Olympics.com Podcast

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Eileen Gu eyes Olympic trifecta: "Pressure is just energy" Feb 07, 2026

Show notes

Four years after facing immense pressure at a home Games at Beijing 2022, Eileen Gu is evolved - and ready to tackle what she calls "my first second Olympics."

The freestyle skiing superstar sat down exclusively with Olympics.com ahead of her competing at Milano Cortina 2026, where she is looking for a clean sweep of golds after winning a pair of them four years ago: "There's no burden," she explained. "There is nothing to defend, right, like, 'Defending gold medalist?' No, I'm here to compete - just like everyone else."

Olympics.com reporter Andrew Binner joins host Nick McCarvel to discuss his Gu chat, and gives an update from snowy Livignio, where both freeski and snowboard are taking place. Binner also gives further insight on the status of snowboarding great, the three-time Canadian medallist Mark McMorris, after a scary crash.

Plus, Nick meets Olympic fans from around the world at the Opening Ceremony, and we give you a taste of one of the Olympics.com athlete meet and greet livestreams, the first of which featured 2014 Olympic team bronze medallist in figure skating, Gracie Gold.

Lindsey Vonn's last-minute push for the Olympic starting gate Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

"I've always gotten back up," Lindsey Vonn told reporters on the eve of the Winter Olympics at Milano Cortina 2026. The skiing legend is battling another injury - a torn ACL - following a crash last week in Switzerland, but remains determined to race in what would be her fifth career Games.

"I will do everything in my power to be in that starting gate," she said.

Vonn is the focus of our first official podcast from MiCo 2026, with competition underway - and the iconic Opening Ceremony set for Friday, 6 February. Olympics.com podcast host Nick McCarvel is joined by colleague Alessandro Poggi from Cortina to get further insight on Vonn's injury and the challenges it presents - while also taking a vibe check on the Italian mountain town, which is hosting women's Alpine skiing, curling and the sliding sports - bobsleigh, skeleton and luge.

Previewing Milano Cortina 2026's biggest storylines Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

We're officially just days away from kicking off the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, with competition set to get underway on 4 February - and the Opening Ceremony scheduled for the 6th.

With that in mind, host Nick McCarvel is joined by fellow Olympics.com reporter ZK Goh to talk about some of the big must-know storylines ahead of the Games, including "Quad God" figure skating star Ilia Malinin, the comeback of Lindsey Vonn, the USA-Canada women's hockey rivalry, cross-country skiing great Johannes Klaebo and much, much more.

Nick also gets audio dispatches from a handful of his other Olympics.com colleagues on the story they're most excited for - from ski jumping to Brazilian skeleton to the NHL's return to the Games and beyond.

Plus, three-time Olympic snowboard champion Shaun White describes why, exactly, the Olympics are just so extraordinary for the athletes themselves in a blurb from his exclusive interview with reporter Annie Fast.

The incredible comeback story of 42-year-old figure skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek Jan 08, 2026

Show notes

There might be no story more awe-inspiring at Milano Cortina 2026 than that of Deanna Stellato-Dudek, a 42-year-old figure skater who left the sport for 16 years - only to return, and then win a world title.

The Chicago native, who now competes for Canada, is the subject of a new Olympic Channel documentary called Deanna's Dream, which is available to stream for free now on Olympics.com.

"This story is way bigger than me," Stellato tells host Nick McCarvel in the latest episode of the podcast, which dives deep into Deanna's journey and the documentary surrounding it. "It's about all women at any age of life who feel like they want to change something and make something more of themselves."

"I always think that my age provides me with a power," she adds, before laughing: "The only thing is that I have to put more work than my 20-year-old counterparts into just showing up the next morning."

Stellato-Dudek and partner Maxime Deschamps are competing this week (9-11 January) at the Canadian Championships, where the duo is aiming for a fourth consecutive national title - and a berth to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

You can stream Deanna's Dream on Olympics.com now - for free.

In conversation with Malala Yousafzai & Arian Moayed, executive producers of 'Champions of the Golden Valley' Dec 25, 2025

Show notes

Executive producers Malala Yousafzai and Arian Moayed sit down to discuss the film, Champions of the Golden Valley, and its many themes as the documentary is now streaming exclusively on Olympics.com.

"This such a powerful story about the people of Afghanistan and how much they desire peace in their community," Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights activist Malala tells host Nick McCarvel on the pod.

"And how skiing, a sport, can give hope to our community."

