about her role in the Canadian Senate, work out which pieces of memorabilia mean more to her than her medals and find out just how of a direct line she has to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It's an amazing interview that you simply won't want to miss!

We're on target to break a drought on this show today as for the first time in a few years we get back to the great sport of archery! And what better way to do it than speaking with Aussie Olympian Peter Boukouvalas about his recent experiences in Paris and learning more about the great sport he competes in! We find out from Peter about which other sport he could've been an Olympian in and just what unique thing happened to get him to switch from that intro archery. We also learn about the very unique training regimes from his sport and just how intensive it actually is. Added to this we find out about his Paris experiences, his take on being involved in the Opening Ceremony and just what he has to say to the many people who doubted that he could ever make an Olympic team. It's an incredibly open and deep chat that you definitely won't want to miss!

It's been a while since we've hit the sand for beach volleyball but we're back to talk about as we sit down with Aussie Olympian Mark Nicolaidis to learn about his career and his experiences in Paris earlier this year! Mark has had a stellar rise to the top in his sport, a rise that started off on the indoor courts in Queensland and saw him become a pirate. How? Well you'll find out in this chat. You'll also find out how his partnership with Izac Carracher was able to blossom so early and bring them immediate success when they came together as a team, and how they were then able to overcome disappointment along the way to their very last minute selection for the Paris Olympics. Added to this we find out about his experiences at both ceremonies in Paris, learn more about his potential bromance with an Australian TV personality and learn which fellow Olympian could be joining him in a special coffee project moving forward. It's an incredibly entertaining chat that you won't want to miss!

We're excited to return to the sport of judo today on Off The Podium and for the very first time interview the brother of a former guest as we speak with two-time Australian Olympian Nathan Katz about his judoka journey as well as his Olympic experiences! We learn from Nathan's perspective about what it was like growing up in such a judo obsessed household and why he always wanted to pursue the sport he loved so much. We also find out more about his two very unique Olympic experiences, including just how he went from sitting in a car with some Chinese food and a bottle of wine two weeks before an Olympics not having qualified to finding out that he was going to be on a plane to the Games. Added to this we hear about what role Kate Bush played in his career, just why his brother should have a movie made about him and learn why doing judo on a water bed isn't the smartest idea. It's another epic chat that you can't miss, so get to listening!

Pumped to be able to go back into the vault for our latest CLASSIC OPENING CEREMONY REVIEW as we transport you back to 1998 and review a fascinating Nagano 1998 Winter Olympics opening ceremony! Just how pumped are we to talk about sumo wrestlers and children of the corn? Why did so many winter athletes in 1998 want to look like spys from the 1950s? Do we appreciate the ceremony taking place during the day and the fact it was the last one we have ever seen not take place at night? How great is napkin man? Were we shocked to see the man who discovered Prince involved in this ceremony? Are the Japanese organisers the politest we have ever seen in any opening ceremony? How epic is the cauldron lighting? And is the Ode to Joy sequence one of the greatest ever Olympic opening ceremony moments in history? There's so much to unpack in one hell of an opening ceremony so listen in to find out more!

It's rugby 7s time here on Off The Podium as we chat with Aussie triple Olympian Henry Hutchison about the highs, lows and everything else in between from his incredible career! We find out from Henry just how important the 2003 Rugby World Cup was to him and how that set him on a path towards being a triple Olympian. We also find out what it was like playing the sport in Melbourne after moving there from Sydney, and just how the city has embraced rugby over the years. We also learn more about each of his unique Olympic experiences, learn just what made the Stade de France so special in Paris and why Olympic Handball holds such a close connection to him. So get to listening and get enteratined in another massive interview!

Are you ready for a punchy interview? We certainly are! As we return to the sport of boxing today to chat with Australian Olympian Tiana Echegaray about her epic career and journey through the sport and of course her Olympic experiences in Paris earlier this year! We learn from Tiana about her incredible story that took her from a mundane 9 to 5 job in Sydney five years ago to the Olympic Games in Paris. We also learn about how her tight family and strong community upbringing helped get her to that point, as well as just how she wants to use her Cook Island heritage in the future to further develop it on the world stage. Added to this we find out a controversial opinion when it comes to the viral Paris chocolate muffins, learn just how good her drawing skills are when it comes to one of her teammates and find out just why a night with the Australian boxing team at karaoke is something we all need to put on our bucket lists. It's one hell of an interview with one hell of an athlete, so tune in and make sure you don't miss a second of it!

