Behind The Gold

She landed a backflip in the 1998 Olympics to cap a career for the books. Surya Bonaly is a French figure skating legend. Her strength and athleticism revolutionized the sport of figure skating. Her successful landing of an illegal move made Olympic history. This is her story. 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthegoldpod/

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Sources and further reading: 

Judgement, Losers (Netflix): https://www.netflix.com/title/80198306 

Howard, J. (1995). Over easy for Surya Bonaly the skating has never been the hard part. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved from https://vault.si.com/vault/1995/03/06/over-easy-for-surya-bonaly-the-skating-has-never-been-the-hard-part. 

Surya Bonaly (FRA) - 1992 Albertville, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCUZW9vbIMc&ab_channel=3Axel1996 

Surya Bonaly (FRA) - 1993 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLyAq4L9obA&ab_channel=3Axel1996 

Surya Bonaly (FRA) - 1994 Lillehammer, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5ugmU-_EXc&ab_channel=3Axel1996 

Yuka Sato (JPN) - 1994 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZD_N4FY3B0&ab_channel=3Axel1996 

Surya Bonaly (FRA) - 1998 Nagano, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGNtP4TSy2M&t=204s&ab_channel=SKATING102 

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There are very few dynasties in sports like Russian pairs figure skating. At the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the Russian pair, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, were set to go head-to-head against Canadian favourites, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. Russia hadn’t lost the Olympic pairs’ gold since 1960. Canada hadn’t won the Olympic pairs’ gold since 1960. The long awaited competition between these two pairs, however, resulted in one of the biggest scandals in figure skating history. 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthegoldpod/

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Sources and further reading: 

Pairs Free Program - Figure Skating | Salt Lake City 2002 Replays: https://olympics.com/en/video/pairs-free-program-figure-skating-salt-lake-city-2002-replays 

Gold War, Bad Sport (Netflix): https://www.netflix.com/title/81084829 

2002 Olympics Jamie Sale crashing into Anton Sikharulidze: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=926UKxoOzl8&ab_channel=hatula87 

Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze (RUS) - 2002 Salt Lake City, Figure Skating, Pairs’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4S7c9s56A4&ab_channel=3Axel1996 

Sale & Pelletier (CAN) - 2002 Salt Lake City, Figure Skating, Pairs’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjY_LtNtVDc&ab_channel=3Axel1996 

Sale & Pelletier interview to CBC post Free Skate 2002 Olympic Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10WQ-yrmjW8&ab_channel=PatinajeArtistico 

Medal Ceremony - 2002 Salt Lake City, Figure Skating, Pairs’ Skating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ438bOgENI&t=182s&ab_channel=3Axel1996 

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After a disappointing 4th place finish at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, Tonya Harding decided to give it another shot at winning the Olympic gold. As the 1994 Olympics approached, Tonya’s rivalry with fellow a American skater, Nancy Kerrigan, reached its peak, and a scandal changed both of their lives forever. 

This episode is the second of two episodes covering Tonya Harding’s career and the 1994 Cobo Arena Attack.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthegoldpod/

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Sources and further reading: 

Tonya Harding-Gillooly - 1993 US Figure Skating Championships, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMCk8pxx1tg&ab_channel=3Axel1996

Tonya Harding - 1994 US Figure Skating Championships, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JKmKMBLbU4&ab_channel=TripleAxel1991 

Nancy Kerrigan Attack, Raw Footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voUMQrLy_uY&ab_channel=IntersportChicago 

Tonya Harding’s Statement (CNN): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LD4Mj3wZoY&ab_channel=CNN 

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At the 1991 US Figure Skating Championships, Tonya Harding became the first American woman to ever land a triple Axel in a competition. She came from nothing and made history. Had her career stopped right then and there, it would have been one of the happiest sports stories you could imagine. Unfortunately, her achievements were later overshadowed by scandal. Tune into this episode for the first part of her story.  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthegoldpod/

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Sources and further reading: 

Tonya Harding - 1985 U.S. Olympic Festival, Figure Skating, Ladies’ Short Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXiHaW4c8Is&ab_channel=3Axel1996

Tonya Harding (USA) - 1986 Skate America, Ladies’ Long Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJuZuqr8nXQ&ab_channel=3Axel1996 

Tonya Harding 1988-1989 Long Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEeobjVVJsw&ab_channel=SkateHistorian 

Tonya Harding - 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Ladies’ Free Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIGoWGjetog&ab_channel=TripleAxel1991 

Tonya Harding (USA) - 1991 Skate America, Ladies’ Original Program (First 3A-2T Ever Completed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgBpDDjZAx8&ab_channel=3Axel1996 

Tonya Harding finishes in fourth place at 1992 Olympics, behind Nancy Kerrigan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luEZ9lkEgEU&ab_channel=ABCNews 

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With the emergence of virtual reality, sports industry is quickly adapting to technological advances. In this episode, we discuss the incorporation of VR in sports broadcasts, how VR is already changing the sports media landscape, the NBA and UEFA’s attempts to incorporate VR in basketball and football, and virtual reality’s potential for future sporting events. 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthegoldpod/

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Sources and further reading: 

Fuchs, P., Moreau, G., & Guitton, P. (2011). Virtual reality. CRC Press.