Yousafzai and Moayed also hit on the refugee experience, the power of sport for girls and women internationally, the IOC Olympic Refugee team and much more in a wide-ranging conversation.

You can also stream Champions of the Golden Valley now, available for free on Olympics.com.

Ski mountaineering - the only new Olympic sport at Milano Cortina 2026 - explained Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

There is set to be just one new sport added to the Olympic programme for Milano Cortina 2026, but it is one with historic roots in the Italian Alps.

Ski mountaineering will feature both a sprint and mixed relay event in its Winter Olympic debut, and on this episode of the podcast, host Nick McCarvel dives deep - or rather, scales the mountain - to understand this fascinating sport, often set in the most picturesque of outdoor courses.

Skimo stars Emily Harrop, Cameron Smith and Johanna Hiemer help to explain the sport and its many challenges in exclusive interviews on the pod, while Olympics.com producers Nadine Regel, Guillaume Depasse and Annie Fast lay out the many storylines to watch out for, including French superstar Thibault Anselmet and the Spanish duo of Ana Alonso Rodriguez and Oriol Cardonna Coll - among others.

You can explore skimo even more with the new Olympic Channel documentary, Into the Unknown, which is out now exclusively on Olympics.com.

Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin & alpine skiing's Olympic return to the Italian Alps Nov 26, 2025

Show notes

For the first time in four Winter Olympic cycles, alpine skiing is making a return to some of its most famed downhill tracks.

Tucked in the Italian Dolomites, Cortina (women) and Bormio (men) will host Milano Cortina 2026's downhill competitions. In this episode, Nick McCarvel is joined by Olympics.com skiing expert Alessandro Poggi to break down just what that means to the athletes ahead of February.

Nick and Ales also discuss some of the biggest storylines of the alpine skiing Olympic season, and then turn the episode over to the athletes, with exclusive interviews featuring American superstars Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, Brazil's trailblazer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway.

What are figure skating's biggest storylines heading into the Winter Olympics? Nov 12, 2025

Show notes

If you fall in love with the world of figure skating every four years, this episode is for you. Host Nick McCarvel and fellow Olympics.com producer Lena Smirnova sit down to discuss the biggest storylines in the sport ahead of February's Winter Olympics at Milano Cortina 2026. And there's a lot of them!

From the "Quad God" Ilia Malinin's dominance to the fascinating story of 42-year-old Deanna Stellato Dudek to the surprise comebacks of Olympic medallists and more, Nick and Lena bring reporting and insights into the must-know stories ahead of the Games. Lena also pulls the curtain back on the Olympics.com series Ink on Blades, which dives into the artistic process that Olympic programs go through before being presented to the world.

Plus, hear from Malinin and fellow top American Isabeau Levito on everything from how they package their programs to creating a community of support among their fellow skaters.

100 Days To Go To Milano Cortina 2026: Roundtable Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

Believe it or not, the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 are only 100 days away!

Host Nick McCarvel is joined by Olympics.com colleagues ZK Goh, Chloe Merrell and Nischal Schwager-Patel for a special countdown roundtable, focusing in on their Winter sports: Ice hockey, curling and ski jumping, respectively.

They preview the top storylines in those disciplines and beyond, including the NHL’s return to the men’s hockey event, the inspiring story of the Filipino curling team, a 44-year-old Swiss ski jumper and much more.

Plus, Nick speaks one-on-one with U.S. women’s hockey legend Kendall Coyne Schofield, who has returned to the Team USA roster after giving birth to a son in 2023. The goal? Gold. “That is absolutely correct,” she laughed.

Previewing the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

For the first time since last year's Paris Olympics, the biggest stars in gymnastics are set to gather in one place - this time for the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships - held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

"It's going to be interesting to see some of these new talents and how they step up into the spotlight," says Olympics.com gymnastics producer Scott Bregman, who joins host Nick McCarvel to help preview the event. Bregman is referring to an open opportunity for the women in attendance as Simone Biles, Rebeca Andrade and reigning U.S. champion Hezly Rivera are all set to miss the competition.

Bregman breaks down the big storylines to watch out for, including the return of another American, Skye Blakely, who has proven resilient after injury prevented her from making the U.S. Olympic team - twice.

On the men's side, Scott says it could be a three-way race among 2021 world champion Zheng Boheng and the two most recent Olympic champions, Oka Shinnosuke (2024) and Hashimoto Daiki (2021). Don't sleep on Filipino Carlos Yulo, either, who will have plenty of support at the first-ever Gymnastics Worlds held in Southeast Asia.

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