A bit of history on the show today as for the first time we bring back a guest for a third time to chat, as we catch up with the increidble Aussie wrestler Jayden Lawrence to learn all about his experiences in Paris at his first ever Olympics! We find out from Jayden just whether the Olympics lived up to his expectations and how he felt about his two matches during the Games. We also learn about his unique experiences at the Opening Ceremony, and find out just how long it took to get his formal jacket dry after all the rain that night. Added to that we find out more about his recent meeting with King Charles, find out which part of the world he is a bit of a celebrity in and learn about the unique beverage that is horse milk. It's another incredible chat with an incredible athlete that we can't wait for you to get into! 

It's time to sprint yourself into another amazing interview as we chat with Canadian sprinter Duan Asemota about his journey in athletics that took him all the way to his first Olympics in Paris earlier this year! We find out from Duan just how the switch came to sprinting from a basketball background, and how he actually could've been going into space instead of the Olympics. We also get an incredibly detailed look into the analytics of the 100m, and learn just what is the difference between an athlete who is quick and an athlete who is fast. Added to this we learn about his experiences at Ohio State and the success he had there, his rollercoaster of emotions that came from his Olympic experience in Paris and just why you want to be careful playing him online in FIFA. It's an epic chat of epic proportions that you won't want to miss!

We're heading back to the water today, this time in the great sport of Canoe/Kayak sprint as we chat with Canadian kayaker Laurent Lavigne to learn all about his rise in the sport and learn more about his experiences at his first ever Olympics in Paris earlier this year! We find out from Laurent how watching his brother paddle one day led to an opportunity for him to paddle and start his epic rise through the sport. We also find about his experiences rising through the ranks that led him to breaking a significant Canadian medal drought, as well as how he felt once he knew he was on the radar of the Olympic team. Added to this we learn about the unique margins it takes to be successful in kayak sprint, learn just how obsessed he got with pin trading at the Olympics as well as just why his family has a very unique line of succession when it comes to dog ownership. It's a fun and informative chat that you won't want to miss!

As we continue to learn more from our Paris Olympians and their experiences at the 2024 Olympics, we're excited to bring back Judoka Josh Katz to the show to find out more about his time in Paris! We find out just what happened during his match at the Olympics, and how he has managed to recover from the disappointment it brought him. We also learn about how he was able to experience the Olympics differently at his second Games and how he has reflected on the experience after a few months. Added to this we find out just what is next for him, why there have been some extra challenges since he has come home and just why he has to replace a special piece Olympic equipment he has had for over eight years! It's an epic chat that you simply can't miss!

Who loves field hockey? We do! And you know who else does? Australian Olympian Tatum Stewart! And lucky enough for you we are joined by Tatum today to learn more about her passion for the sport and her epic rise through the ranks that led her to making her Olympic debut in Paris only a few months ago! We learn from Tatum what made her pick up a hockey stick and take that journey, as well as what chance meeting with a former Hockeyroo led her to take it just a bit more seriously. We also find out more about the Hockeyroos performance in Paris and just why the disappointment of losing in the quarter-final will only make them better in four years time. Added to his we find out more about some of her unique experiences in Paris and the unique people she met, just why she could be a major international DJ sometime soon and learn more about her epic TikToks! It's an insightful and entertaining chat that will make your day even better!

We're back into another epic interview today as we move back into the sport of rowing to learn more from Aussie Paris Olympian Paige Barr about her extraordinary career and Olympic experiences! We find out about Paige's journey in the sport and her rapid rise through the ranks in the world of rowing. We also find out about the challenges involved in selection for Paris and what that moment was like once she found out she was going to her first Olympics. Added to this we learn about why her music taste often doesn't sit too well with her teammates, just how good those chocolate muffins were in Paris and whether or not a title she received in high school means she can be captain of all things to do with boats! It's an incredible chat that will row yourself into excitement! So get to listening!

