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Denis Ten: A life remembered Jul 25, 2018

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Figure skater Denis Ten died suddenly on 19 July 2018. There was an immediate outpour of emotion after the Sochi 2014 bronze medallist was reportedly attacked and stabbed in Kazakhstan. The Olympic Channel Podcast spoke to Olympic gold medallist Aljona Savchenko. She was friends with Ten and gives a moving a tribute. Plus, we dug into our archives to find an interview with Denis Ten that we did before PyeongChang 2018. LINKS: Gamebreakers: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/playback/gamebreakers/core-gamebreakers/how-denis-ten-put-kazakhstan-on-the-map-with-an-unlikely-winter-sport/ Podcast: https://www.ted.com/read/ted-podcasts/worklife

Sunny Spain to Ice Man: Javier Fernandez the figure skating Spaniard Jul 18, 2018

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The sun beats down hard on the Madrid street and it’s hot. The ice here is normally in drinks to cool down. The Spanish capital doesn’t seem like a natural first choice for Winter Olympians. That was until Javier Fernandez slowly worked his way to becoming one of the world’s leading figure skaters. He is a two-time world champion and took home a bronze medal from PyeongChang 2018. As a young man, once he reached a certain level, he knew he had to leave his country behind. He has trained with the legendary Brian Orser in Toronto for eight years. As his illustrious career competing comes to a close, he’s back and is looking to teach his skills to a new generation of Spanish skaters. So what does he have planned? Does he have any career regrets? And what does he make of double Olympic champion and training partner Yuzuru Hanyu? SUBSCRIBE for the best Olympic interviews from the podcast every Wednesday. We want you to think like an Olympian. LINKS: Shredding Monsters: Mavericks: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/features/shredding-monsters-mavericks/ Rich Roll podcast: http://www.richroll.com/podcast/rangan-chatterjee-376/

Gold to homeless: Why you should never give up with Klete Keller Jul 11, 2018

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The swimmer won Olympic gold in 2004 with Michael Phelps and just a few years later he was jobless and living in his car. Klete Keller experienced the highs of beating Olympic swimming legends like Ian Thorpe but, after his winning career was finished, he sunk into a deep depression. Keller lost his marriage and his job over the course of 24 hours. His life fell apart and he spent 10 months living in his car. The American used to blame everyone but himself for his situation but now he has come to terms with his past. He simply struggled with real life once swimming had ended. He says he just got lower and lower. Now, Keller is rebuilding his life and says the biggest lesson he learnt was that life takes a bit of discipline. LINKS: Podcast: Gymcastic https://gymcastic.com/ Flag and Family: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/playback/flag-family/flag-family/boxing-star-kadiru-a-typical-german/

Lessons from finishing fourth with Katinka Hosszu and Emma Twigg Jul 04, 2018

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What happens when you are expected to stand on the podium as an Olympic medallist – but you finish fourth? Swimmer Katinka Hosszu was favourite for gold in 2012. (Interview starts at 03:05) During the race, she realised that she was in third position and the person in first couldn’t be caught. She started to be mentally distracted. The Hungarian finished the race and looked up at the board to check her time. She had finished fourth and was ‘devastated’. Some were even advising her to walk away from the sport entirely. Hosszu used this disappointment to become the ‘Iron Lady’ who broke the world record for the 400m Individual Medley in 2016. Finishing fourth was a necessary step on her journey to winning three Olympic gold medals (and also a silver!). That redemption hasn’t happened for rower Emma Twigg (interview starts at 12:04). Or at least not yet! She finished in fourth place in the single sculls twice – in 2012 and 2016. In the boat after her performance in Rio, she vowed to give up the sport. Now, she’s making a run at Tokyo 2020 which would be her fourth Olympic appearance. Yes, she has thought about finishing fourth in Tokyo. And, although she’s aiming for the gold medal, now she’s at peace with missing the podium and proud of what she has achieved. LINKS: PODCAST: Ctrl Alt Delete http://www.emmagannon.co.uk/category/podcast/ BOOK: Hosszu’s book in Hungarian - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11652298.Katinka_Hossz_

What next for Yuzuru Hanyu and Evgenia Medvedeva? Jun 27, 2018

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It’s time to start thinking about the new Olympic cycle for figure skating. So, we asked two Olympic champions what they think Yuzuru Hanyu and Evgenia Medvedeva should do next. Russia’s Evgeni Plushenko (interview starts at 02:56) says that Hanyu is ‘from a different planet’. And hints that the Japanese double Olympic champion could be capable of doing the quad axel. Plushenko also says that if Medvedeva feels more comfortable training with coach Brian Orser then – why not? We also spoke to USA’s Brian Boitano (interview starts at 11:10) who won gold against Brian Orser at Calgary 1988. He advises Hanyu against taking too much of a break from competitive skating. And he thinks that Medvedeva will become an even better skater after training with Boitano’s former rival Brian Orser. Two exclusive interviews that you won’t see (or hear!) anywhere but Olympic Channel. If you liked this episode, we would love it if you gave it a five star review on iTunes or wherever you found us. SUBSCRIBE and you will never miss an episode of the Olympic Channel podcast. We want you to think just like an Olympian. Links: Hanyu interview in English from just after PyeongChang: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/playback/listen-olympic-channel-podcast-ep20-with-hanyu-solo-wise/ Medvedeva interview in English from Japan: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/playback/olympic-channel-podcast/may/evgenia-medvedeva-a-russian-skater-on-the-move/ Plushenko video interview: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/playback/evgeni-plushenko-talks-yuzuru-hanyu-quads-and-the-future-of-figure-skating/ Foul Play: Dutee https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/playback/foul-play/foul-play/foul-play-dutee/ Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin: https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/heresthething

