PODCAST · society
On the Podium
by BBC World Service
The stories behind the medals. As the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics approach, comedian Eliza Skinner and athletics commentator Ed Harry interview remarkable athletes about the journeys they took to the Games. 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 John McFall, 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, inc
Episodes
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Marit Bouwmeester: Perfection and parenthood
Marit Bouwmeester is the most decorated female sailor in Olympic history, winning medals at four consecutive Games, including two golds. She credits her success to the mental strength she amassed over the course of two decades, committing herself to constant improvement, and succeeding where…
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Derrick Loccident: A new challenge, a new life
Derek Loccident was a college American football player when, in 2018, an accident changed the course of his life. But despite becoming a below-the-knee amputee, he refused to give up on returning to the football field, and ended up exceeding everyone's expectations. Then another opportunity arose...
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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...
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Noemie Fox: Paddling out of the shadows
Noemie Fox grew up in a family of canoeing and kayaking champions, but she didn't believe she could become one herself. She struggled to master the skills that seemed to come naturally to her relatives, and felt like she didn't have what it took to reach the top. Then, in her mid-20s, things…
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We're back!
It takes a lot more than practice to to make it onto the podium. Eliza Skinner and Ed Harry meet four more extraordinary athletes who've won medals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, finding out how - and why - they reached the top, and what the rest of us can learn from their journeys. All...
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Ntando Mahlangu: Walking, running and leaping into the future
Ntando Mahlangu was born with fibular hemimelia, a condition that meant his legs didn't develop fully below the knees. After spending his childhood in a wheelchair, he made the decision to undergo amputation aged 10. When he received his first set of prosthetic "blade" legs, his whole world…
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Stacy Dragila: Vaulting the barriers
Men's pole vaulting has been part of the Olympics since the inaugural modern Games in 1896 - but there was no women's competition until more than a century later. When America's Stacy Dragila became the first woman to win gold in the event at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, it was the culmination of...
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Jess Learmonth: The unexpected triathlete
Jess Learmonth was a talented junior swimmer, but aged 15, she decided she'd had enough. Over the next few years, she and her partner worked in supermarkets, and travelled through Asia. When they returned home, Jess realised she wasn't done with sport yet - but she didn't expect that her desire…
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John McFall: The first Paralympian in space?
John McFall's life changed forever when, at the age of 19, he lost the lower part of his right leg in a motorcycle accident. His dream of joining the British Army was over - but sport gave him a way to find the challenges he'd been seeking. A little over eight years later, he sprinted to bronze…
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Coming soon: On the Podium season 4
Eliza Skinner and Ed Harry meet more amazing Olympic and Paralympic athletes ahead of the 2024 Paris Games. New episodes from Thursday 27 June. Paralympic sprinter John McFall left athletics behind to become an orthopaedic surgeon - and is now setting his sights on outer space. Triathlete Jess...
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Carrie Steinseifer-Bates: Swimming was her escape
From an alcoholic home to three gold medals aged 16, swimming was Carrie Steinseifer-Bates’s "safe place". But the pressure of being an elite athlete took its toll, and Carrie herself became an alcoholic. Today she is sober and dedicated to helping others.
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Jared Tallent: Fighting the drug cheat
Australia’s track and field gold medallist Jared Tallent campaigned for years to get what was rightfully his, following a doping scandal. Already an Olympic silver medallist in race walking, it took four years before a Russian rival was disqualified and Jared finally got his gold medal.
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Kaleigh Gilchrist: In the name of Kobe
The Olympic water polo gold medallist inspired by her friendship with the late basketball star Kobe Bryant. After an accident left her with severe injuries, Kaleigh Gilchrist vowed to get to Tokyo in his memory. And in honour of her Olympian father.
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Nikita Ducarroz: The power of sport
“It saved my life.” BMX competition helped the Swiss-American athlete fight anxiety attacks, which left her unable to leave home as a young teenager. The Olympic bronze medallist is now a mental health advocate.
