On the Podium
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, including Molly Seidel's shock marathon bronze, and the day Anna Kiesenhofer rode away from cycling's biggest names to claim gold in Tokyo.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 18, 2021 • 42min
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 present to the whole team when you are on it?We also look at how attitudes to LBGTQ+ people vary across sports. Why do some sports seem more welcoming and inclusive than others?
Jul 18, 2021 • 36min
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 changed not only the trajectory of her life, but attitudes to women, women's sport and women in wrestling in India.
Jul 18, 2021 • 44min
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 triple IPC World Champion - his four consecutive silvers in the long jump at the Paralympics mean he might be the greatest athlete in Games history never to have won gold.
Jul 18, 2021 • 36min
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, mixing fame with being a fan herself and being a role model to others who hope to follow her path.She also tells us how she deals with nerves when competing, and offers advice to those new to the sport on how to overcome the challenges of both the physical demands and social pressures.
Jul 18, 2021 • 37min
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 sport of rowing helped him carve out a life he couldn't even have imagined possible as a child.A remarkable and inspirational story of achievement and perseverance, his victory became a symbol of hope for the post-apartheid South Africa.
Jul 18, 2021 • 37min
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 life off the track, and how she switches off from the pressures of racing.Presented by Scout Bassett, Ed Harry and Eliza Skinner and produced by Joel Hammer for BBC World Service.
Jul 18, 2021 • 39min
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 trauma of her youth to push herself to sporting greatness, including winning medals at the winter and summer Paralympics. Harnessing the anger and drawing on massive reserves of determination, this is a remarkable story of coming to terms with trauma and refusing to let it define you.
Jul 18, 2021 • 38min
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 been given a second chance at life, he was determined to make the most of it.Just a few years after recovering from cancer, Maarten won open-water swimming gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He reveals the techniques and mindset that got him through his darkest days, and the significance of setting goals in order to achieve things, whether that be in sport or life.He retired from competitive swimming after winning Olympic and World championship gold in 2008, and dedicated himself to raising funds for other leukaemia sufferers by completing the most severe of swimming challenges. So far, he has raised more than $15 million.
Jul 18, 2021 • 38min
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 people wrong.Ines reveals the secrets behind her success and how she controls her aggression when duelling, a crucial element to her success.She also talks about her other passion, fashion, and how alongside her sporting career she is promoting equal rights for women, particularly in the Arab world.
Jul 18, 2021 • 41min
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 National Target Championship, shooting against able-bodied archers, as well as claiming the world record for longest accurate shot in archery.When he’s not racing cars, he’s fixing them, and it’s no surprise that he loves comedy because his laugh is so infectious. Matt reveals how he has cultivated an attitude that has led to remarkable results, as well as providing inspiration to others.
