Podcasts about off the podium

It's an exciting day on Off The Podium as we finally launch our long-awaited series diving into every Olympic Games in history! And where better to begin than the very first: the Athens 1896 Summer Olympics. In this jam-packed episode, we explore how the modern Olympics came to life, highlight the standout athletes, and explain why we're so fascinated by massive bulges and murderous gold medallists. You'll also learn about Aussie legend Edwin Flack, find out how easy it was back then to win medals in multiple sports, and discover that Olympic host city chaos is nothing new. It's informative, entertaining, and the perfect way to kick off a series we've been so excited to share!

It's been over eight years since we last caught up with Australian freestyle skier David Morris, and a lot has happened since then. In 2018, he competed in his third and final Olympic Games — an appearance that saw him narrowly miss out on a second Olympic medal under controversial circumstances in the men's aerials final. Seven years on from that moment, David reflects on the experience and shares how he feels about it today. He also looks back on all three of his Olympic appearances in Vancouver, Sochi, and PyeongChang. We also dive into his time in Beijing from a coaching perspective, get his deep insights into the state of the sport in Australia, and hear some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories that you won't want to miss. Always engaging, entertaining, and honest, David brings his signature energy to a conversation that's bound to brighten your day. So hit play and enjoy one of our most fun and brutally honest chats yet!

It's Newscast time as we return with all the latest Olympic headlines and kick off our sports preview series ahead of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Games. Patrick Riley returns to the show to break down all the big stories, including the beginning of Kirsty Coventry's IOC presidency, confirmation that NHL players will take part in next year's Games, and a new city officially joining the race to host the 2036 Olympics. We also dive into snowboarding at the 2026 Winter Games — looking back at the sport's Olympic history and forward to why Australia, Canada, and the US have plenty to be excited about when it comes to medal chances in Italy. Get your ears into gear for another unmissable Newscast! 

A very special bonus episode drops today, giving you a sneak peek at an incredible chat we've got coming next month. We sit down with the voice of track & field in the US, the legendary Leigh Diffey, for an exclusive preview of this weekend's iconic Prefontaine Classic in Oregon — and what American viewers can expect from NBC's coverage. It's a great insight into a world-class event, delivered by one of the best in the business — and the perfect warm-up for our full-length conversation with Leigh coming soon. Give it a listen and enjoy the ride!

This episode of Musicast is a little different and a little more personal as Jen is joined by her husband Matt to talk about what it's like to be a spouse of a music teacher. From navigating concert season to the ups and downs of advocating for music education to the crazy schedules, this episode gives a look behind the curtain at good ways to support your music educator through it all. Hope you enjoy the last episode of this season!

An absolute treat coming down your speakers today to celebrate July 4th as we welcome back to the show legendary American swimmer, and 'the voice of swimming', Rowdy Gaines to learn more about his incredible career both in and out of the pool! We find out from Rowdy just how he is still buzzing after the Paris Olympics, and how a prediction he made on this show came very true and if that makes him a secret clairvoyant. He also learn more about his iconic three gold medals at the 1984 Olympics and just how the US boycott in 1980 still sits with him after all these years. Added to this we find out just how hot of a commodity the Rowdy Gains Olympic pins were in Paris, learn about some interesting fan feedback he has gotten over the years and just why we still might see him in Brisbane in 2032 despite his plans to retire after the 2028 Olympics. It's an absolutely iconic chat with an Olympic icon that you can't miss!

We're right back into the bobsleigh this week as we welcome back Aussie bobsledder Sarah Blizzard to catch up on everything that has happened since the 2022 Olympics, as well as how she is tracking towards Milano Cortina in 2026. We find out everything around her role in Beijing and learn just what an alternate bobsledder does during an Olympic Games, and how she was able to get through that period after the disappointment of not making it on the main team. We also find out how her current progress is going and hear her side of her epic journey with our good friend Ash Werner. Added to this we gain motivation from her through her incredible training regimes, learn why a career in front of the camera for sports broadcasts could be on the cards and see what she thinks of Vanessa Amorosi. It's a wide ranging chat that we know you'll love, so get to listening! If you wish to donate to Sarah to help her towards Milano Cortina, you can do so here https://bit.ly/4kfJRTS

We are so pumped and excited today to bring you back one of our favourite guests on this show as we sit down with Aussie bobsledder Ashleigh Werner to learn about her journey across the sport since we last spoke to her four years ago! We hear about overcoming heartbreak for the second time on her Olympic journey after not making the team for Beijing, and find out just how she has been able to recover from that disappointment and the decisions she made to push towards her dream at the next Olympics in Milano Cortina. We also find out about her switch into rugby league and having to navigate that sport as well as the fans, media and even her father's team loyalty along the way. Added to this some great stories around Vanessa Amorosi, Daniel Ricciardo and bringing style points into bobsleigh, it's another incredible chat with Ash that you simpy won't want to miss!  

Thought we had finished talking about the Paris 2024 Olympics? Think again! Because even though it's been less than a year since the Opening Ceremony of those Games, we're back to talk about it once again as we continue our Opening Ceremony review series by looking closely at the most unique Opening Ceremony in Olympics history. Is it perhaps too soon to chat about this again or has enough time passed to give us a different perspective of it? How excited is Ben to finally be able to give his full thoughts on what happened? Do we still want to ride along horses on the Seine and have Lady Gaga and Celine Dion sing to us? Does this Opening Ceremony have the greatest soundtrack of all time? Why does Jarrod want to bully people more after this Opening Ceremony? Is Thomas Bach in his happy era during this Opening Ceremony? And do we feel as though boats are the answer for ceremonies moving forward? All of those questions and more will be answered on one hell of an episode that you didn't know you needed so soon after the last one!