It's been a while since we have brought you a CLASSIC OPENING CEREMONY REVIEW and we're doing exactly that today as we go all the way back to 1976 and look at the Opening Ceremony for the Innsbruck Winter Olympics! Why is there so much marching band music? Seriously. Are so over it that we just can't talk about it? Or is it the fact that there isn't anything to talk about? Like...a few flags being waved, some marching countries, a speech that doesn't happen and the biggest flame you have ever seen in your life? Really...how are we going to do this? You're going to have one hell of a ride as we learn more about Austria in the seventies in an episode you'll have to hear to believe! Just don't say we didn't warn you about the marching music....(SERIOUSLY MAKE IT STOP!!!!!)

Super excited to bring you another incredible interview today as we sit down with New Zealand artist and film maker Zakea Page. In 2020, Zakea was the winner of the design contest for the Winter Youth Olympic medals, becoming the first ever New Zealander to design medals for an Olympic Games. It was with this moment that Zakea saw an opportunity to do something even more unique, and he soon found himself performing at the Opening Ceremony in Lausanne during the Youth Olympics. Zakea goes over just how he was able to achieve that very distinctive feat, what it meant to him to be able to represent New Zealand at the Youth Olympics in a way that perhaps could be the most unique ever seen, and just what part of that experience gave him a moment that made him feel 'immortal'. Added to these amazing stories, we learn more about how he took his Youth Olympic experience and turned it into a documentary that has been dominating the global film circuit, find out just how he is in a very unique club that involves the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Celine Dion and Bjork and also learn what it is like to hug Thomas Bach, Olympic Champion Fencing. It's an amazing interview that you simply can't miss!

With the Paralympics over, we wanted to bring you a very unique and special episode that might just be the most original we have ever done on Off The Podium. Today we are celebrating a truly iconic Olympian in George Eyser, an American gymnast who back in 1904 set the record for most Olympic medals won in a single day when he claimed six medals in gymnastics. What is even more incredible about George's achievement, is that he did so with a wooden leg. It's an amazing story about an amazing Olympian that very few people know the truth about, until earlier this year when Pulitzer Prize finalist writer Joshua Prager penned an amazing article going over George's career and uncovering some previously unknown facts about the man who has remained a mystery for more than 120 years. We sit down with Joshua to learn more about George, just why he decided to put 12 years of his life into writing this article, and find out just whether or not this incredible story might be on the path to the Hollywood treatment now that it has been fully revealed. It's an amazing episode that you won't soon forget!

Well it's officially time to say goodbye to everything Paris 2024 related as the 2024 Paralympics have drawn to a close, and we're back to go over everything to do with the Paris Paralympics in true Off The Podium style! We go over all the big moments, big athletes and big sports that we loved watching along the way! We also talk up just why some sports at the Paralympics are far better than the Olympics and what we would like to see worked into more future Paralympics! Added to this we learn just how sad we are that Paris is over and that we have to wait another four years for another Summer festival of sport! It's all here and more in our epic Paralympics 2024 recap that you simply can't miss!

As the Paris Paralympics continue, we are continuing on with our mini-series interviewing Paralympic legends. And today it's a big one, as we speak with legendary Australian swimmer Melissa Carlton about her extraordinary career that netted her nine Paralympic medals across two Paralympics. We find out about her start in the sport and her move from South Africa to Australia, and just how she went on to become one of the biggest name athletes in the state of Tasmania across the 1990s. We also learn about her journey to the Paralympics and just how she found the differences between swimming in Atlanta and at home in Sydney. Added to this we find out just what she has done with her medals, how she feels about being an iconic Tasmanian and how she was able to turn her successful swimming career into a successful career outside of the pool. It's another amazing interview with an amazing athlete that you can't afford to miss!