Joshi, N. (2019). Revolutionizing Sports With Augmented Reality. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/10/26/revolutionizing-sports-with-augmented-reality/?sh=77c5e0df1416. 

Kalmenson, J. (2016). Virtual Reality May Be the Next Ubiquitous Sports Broadcast Platform. Medium. Retrieved from https://virtualrealitypop.com/virtual-reality-may-be-the-next-ubiquitous-platform-in-sports-media-135cb40ed65.

Liwei, L. (2012). Applications of Computer Virtual Reality Technology in Modern Sports. 2012 Fourth International Symposium On Information Science And Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1109/isise.2012.87

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Who doesn’t love a great mix of gaming, strategy, and sports? In this episode, we explore all things fantasy sports. Who plays fantasy sports? What are their motivations? How do fantasy sports influence television viewership? And what does rotisserie chicken have to do with all that? Tune in to find out! 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthegoldpod/

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Sources and further reading: 

Farquhar, L., & Meeds, R. (2007). Types of Fantasy Sports Users and Their Motivations. Journal Of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), 1208-1228. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00370.x

Nesbit, T., & King, K. (2010). The Impact of Fantasy Sports on Television Viewership. Journal Of Media Economics, 23(1), 24-41. https://doi.org/10.1080/08997761003590721

Raney, A., & Bryant, J. (2014). Handbook of sports and media. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. 

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Over the last few decades, industries across the spectrum have been going through substantial transformations with the rise of digital technologies. In this episode, we examine the fitness industry’s digitalization, the rise of Peloton and at-home workouts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we look into the ways in which traditionally fitness and lifestyle brands are making their way into high-performance sports. 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthegoldpod/

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Sources and further reading: 

Are they the HBO of fitness? by Bloomberg Business of Sports:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6AM0YleNkQ1fVyyFUeIHxF?si=k2BOgrsAQbS4CEJA3k7G4g&dl_branch=1

John Foley, Founder and CEO of Peloton (Talks at Goldman Sachs):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocUz3kyJfXM&ab_channel=GoldmanSachs

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On October 12, 2019, Eliud Kipchoge achieved the impossible and became the first man ever to run a sub 2 hour marathon. He broke this once unattainable barrier wearing Nike's previously unreleased Vaporfly Next% running shoes, claimed to improve running economy by 4 percent. In this episode, we examine the technological advances in running shoe production, talk carbon plate running shoes, and consider the shoe technology’s impact on the fairness and integrity of long distance running. 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthegoldpod/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@behindthegold 

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Sources and further reading: 

Abstract: The Art of Design | Tinker Hatfield: Footwear Design:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaSvGVhtszo&ab_channel=Netflix (YouTube, free)

https://www.netflix.com/watch/80093805?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2C7d85ea957496727f6f65bed2c7e073fadd42d621%3Aedca83568a5d473f8fc3863db6d9a3f2235f9f9c%2C7d85ea957496727f6f65bed2c7e073fadd42d621%3Aedca83568a5d473f8fc3863db6d9a3f2235f9f9c%2Cunknown%2C (Netflix, with subscription)

Why The Vaporfly Was Almost Banned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi3QzA-h1Rs&ab_channel=Runner%27sWorld 

Modeling: optimal marathon performance on the basis of physiological factors by M. J. Joyner:

https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/jappl.1991.70.2.683 

Is it the shoes? A proposal to regulate footwear in road running by Geoffrey T. Burns and Nicholas Tam:

https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2019/10/14/shoes-and-sub-2-hr-marathon/

Inside the success of Nike’s Breaking2 ‘moonshot’ by T. Dua: https://digiday.com/marketing/inside-success-nikes-breaking2-moonshot/ 

Kipchoge The Last Milestone: https://www.kipchogemovie.com/ (available in select territories only) 

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Behind The Gold is back! In our latest episode, we discuss the impacts of technology on sports media. Tune in to learn about the history of sports broadcasting, anti-siphoning laws, timing technologies (including the story of the controversial men’s 100m dash at the 1932 Olympics), and how different technologies not only contribute to the fairness of the game but also enhance the fan experience!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/behindthegold

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthegoldpod/

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Sources and further reading:

20 Ways Technology Makes Sports Better: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/773227-20-ways-technology-makes-sports-better

The First Ever Photo-Finish in the Olympics Ends in a Heartbreak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugmcJNcFXG0&ab_channel=Olympics

You cannot be serious! Public understanding of technology with special reference to “Hawk-Eye” by Harry Collins and Robert Evans: https://web.archive.org/web/20111003222351/http://www2.geog.ucl.ac.uk/~mdisney/teaching/1006/papers/collins_hawkeye.pdf

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