Monica Puig: Puerto Rican pride

Puerto Rican tennis player Monica Puig wasn't ranked among the favourites for the women's singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Though she was in the best form of her life, she hadn't been seeded in the draw, which contained multiple Grand Slam champions and finalists, including both Venus and Serena Williams. Nobody knew that she was about to have the best week of her career - including Monica herself. When she beat reigning French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza, she began to think she had a shot at a medal; when she beat two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, the chance of winning her country's first ever Olympic gold medal was within sight. As she faced reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber in the final, Puerto Rico held its breath.Eliza Skinner and Ed Harry hear the story of how Monica became a national hero, and what it meant for her to be the first Puerto Rican to ever reach the top step of the Olympic podium. She explains why, eight years later, she feels she still hasn't fully processed the significance of that week, and just what her achievements have meant for her island. She also gives Eliza and Ed an insight into how tough it is to maintain a career on the professional tennis tour, and why a new sporting adventure has helped her deal with retiring from the court.On the Podium is the podcast that sits down with Olympic and Paralympic medallists to discover the real stories behind their success. Pole vault pioneer Stacy Dragila talks about her battle to get her sport on the Olympic programme, and triathlete Jess Learmonth reveals what led her back to sport after walking away as a teenager. Basketball champion Breanna Stewart and shot-putter Raven Saunders explain why they use the platform sport gives them to act as advocates. Swimmer Anastasia Pagonis and rower Brigit Skarstein share how sport helped them rebuild their futures after life-changing events, while Markus Rogan and Maarten van der Weijden talk about the lives they have found after leaving competition behind. Multi-sport stars like Oksana Masters and Jana Pittman reveal what it's like to compete at both the summer and winter Games. There's stories of memorable victories, like the moment high jump champion Gianmarco Tamberi chose to share his gold medal, and Shaunae Miller-Uibo putting everything on the line to reach the top step of the podium. Plus, the triumphs nobody predicted, including Molly Seidel's shock marathon bronze, and the day Anna Kiesenhofer rode away from cycling's biggest names to claim gold in Tokyo.