Off The Podium - An Olympics Podcast

Are you ready for a punchy interview? We certainly are! As we return to the sport of boxing today to chat with Australian Olympian Tiana Echegaray about her epic career and journey through the sport and of course her Olympic experiences in Paris earlier this year! We learn from Tiana about her incredible story that took her from a mundane 9 to 5 job in Sydney five years ago to the Olympic Games in Paris. We also learn about how her tight family and strong community upbringing helped get her to that point, as well as just how she wants to use her Cook Island heritage in the future to further develop it on the world stage. Added to this we find out a controversial opinion when it comes to the viral Paris chocolate muffins, learn just how good her drawing skills are when it comes to one of her teammates and find out just why a night with the Australian boxing team at karaoke is something we all need to put on our bucket lists. It's one hell of an interview with one hell of an athlete, so tune in and make sure you don't miss a second of it!

A bit of history on the show today as for the first time we bring back a guest for a third time to chat, as we catch up with the increidble Aussie wrestler Jayden Lawrence to learn all about his experiences in Paris at his first ever Olympics! We find out from Jayden just whether the Olympics lived up to his expectations and how he felt about his two matches during the Games. We also learn about his unique experiences at the Opening Ceremony, and find out just how long it took to get his formal jacket dry after all the rain that night. Added to that we find out more about his recent meeting with King Charles, find out which part of the world he is a bit of a celebrity in and learn about the unique beverage that is horse milk. It's another incredible chat with an incredible athlete that we can't wait for you to get into! 

It's time to sprint yourself into another amazing interview as we chat with Canadian sprinter Duan Asemota about his journey in athletics that took him all the way to his first Olympics in Paris earlier this year! We find out from Duan just how the switch came to sprinting from a basketball background, and how he actually could've been going into space instead of the Olympics. We also get an incredibly detailed look into the analytics of the 100m, and learn just what is the difference between an athlete who is quick and an athlete who is fast. Added to this we learn about his experiences at Ohio State and the success he had there, his rollercoaster of emotions that came from his Olympic experience in Paris and just why you want to be careful playing him online in FIFA. It's an epic chat of epic proportions that you won't want to miss!

We're heading back to the water today, this time in the great sport of Canoe/Kayak sprint as we chat with Canadian kayaker Laurent Lavigne to learn all about his rise in the sport and learn more about his experiences at his first ever Olympics in Paris earlier this year! We find out from Laurent how watching his brother paddle one day led to an opportunity for him to paddle and start his epic rise through the sport. We also find about his experiences rising through the ranks that led him to breaking a significant Canadian medal drought, as well as how he felt once he knew he was on the radar of the Olympic team. Added to this we learn about the unique margins it takes to be successful in kayak sprint, learn just how obsessed he got with pin trading at the Olympics as well as just why his family has a very unique line of succession when it comes to dog ownership. It's a fun and informative chat that you won't want to miss!

As we continue to learn more from our Paris Olympians and their experiences at the 2024 Olympics, we're excited to bring back Judoka Josh Katz to the show to find out more about his time in Paris! We find out just what happened during his match at the Olympics, and how he has managed to recover from the disappointment it brought him. We also learn about how he was able to experience the Olympics differently at his second Games and how he has reflected on the experience after a few months. Added to this we find out just what is next for him, why there have been some extra challenges since he has come home and just why he has to replace a special piece Olympic equipment he has had for over eight years! It's an epic chat that you simply can't miss!

Who loves field hockey? We do! And you know who else does? Australian Olympian Tatum Stewart! And lucky enough for you we are joined by Tatum today to learn more about her passion for the sport and her epic rise through the ranks that led her to making her Olympic debut in Paris only a few months ago! We learn from Tatum what made her pick up a hockey stick and take that journey, as well as what chance meeting with a former Hockeyroo led her to take it just a bit more seriously. We also find out more about the Hockeyroos performance in Paris and just why the disappointment of losing in the quarter-final will only make them better in four years time. Added to his we find out more about some of her unique experiences in Paris and the unique people she met, just why she could be a major international DJ sometime soon and learn more about her epic TikToks! It's an insightful and entertaining chat that will make your day even better!

We're back into another epic interview today as we move back into the sport of rowing to learn more from Aussie Paris Olympian Paige Barr about her extraordinary career and Olympic experiences! We find out about Paige's journey in the sport and her rapid rise through the ranks in the world of rowing. We also find out about the challenges involved in selection for Paris and what that moment was like once she found out she was going to her first Olympics. Added to this we learn about why her music taste often doesn't sit too well with her teammates, just how good those chocolate muffins were in Paris and whether or not a title she received in high school means she can be captain of all things to do with boats! It's an incredible chat that will row yourself into excitement! So get to listening!

It's been a while since we have brought you a CLASSIC OPENING CEREMONY REVIEW and we're doing exactly that today as we go all the way back to 1976 and look at the Opening Ceremony for the Innsbruck Winter Olympics! Why is there so much marching band music? Seriously. Are so over it that we just can't talk about it? Or is it the fact that there isn't anything to talk about? Like...a few flags being waved, some marching countries, a speech that doesn't happen and the biggest flame you have ever seen in your life? Really...how are we going to do this? You're going to have one hell of a ride as we learn more about Austria in the seventies in an episode you'll have to hear to believe! Just don't say we didn't warn you about the marching music....(SERIOUSLY MAKE IT STOP!!!!!)

Super excited to bring you another incredible interview today as we sit down with New Zealand artist and film maker Zakea Page. In 2020, Zakea was the winner of the design contest for the Winter Youth Olympic medals, becoming the first ever New Zealander to design medals for an Olympic Games. It was with this moment that Zakea saw an opportunity to do something even more unique, and he soon found himself performing at the Opening Ceremony in Lausanne during the Youth Olympics. Zakea goes over just how he was able to achieve that very distinctive feat, what it meant to him to be able to represent New Zealand at the Youth Olympics in a way that perhaps could be the most unique ever seen, and just what part of that experience gave him a moment that made him feel 'immortal'. Added to these amazing stories, we learn more about how he took his Youth Olympic experience and turned it into a documentary that has been dominating the global film circuit, find out just how he is in a very unique club that involves the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Celine Dion and Bjork and also learn what it is like to hug Thomas Bach, Olympic Champion Fencing. It's an amazing interview that you simply can't miss!

With the Paralympics over, we wanted to bring you a very unique and special episode that might just be the most original we have ever done on Off The Podium. Today we are celebrating a truly iconic Olympian in George Eyser, an American gymnast who back in 1904 set the record for most Olympic medals won in a single day when he claimed six medals in gymnastics. What is even more incredible about George's achievement, is that he did so with a wooden leg. It's an amazing story about an amazing Olympian that very few people know the truth about, until earlier this year when Pulitzer Prize finalist writer Joshua Prager penned an amazing article going over George's career and uncovering some previously unknown facts about the man who has remained a mystery for more than 120 years. We sit down with Joshua to learn more about George, just why he decided to put 12 years of his life into writing this article, and find out just whether or not this incredible story might be on the path to the Hollywood treatment now that it has been fully revealed. It's an amazing episode that you won't soon forget!