The Paralympics are here! And to celebrate the occasion we are continuing our mini-series in speaking to some Paralympic legends as we sit down with five-time Australian Paralympian in the sport of swimming, Matt Levy, to learn about his epic rise in the sport and his amazing achievements at the Paralympic Games. We find out how attending the Sydney Paralympics in 2000 was so inspirational for Matt and why that made him take up swimming on a more competitive level than he had ever before. We also learn about how he was able to adapt so quickly and find his way to the Paralympics only a few years later in Athens, and how through all of his Paralympic appearances he was able to use past performances as fuel towards achieving greater success. Added to this we learn more about his part in the epic 4x100m freestyle 34 points relay win in Tokyo, how he has used his story to help out others on a grand stage since his retirement and whether or not he feels a bit weird not being at the Paris Paralympics given it's the first time he hasn't competed at the Paralympic Games in 24 years. It's an amazing interview from one of the greatest Australian Paralympians of all time, so don't miss it and get to listening!

With the Olympics over for another four years, it's now time to switch focus to the Paralympics in Paris which are set to begin in less than a week. And in the lead up to the 2024 Paralympics we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to chat to some legends of the event and learn more about their unique and incredible individual journeys through sport. Today we begin this mini-series in perhaps the biggest way possible from a Canadian perspective, as we speak with the most decorated Canadian Paralympian of all time, Michael Edgson, to learn about his amazing career in swimming and just how he was able to achieve such success on the world stage. We find out just why swimming was his chosen sport and what it was like to rise through the ranks in Canada in the late 70s and early 80s towards his Paralympic debut in 1984. We also find out how he came to choose his specific strokes and which stroke he just never had a liking for. Added to this we hear the most extraordinary stories behind his most famous races, and why one of them actually came from defeat rather than victory, some epic tales of hanging out with some legendary Canadian athletes and just why he decided to hang up the goggles after the Barcelona Paralympics, despite still being so young. It's an absolutely incredible interview that you simply can't miss!

After an incredible last few weeks of amazing Olympic action, we bring our Paris 2024 coverage to a close with one last special episode! Join Ben as he brings you some exclusive snippets on the ground in Paris during the Olympics, featuring a variety of thoughts and insights as he documents his journey throughout the 16 days of competition. We also hear from some very special guests, including Jill and Alison from the 'Keep The Flame Alive' podcast, our special contributor Patrick Riley and two very special guests that you won't want to miss! It's one hell of an episode with one hell of an insight into the greatest show on earth!

All good things must come to an end, and after the Paris 2024 Olympics set the bar so high with the opening ceremony, we're here to discuss whether the closing ceremony was able to vault over that bar or not! We're privileged to have another ground floor call-in guest to give us instant reactions of the ceremony as the stadium emptied, talking about everything from floating pianos to athletes rushing the stage to most importantly how Tom Cruise looked and smelled up close. We also have the final day of competition to cover including the spectacular finish of the women's marathon and Sifan Hassan pulling off a near impossible feat. And if that could be beat it may have been the down to the wire final seconds of the women's basketball final. And as we bid farewell to our dear friend Thomas Bach, we also find out just who will win our final ever Bachie for athlete of the day, and whether or not we can resist the temptation to give it to another athletics athlete. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to download our closing ceremony episode and listen now before it self destructs! 

Wow. That's all we can say. The Paris 2024 Olympics are done, and we definitely need to take a breather after all the epic times and moments we have seen over the last few weeks. And to take that breather, what better way than to bring you another episode to close out the Games in style! We go over all our favourite moments, find out more vibes and gossip from the ground direct in Paris and find out just how terrible our pre-Games predictions were. We also of course come for the ATHLETE OF THE GAMES, names in a new form this time, as we give out the most prestigious possible award any athlete can get. It's one hell of an episode to bring to a close one hell of an Olympics that were Paris 2024!

Please forgive the tears of joy coming from Colin and the shot voice after the Men's 100m relay today, but we do have more important things to discuss on Off the Podium, mainly the sport of BREAKING! Just what did we witness today? Do we understand it? Do we like it? Do we want more? And even aside from our feelings on the sport we have a huge behind the scenes rally today for one particular B-Girl to potentially win our Athlete of the Day. There is still plenty of non Breaking discussion as we go over the huge Men's Soccer final that will go down as one of the best games ever. We're keeping the anticipation going through the show for a special report on Taekwondo, and while the Men's 100m Relay brought a tear to Colin's eye (even though he's typically void of emotions), we try to figure out if the American team has managed to complete that first exchange yet at the time this episode airs. If you can successfully receive the baton of an episode we're passing you today then give it a good listen!