We're back to the slopes today as we welcome back Aussie snowboarder Josie Baff to the show! Since we last spoke with Josie, she has gone on to massive success on the snowboard cross circuit, making her Olympic debut in 2022 as well as claiming World Championship silver in 2023 and multiple World Cup medals. We find out from Josie just what has brought about her success and how she is using it as momentum towards her second Olympics in Milano Cortina in 2026. We also find out more about her Beijing Olympics experience, including what it's like being besties with an Olympic medallist and finding out if she was able to replace her beloved Italian pin she got during her Youth Olympics experience. Added to this we find out more about death cookies, her love of ABBA and why her homemade granola is so damn epic. It's an epic chat that you won't want to miss!

It's Newscast time as we once again bring you all the latest Olympic news that has happened over the last month as Ben welcomes back the amazing Alex Loveless to the show to help him out! We find out what it was like to have Thomas Bach in Australia and learn why we are so jealous of high school kids in Brisbane. We also get some updates around some news from LA 2028 that we already knew, and news from Milano Cortina 2026 that we also kinda knew. Added to this we chat about the incredible Games of the Small States of Europe that were just recently held, as well as talking around Olympic Video Games and share some memories from the long lost series that apparently is showing no signs of returning. It's another epic episode that will get your news brains ticking, so get to listening!

On a September Thursday evening in the year 2000, Ludi Wiggins was part of Australian Olympic history. Not only did she help break a 76-year medal drought for Australia at the Olympics in the sport of diving, she also became the first ever female to win an Olympic diving medal for her country, alongside her teammate Rebecca Gilmore in the women's synchronised 10 metre platform. Amazingly for the then 21-year-old, it was her second Olympics, having made her debut four years earlier in Atlanta as a 17-year-old, and it would be the second of four Olympic appearances in total that would also net her another bronze medal in Athens in 2004. Today on the show we chat with Ludi about her incredible career in diving, learning from her just why she started in the sport, right through to how she was able to compete at the highest level for close to 20 years. We also find out just how her Olympic experiences helped her further in life after her retirement, see what she thinks of how the sport is placed in Australia today and also find out more about being married to someone who Ben is perhaps a bit too excited about. It's an incredible chat with an incredible athlete that will have you diving into it from the get-go!

Two of our favourite guests return to the show today as we catch up with Aussie curling icons Tahli Gill & Dean Hewitt to find out about their journey to get to their second Olympics in Italy next year! We find out just why their red hot form is tracking well into 2026 and how a coaching change has helped them not only prepare for this, but also have them avoid another awkward meeting during the Olympics. We also find out how a chance encounter with a certain former IOC President came about and just what it is like having dinner with him. Added this we find out some interesting stories around pigeons, learn why Kendrick Lamar may be replaced by Raygun when it comes to helping them go viral and talk way too much about Harry Potter and Colin's bathing habits. It's another epic chat from an epic pair of athletes that will make you feel more than epic by listening!

Since we last spoke with her in 2022, Breeana Walker has gone on to incredible success in bobsleigh. The Beijing Olympian has twice finished in the top two in the Crystal Globe standings, and created history in 2024 by becoming the first ever Australian sliding athlete to win a World Cup gold medal. But for 'Bobsled Bree', it's only the beginning, as she sets her sights on her second Olympics in Milano Cortina in 2026 and aims to create further history along the way. In another great chat with one of our favourite guests, Bree goes over just what has changed to create such an incredible period of success for her, how she is coping with the added eyes in the lead up to the 2026 Olympics and also just how she thinks Chairy can help her along the way towards Italy next year. It's another incredible chat that we know you won't want to miss! 

When we last spoke with Australian taekwondo athlete Leon Sejranovic at the end of 2023, he was riding high off his World Championship success that saw him win a bronze medal. Full of confidence and in red hot form, Sejranovic headed into his first ever Olympics as a genuine medal threat and a chance to break a 24-year medal drought for Australia in taekwondo at the Olympics. Unfortunately for Sejranovic it wasn't to be, with the 22-year-old bowing out in the repechage round. Despite his disappointment from Paris, Sejranovic is pushing hard towards LA in 2028 and achieving his dream of an Olympic medal, and in another great chat with him he goes over just how he is bouncing back from Paris and why he will be an even bigger threat at his second Olympics in just over three years time. He also talks about all of his Olympic experiences on the ground, find out just what it was like to compete in the Grand Palais and learn just why Timothée Chalamet may be a big part of his future. It's a chat that you won't want to miss, so get to listening!

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!

In episode two of our 'Off the Podium' series, Jenn sits down with Erin Zaffini, Director of Teacher Education at Longy School of Music, to discuss the development of the next generation of music educators and the challenge of navigating equity in music education. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/musicast-podcast/support

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!

Tune into this week's candid conversation between your host Jenn Divasto and her long-term friend and peer Jess Tosti for a heartfelt and honest look at their music educator journey. From their background as students and the formative influences that set them on their paths to discussing the gap between what music college told them to expect and the realities of being a first year teacher in the classroom. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/musicast-podcast/support

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!