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Yip Pin Xiu: Swimming for gold
Singapore’s most decorated Paralympian, with five gold medals. When Yip Pin Xiu won her first gold at the Beijing Paralympics, she was the youngest in her country’s team. And it was the first time ever that Singapore’s national anthem had been played in an Olympic arena.
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Santiago Lange: Sailing to gold
The Argentinian legend who fought back from cancer. Santiago had won Olympic bronze before he got sick. After years of struggle, he came back to take gold at the Rio Games.
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Breanna Stewart: Shooting for gold
The star basketball player in the US Olympic team. And, off the court, a voice for the abused. Breanna Stewart speaks frankly about her own experience of child sexual abuse, to give hope and strength to other victims. Since becoming a parent, she campaigns to change attitudes on professional…
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Denny Morrison: Coming back from tragedy
Gold medal-winning speed skater Denny Morrison’s near death experience, and a teammate’s selflessness. A competitor gave up his place to give Denny a sporting break, but a devastating motorbike accident was to follow. He fought back against multiple injuries, before then suffering a stroke. But...
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Birgit Skarstein: Paralympic role model
From rowing gold to tackling taboos. Paralympian Birgit Skarstein challenges stereotypes. A gold medallist at the Tokyo Paralympics, she campaigns for women’s sport and disability rights.
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Molly Seidel: The unlikely medallist
Olympic bronze against the odds, in only Molly Seidel's third ever marathon. Her success came after years of battling an eating disorder – a struggle with which she still lives. She talks about her mental health issues and the physical problems which bulimia can cause.
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Markus Rogan: Life after medals
A champion swimmer’s journey to find a new path outside of the pool. Markus Rogan held a world record and won two Olympic silvers for Austria. But when he stopped competing, his world unravelled. Markus trained for a new career as a psychotherapist, and it led him back to the Olympics - as a…
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Jaleen Roberts: Medals and wellbeing
A champion on and off the track. Paralympic track and field star Jaleen Roberts was born with physical disability cerebral palsy. But she has never let it stop her. She shares her mental health journey to help others. (CP description from Cerebral Palsy Alliance in US)
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Andrew Hoy
Still winning medals nearly 40 years on from his first Olympic Games, Australian equestrian Andrew Hoy has no plans to retire. After becoming the oldest man to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, he’s gearing up to compete again.
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Salum Kashafali: The fastest Paralympian on Earth
From a child fleeing conflict to the fastest Paralympian on earth. Salum Kashafali fought for survival, escaping the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo with his family. He took 100 metres gold at the Tokyo Paralympics, breaking his own world record and becoming a global role model.
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Anna Kiesenhofer: Alone against the odds
The non-pro Austrian cyclist who beat the best, without the support of a single teammate. When Anna Kiesenhofer lined up for the women's road race, few thought she was a contender. But her belief paid off and she became the first Austrian to win gold at a Summer Games for 17 years.
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Neeraj Chopra: Inspiring India
"This is my dream." There had never been an Olympic track and field champion from India. But Neeraj Chopra changed everything for his country. His amazing journey from a rural village climaxed with a gold medal in the men’s javelin at the Tokyo Games. Neeraj is now dedicated to inspiring the next...
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Raven Saunders: Making a statement on the podium
"All the things I went through": What a medal meant for a US shot-putter who used an Olympic ceremony to send a message. Raven Saunders hit the headlines in Tokyo when she made an X shape with her arms on the podium. Her aim? To show "the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet"....
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Dr Jana Pittman: Sprinting, sliding and saving lives
Jana Pittman was a world champion hurdler, but injury halted her Olympic dreams. She came back to compete on the ice, and became Australia's first Summer and Winter Olympian when she joined the country's bobsleigh team. She’s also a medical doctor, a mother-of-six and an advocate for women's...