Show of hands who enjoyed day 15's never ending string of medals awarded today? We definitely might have! Strangely though we're still discussing yesterday's show with a continued plea to leave the poor athletes alone. Unless you're there to cheer for New Zealand killing it today, in which case join us as we give them their due, even if it might go against our show's mission statement. We watch along as US goes for the one gold medal in basketball that might have broken the country if things went in the wrong direction, and witness Sweden making history in beach volleyball. And if you thought Tokyo and Paris had the hardest marathon in history do we have news for you. You won't believe the facts we discover today from the 1904 St Louis marathon, which has to be heard to believe. Once again we ask for a show of hands on who plans to download and listen to us today. Records will fall if your hand is raised!

We are back for all your Day 12 cover of the Olympics here on Off The Podium! It was a historic day for Australia at the games, but sadly we have no Australians here to talk about it, although we definitely share our love from across the pond. But that's nothing compared to our love for Lithuania today as we cover a feel good story of the games in the Discus between father and son. We also continue to talk up maybe the most exciting sport on the field so far with the Women's Pole Vault which had us on the edge of our seat and constantly changing our allegiance. While skateboarding continues to impress us more than in Tokyo, we question whether it is Olympic ready as a sport yet. Raphael joins us for the first time during these games to tell us all about his experience being in Paris last week. And with all the discussion on sports we also deal with a tragedy involving a snow globe. What does a snow globe have to do with the Olympics? You'll be surprised when we find the connection. So tune in to our episode as we vault through everything day 12 had to offer!

It felt like a day full of upsets in Paris, but we are anything but upset to be here to cover all the events from Day 13 of the Paris 2024 Olympics! With Covid hitting the track and field, we saw historic wins in the 200 metres, 400 metres and javelin, but it was the team sports that really captured us today as we saw a huge last minute come from behind victory in the basketball. While there were medals for both Australia and Canada, it's the hope of future medals in water polo and beach volleyball that seem to be exciting us the most, so naturally we are offering some bribes to a certain friend of the show to sway the results in our favour. We also feature our very first surprise listener call in to build up anticipation for the coming of breaking and modern pentathlon. So get masked up and keep a safe distance as you listen to our latest episode on everything that went down in Paris today!

Day 11 saw many of our Off The Podium nations continue to falter in the team sports, so Colin and Jarrod are here to create new national teams to cheer for as we go over all the events of today's Olympic schedule! We surprisingly talk up Skateboarding as we marvel at everything an athlete can accomplish at the age of 11-14, and not a day beyond. Also providing plenty of giggles today was the near hilarious end to the Men's 1500m finals that saw a sneaky finish nobody saw coming. We also suspect some alliances may be at work as we choose our Bachie winner for Athlete of the Day, and a counter alliance may or may not be in play against it. To get to the bottom of all the behind the scenes scheming, make sure to download our latest recap and make sure to pick a side!

Just when we thought it might be a rest day here on Off The Podium, we're hit with all the action and excitement of Day Ten, and Colin is joined once again by Alex to go over every historic moment from the day! We talk up everyone's favourite new sport the Kayak Cross with our first ever gold medalists in Noemie Fox and Finn Butcher. There was also no disappointment in the return of the Triathlon Mixed Relay which has proven to be the most exciting mixed event of the Olympics. Of course nothing could top the final field event of the day where a once in a lifetime pole vaulter kept over 70,000 fans eating out of the palm of his hand long after his medal was secure. While no awards would be chosen today by Charlie the Cat, he does make a brief appearance which leads us down a regretful rabbit hole on pet behaviour. So if you've been dying to find the ins and outs of badminton, find out if Eddie Redmayne is competing in the Olympics, or learn who scored free underwear for life, we have the episode for you!