The Sam Oldham Podcast

In 2024 Felix Dolci was part of the Canadian men's gymnastics team that finished 8th in the Paris Olympic Team final. This was the first time Canada had qualified a full mens team for the Games since Beijing 2008. Felix has been a driving force behind the recent resurgence of mens gymnastics in Canada and their success internationally. In 2023 he became the Pan American all around champion following on the back of helping Canada qualify for the Olympics. He was part of the new generation of athletes that grew up with the internet at their fingertips and has subsequently built a strong following online through social media. One of the standout moments of the Paris Games this summer was his fall from the High Bar in which his hand guard snapped in the all around final live on television. Incredibly he was able to continue performing and showed the world just how tough the sport of mens gymnastics can be. And this is his story. 

In 2012 following the London Olympic Games I began to struggle mentally after experiencing such an incredible high point. At times I felt completely isolated and turned to partying in an attempt to numb those feelings of loneliness. Many athletes go through a similar process which is often referred to as the Olympic Blues. Four years later I had a different experience after failing to qualify for the Olympic team in Rio but it was equally as challenging to navigate. The Paris Games is now in the rear view mirror for most of us but the athletes that took centre stage will be gradually adapting back into their normal daily life. For me personally this time has been a great opportunity to reflect on the year so far and talk about parenthood, the podcast and my own training goals beyond 2024. And this is my story. 

In 2024 it's easier than ever to share your story if you're an aspiring athlete and build a brand thanks to social media and the internet. However in some ways it's more difficult to stand out from the crowd and build a successful career in professional sports. With national governing bodies ever increasingly focussing on smaller groups of athletes, funding and elite sportsman or sportswoman's lifestyle is a massive financial challenge. Throughout my gymnastics journey I was supported by Red Bull, Sky Sports, My Protein, Super Dry, TURN Gymnastics, local businesses and local sports grants all of which helped support my career. In this episode I break down what I would do If I was to build a professional sports career in 2024. And this is my story. 

In June 2024 just one month ahead of the Paris Olympic Games Edgar Boulet announced his retirement from the sport of artistic gymnastics. He was best known for his incredibly exciting performances of the High bar which earned him the nickname "the showman" and in 2017 he competed in the European final. In 2018 alongside his four team mates, France took the bronze team medal at the European championships in Glasgow behind Russia and Great Britain. The French team have struggled in recent years and failed to qualify a mens team for their home Olympic Games this summer after finishing 19th at the World championships in 2023. Gymnastics is a big sport in France and they have a successful league but their national team structure is potentially restricting their ability to keep athletes in the sport. However their junior team recently won silver at the European championships and Edgar shares his hopes for the future of French gymnastics. And this is his story. 

In 2024 at the Paris Olympic Games the sport of gymnastics attracted a huge amount of attention thanks to American superstar Simone Biles and Stephen Nedoroscik, who went viral all over the world thanks to his performances on the pommel horse. USA gymnastics is in an incredible position thanks in part to athletes like Ian Gunther and Frederick Richard who are showcasing the sport to massive audiences through social media platforms. Ian Gunther is a four time NCAA team champion with Stanford university gymnastics team. He has been consistently creating content since 2020 and now has 1.49 million subscribers on YouTube and over two billion views on TikTok. Ian travelled out to France for this summers Games to support his team mates and create new gymnastics content. And this is his story. 

In 2028 the best athletes, coaches and support staff will make their way to Los Angeles for the Olympic Games. Paris 2024 was a mixture of incredible performances and massive controversy. The future of the Olympic movement has never been more unpredictable with the huge financial burden of hosting the Games and the integrity of sport coming into question. In this episode I breakdown my big takeaways from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. And this is my story. 

In 2012 at the London Olympic Games Daniel Purvis was part of the British men's gymnastics team that made history winning the first team medal in a century. Between 2010 and 2018 Dan won a total of sixteen major championships medals for Great Britain and team Scotland. On many occasions his incredibly consistent performances at the very highest level played a key role in the success of the men's British gymnastics team. Which included World championships team silver in 2015 and European gold in 2012. And this is his story. 

In the final gymnastics events of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Six men's gold medals and four women's were awarded to the best specialists in the sport. Carlos Yulo made history winning two titles for the Philippines, Rhys McCleneghan performed one of the best pommel horse routines in arguably the greatest final on that event of all time. The Chinese men dominated on the still rings and Zou Jingyuan proved to be the most dominant athlete across the whole of gymnastics, running away with the parallel bars final. High bar became a game of who can stay on the apparatus, with the highlight being seventeen year old Angel Barajas winning silver for Colombia. In this episode I'm joined by Daniel Keatings the world silver all around medalist, 2008 Beijing Olympian. And this is our story.

In the men's Olympic all around final that took place on Wednesday night in Paris Oka Shinnosuke was crowned the all around champion ahead of the two Chinese athletes Zhang Boheng and Xiao Routeng. The top 24 gymnasts on the planet competed across the six men's gymnastics events in a very competitive final. Joe Fraser and Jake Jarmin performed  incredibly well to finish 5th and 7th for TeamGB. Daiki Hashimoto the raining Olympic and World champion struggled once again on the pommel horse and the unluckiest man of the evening was Ukrainian Ilia Kovtun who finished in fourth place. I'm joined today by Daniel purvis London 2012 Olympic bronze medalist. And this is our story.

In the Men's gymnastics team final that took place in the Bercy arena last night in Paris. The Japanese team took the title after the Chinese men threw away a three mark lead heading into the final rotation. America came out on top in the battle for bronze and Stephen Nedoroscik mirrored the performance of Sasha Artemev at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games to secure team USA's first Olympic team medal in sixteen years. The GB team finished in fourth, repeating their results from Rio and Tokyo and were able to hold off the strong Ukrainian team. I'm joined in this episode by Hamish Carter a former GB athlete and current Team Scotland gymnast. And this is our story.