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Anastasia Pagonis: Gold medal influencer
The blind swimmer breaking records and stereotypes. After losing her vision as a teenager, Anastasia Pagonis broke the world record to take Paralympic gold in Tokyo. Now, she uses her platform as a social media star to break down stereotypes. Illustration: A bright coloured background of yellows...
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Gianmarco Tamberi: Sharing the gold
A golden moment. Why a high jumper put friendship above personal glory. Gianmarco Tamberi leapt to the top of the competition at the Tokyo Olympics - but couldn't be separated from his main rival. A serious injury and a special friendship helped Gianmarco make a momentous decision. Illustration…
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Helen and Kate Richardson-Walsh
Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh relive the thrilling moment they won gold as part of the Great Britain field hockey team in a penalty shoot-out in Rio in 2016. What is it like to win as a team? How do you create cohesion and spirit in a group, and what challenges does being partners off the field...
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Sakshi Malik
One of only four Indian women to ever have won an Olympic medal, wrestler Sakshi Malik has has inspired a generation to pursue success in a field they thought wasn't open to them. She tells us how she fought back in the very last moment to snatch a bronze medal in the Rio Games, and in doing so...
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Lex Gillette
Having lost his sight as a child, Lex Gillette discovered new purpose in his life when he took up athletics. A talented runner, Lex is also a multiple Paralympic long jump medallist, and an advocate for blind people in all areas of life. And whilst he knows a thing or two about winning - he’s a...
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Brighton Zeuner
At just 16 years old, Brighton Zeuner will be one of the youngest participants at Tokyo 2020 - but she’ll also be one of the favourites for gold at the Games when skateboarding makes its debut. She tells us how she balances being a normal teenager with the pressure of being an elite sports star,...
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Sizwe Ndlovu
Sizwe Ndlovu became the first black African to win an Olympic rowing gold, as part of the South Africa's lightweight coxless four in 2012. He describes that day as changing the rest of his life. Sizwe tells us about the challenges of growing up in a township, and how the end of apartheid and the...
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Shaunae Miller-Uibo
Shaunae Miller-Uibo recalls her part in one of the most memorable finishes in Olympic history, when she dove across the line to take 400m gold for the Bahamas at the 2016 Games. She tells us how she developed the mindset and character to make it to the top and stay there, but also talks about…
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Oksana Masters
Abandoned by her birth parents, Oksana Masters had birth defects caused by radiation, most likely from Chernobyl. Trapped and struggling to survive inside an abusive orphanage system in Ukraine, at the age of eight she was adopted by an American single mother. Oksana tells us how she used the...
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Maarten van der Weijden
When Maarten van der Weijden was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of 19, he thought it was not only the end of his sporting career, but his life. According to Maarten, he was a “lazy” patient and didn’t “win a fight” against cancer; he says he survived simply because he was “lucky”. But having...
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Ines Boubakri
Tunisian Ines Boubakri won bronze in fencing in Rio after a thrilling comeback in her final bout. Crippled with back and knee pain, she dug deep to claim the medal and become the first North African and first Arab woman to win a medal in fencing. It was the culmination of a lifetime proving other...
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Matt Stutzman
Paralympian Matt Stutzman is better known as the ‘Armless Archer’. Although he only took up archery a year or so before the Games in London 2012, he still managed to win a silver medal, and will be aiming for gold in Tokyo. Despite being born with no arms, Matt’s talents have seen him win the US...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The stories behind the medals. As the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics approach, comedian Eliza Skinner and athletics commentator Ed Harry interview remarkable athletes about the journeys they took to the Games. 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 John McFall, 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, inc
HOSTED BY
BBC World Service
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How many episodes does On the Podium have?
On the Podium currently has 40 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is On the Podium about?
The stories behind the medals. As the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics approach, comedian Eliza Skinner and athletics commentator Ed Harry interview remarkable athletes about the journeys they took to the Games. Basketball champion Breanna Stewart and shot-putter Raven Saunders explain why they...
How often does On the Podium release new episodes?
On the Podium has 40 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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On the Podium is created and hosted by BBC World Service.
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