In episode six, Goldie Sayers talks candidly about missing an Olympic podium place by 38cm and then eight years later receiving news of a positive doping test by the Russian athlete who finished ahead of her.

"The biggest thing dopers cheat you of, is knowing how good you actually were"

Goldie Sayers was awarded a bronze medal from the Beijing Olympics, eight years after competing at the event. Sayers threw a British javelin record 65.75m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, only to miss out on a medal by the smallest of margins after finishing fourth.

Eight years later, Sayers' long-term suspicions were seemingly confirmed when Mariya Abakumova, who took silver at those 2008 Games, was named by Russian media as one of 14 Russian athletes allegedly shown to have failed drugs tests when their Beijing samples were re-analysed.

Visit Goldie's website here.

In episode 5, Nathalie McGloin talks about how wheelchair rugby helped her come to terms with her injury, the importance of changing her mindset and her new passion for motor racing.

Nathalie is a racing driver with a twist. At 16 years old Nathalie was involved in a road traffic accident resulting in her breaking her neck at level C6/7. This has left her completely paralysed from the chest down.

The accident never deterred her from driving and in 2015 Nathalie became the first ever female spinal injured driver to be granted her race licence in the UK. 2015 saw her complete her first race season in The Porsche Club Championship racing a hand controlled Cayman S. That first season also saw her compete in her debut endurance race, the Race of Remembrance 1000km at Anglesey where she formed an all spinal injured race team, again the first of it's kind in the UK. Visit her website here.

In episode 4, coach Ben Richens talks about what it takes to build belief, his experience coaching at the Invictus Games, and the importance of an individualised training plan.    Ben Richens is a strength & conditioning coach who has athletes at European, Commonwealth, World Championship and Paralympic games level. His athletes span a wide range of sports including: men's rugby (international 7's), GB Wheelchair Basketball, Paralympic Powerlifting, Sailing, Squash,  MMA, Ironman and much more.

Visit Ben's website here.

In episode three, Hannah Cockroft MBE talks about what it feels like to win and what success means to her. Undefeated for 7 years, she talks candidly about losing to Kare Adenegan in 2015 and why she is so determined to stay at the top of her sport for as long as possible.

Hannah Cockroft MBE has won every major title she has competed for since making her international debut in 2011, dominating the T34 wheelchair racing class. Most recently she has won 3 gold medals in the Rio Paralympics, achieving success in 100m, 400m and 800m races. An accomplished speaker, Hannah is patron of five charities, she works closely with various disability groups and actively campaigns on disability issues.

Visit Hannah's website here.

In episode 2 Michelle Moore discusses intersectionality, what needs to change to help more people from diverse backgrounds succeed and how a sporting mindset has helped her achieve success in her career.

Michelle Moore is a former athlete, consultant, executive coach,  speaker and activist promoting equality in sport. She is a Trustee of  Runnymede – the UK's leading independent race equality think tank – and runs her own consultancy. In The Independent's 50 Most Influential Women in Sport list 2015 she was highlighted "as someone to watch". Visit her website here.

 

Read her article, The Question of Diversity and Inclusion in Women's Sport.

In Episode 1 of A Question of Performance podcast, Sue talks about her England career, the highs and lows of being captain, and what she thinks will enable women's rugby to develop over the coming years.   Sue Day is a former England and Wasps rugby player (1996 – 2012).   As an England player, Day has an enviable playing CV having won 59 caps and scored 61 tries for her country. She was part of numerous Grand Slam winning England sides – including leading the team as captain to a Six Nations clean sweep in 2007, and she's played in three World Cups.   In 2013 Day became the first female president of Wasps FC in their 146-year history.She is a regular rugby commentator for broadcasters such as Sky Sports and also a Chartered Accountant. She worked part-time for KPMG throughout her England career and is now a (full-time) Partner in KPMG Corporate Finance. Sue is also a founding Trustee of the Women's Sport Trust charity.