The Sam Oldham Podcast

In 2024 Kensley Behel was part of the NBC broadcasting team covering gymnastics for at the Paris Olympic Games working as the data analyst. She is a journalist specialising in covering the sport of Men's gymnastics and runs the Neutral deductions social media channel. In this week's episode Kensely shares some fascinating data analysis her team put together focusing on the Team USA men's gymnastics team. We discuss the future of men's gymnastics in America and what to expect in the coming Olympic cycle as we head towards LA 2028. There will be some big changes to the COP ( Code of points ) next year and we talk about how these may impact the athletes moving forwards. You can keep up to date with everything that is going on in the world of men's gymnastics through the Neutral Deductions instagram page. And this is our story. 

In 2001 Sergey Sizhanov moved from Vladimir Russia to coach gymnastics at what was then called The notts School Of gymnastics in Nottingham. His incredible legacy is still being felt today throughout gymnastics clubs in Great Britain with many of his former athletes now coaching the next generation. Sergey is now the head of the Irish National team program and is based at the training centre in Dublin full time. The life lessons that I was lucky enough to learn through spending twenty one years with one of the very best gymnastics coaches in the world have had a huge impact on me as a young man. In this episode I talk about ten of the very best lessons he taught me throughout my career. And this is my story. 

In November 2024 Shane Curtis travelled out to Texas to compete in the Main Character professional Jujitsu event which was broadcast live on Flo Grappling. Unfortunately Shane injured his knee in a freak accident and had to withdraw from the competition where he was hoping to test himself against some of the world's best athletes. The initial spark that inspired him to get into martial arts came after watching the Bruce Lee film "enter the dragon" as a young energetic kid growing up. Shane only started the sport of Jujitsu at the age of nineteen and after a decade of training out of the Nottingham MMA gym he is now a black belt. Mixed martial arts has gained huge popularity in recent years thanks to the UFC and the podcaster Joe Rogan who share the incredible stories of the world's best fighters on massive platforms. After returning from America Shane has now set his sights on one day completing at the ADCC submission fighting World championships. And this is his story. 

In November the All Japan championships took place and this week I'm joined by Katharine Mills the very talented lady behind MAGNASTICS. She runs a twitter account and website focusing on mens artistic gymnastics, writing incredibly detailed articles by gathering competition data from the around the world. We both sit back and relive the Paris Olympic Games, sharing the big moments that stood out for us both. Katharine was able to watch all of the Japanese championships that took place last week and has some brilliant insight to share with the listeners. It's also that time In the Olympic cycle where the rules in gymnastics ( code of points ) change, so we give our initial observations and thoughts on what impact those decisions will have on the sport. And this is our story.

In 2024 at the Paris Olympic Games Harry Hepworth made history winning the bronze medal on the vault and becoming the first British man ever to achieve that milestone. Harry started the sport at the age of eight after seeing a live gymnastics demonstration during a visit from a local athlete to his school. In the three years prior to that encounter Harry had been diagnosed with Perthes disease and was unable to participate in sports activities. He entered Leeds gymnastics club with the goal of learning a backflip and is now one of the most exciting young talents in the world. In 2023 he made his senior global championships debut at the World championships in Belgium, qualifying into three individual apparatus finals and making history in the process. At the age of 18 Harry was sidelined with a double stress fracture in his spine which makes his Olympic success at the age of just twenty even more remarkable. And this is his story. 

In 2023 Heath Thorpe was crowned the Australian national all around men's gymnastics champion for the first time. Despite this achievement he was not selected ton represent team Australia at the World championships and Olympic qualification event later that year in Belgium. Heath has a large online following within the gymnastics community thanks to his unique style of gymnastics and ability to communicate through social media and content creation. He now trains in Europe and is based at the gymnastics centre in Ghent full time. Heath is an openly gay male gymnast in a space where many athletes are fighting against the publics preconception that gymnastics is a girls sport. With the new code of points rewarding more original skills on the High bar, Heath hopes to start achieving international success on the world stage with his incredible routine in the lead up to LA 2028. And this is his story. 

In the past few weeks I've had the opportunity to share my story with a professional footballer, active British gymnast and a university student. Each of those conversations focussed of a different piece of the puzzle that makes of a professional sportsman's career. In this episode I'm going to talk about some of the key topics we touched on in those conversations. I've also had the opportunity to record an advert and for the first time me and Sam have produced our own content for a someone else to use. And this is my story. 

In 2024 at the Paris summer Olympic Games Anthony Harding took the bronze medal alongside his partner Jack Laugher in the 3m springboard synchronised diving event. Anthony's international career was kickstarted at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aries where he won the individual silver medal and has since been on the podium seven times at major championships. He started diving at the age of six and moved to Leeds at the age of just sixteen to pursue his Olympic aspirations. Gymnastics plays a key role in the sport of diving and for seven years Anthony worked with a former team mate of mine and European champion Ruslan Panteleymonov who sadly passed away in 2022. British diving achieved their best ever medal total in Paris and Anthony was a big part of that success. He has hopes of competing as an individual alongside the synchronised events moving forwards and heading into in LA 2028. And this is his story.

In 2024 Molly Thompson-Smith represented Team GB at the Paris Olympic games in professional climbing. She is a fave time UK national champion and in 2017 became the first British Women in history to win a World Cup medal. Molly took bronze at the 2020 European championships in Moscow and is a driving force within the sport, promoting diversity in the climbing community. Her career has spanned two generations and Molly has seen climbing become a legitimate career path since the sports recent inception into the Olympic movement. With LA 2028 an exciting opportunity many athletes are looking at extending their time horizons. Molly is supported by some of the biggest brands in the world including The North Face. And this is her story

In 2015 James Hall qualified for the Great Britain men's gymnastics team as the travelling reserve that went on to win a historic silver medal at the World championships. Since that senior team selection he has become one of the most consistent athletes within the British team, winning eleven major championships medals in the process. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games James achieved a top 8 finish in the all around event which puts him in a very exclusive club of British men. He was an anchor for the British team that finished fourth at those Games and narrowly missed out on making a second Olympics this summer in Paris. Like a true professional, James showed incredible character in response to the disappointment of missing out on his Olympic aspirations and wholeheartedly supported the team as a reserve. Alongside his team mates Jake Jarmin and Samuel Gingham they have just launched a sports clothing brand called Satus. In 2017 James won the all round bronze medal at the European championships in Romania the home country of his longterm coach Ionut Trandaburu. And this is his story.