Redefining refugees with Yusra Mardini and Gatkuoth Puok Thiep Jun 19, 2018

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If you have a look at Yusra Mardini’s Instagram feed – there are clues about what she does: pictures of swimming training and plenty of selfies. She’s clearly an international standard athlete. But her story runs deep – after fleeing Syria and swimming for 10km alongside a boat of displaced people looking for a new start, she ended up in Germany training for the Olympics. She refuses to be defined by her status as a refugee and wants you to reassess what you think about the word too. In a huge act of kindness, marathon runner Gatkuoth Puok Thiep gave up his place on the Refugee Olympic Team. He lost his father, mother and sister to the war in South Sudan. His inspiring story, although tragic, is full of hope about the future. We sat down with both for World Refugee Day. Don’t forget to subscribe for more of the best Olympic talking points every week. And leave a five star review on iTunes and other places if you liked what you heard. We want you to think just like an Olympian. LINKS: SPORTSPIEL: https://sportspielonline.com/ BOOK: https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/yusra-mardini/butterfly WE ARE ONE DOCUMENTARY: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/features/we-are-one/

Luka Doncic: A New NBA Draft Hope Jun 13, 2018

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Everywhere Luka Doncic has gone – he’s won. From the Eurobasket with Slovenia to the Euroleague with Real Madrid, the 19-year-old is hot property for the NBA Draft. But what makes him so special? And could we see Slovenia finally compete and even challenge at the Olympic Games? We speak to ESPN’s Senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski about why basketball dealmakers are so interested. Plus, we hear from to Bostjan Nachbar, who has played in the NBA and in Euroleague. He’s also Slovenian, knows Doncic and the pitfalls facing a young player trying to make it in the USA. Don’t forget to subscribe for the best Olympic talking points each week. LINKS: WOJ POD: http://art19.com/shows/thewojpod BOOK: https://www.mcdbooks.com/news/announcing-kobe-bryant-s-the-mamba-mentality WE ARE ONE DOCUMENTARY: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/features/we-are-one/

What hurts more physical or emotional pain? Jun 06, 2018

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Physical trauma is, on the surface, much harder to stomach than any emotional pain. Imagine choosing between sparring a few rounds with a boxer compared to being called a few names. The choice seems easy. But, as an elite boxer watches cuts and bruises heal after a big fight, they say it's the emotional scars that can last a lifetime. Olympic bronze medallist boxer David Price has faced the worst of both. Price has suffered both internet abuse and brutal knock-downs. He admits to crying (in a positive way!) ahead of his last fight against Alexander Povetkin and argues that physical pain is much easier to handle than the mental. Plus, USA boxing coach Billy Walsh gives us some tips on how to stay in the best mental condition. LINKS: PEOPLE’S FIGHTERS: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/features/the-peoples-fighters/ PODCAST: https://www.michaelneill.org/podcast/ DOCUMENTARY: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1330059/

Evgenia Medvedeva: A Russian figure skater on the move May 30, 2018

Show notes

When two-time Olympic silver medallist figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva announced that she was leaving her coach to join Brian Orser in Canada, it was a surprise. We managed to grab a word with the two-time world champion about anime, meeting EXO, and her thoughts on PyeongChang. But she also gave us the lowdown on what she thinks of moving to Canada. ***LINKS*** EXO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdssuxDdqKk TRAILER FOR NEW DOC: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/playback/five-rings-films-the-peoples-fighters-official-trailer/ PODCAST RECOMMENDATION: https://armchairexpertpod.com/ BOOK RECOMMENDATION: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16175114-making-mavericks

Nyjah Huston, Olympic skateboarding and 'Til Death May 23, 2018

Show notes

It’s not every day that you receive an invitation to visit the home of one of the biggest skateboarders around. So the Olympic Channel Podcast naturally leapt at the chance to speak to Nyjah Huston at his apartment in Los Angeles. Why on earth are we concerned about skateboarding? Well, the sport is going to be at Tokyo 2020. And if you have any doubts as to why skateboarding should be at the Olympic Games – this episode should set that straight… LINKS SLS: http://streetleague.com/ Nyjah’s ‘Til Death part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBgbBrxj2to Danny Lozano profile (in Spanish) http://www.go-skateboarding.com/?p=15858 Joe Rogan Podcast: http://podcasts.joerogan.net/ ATHLEAN-X: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe0TLA0EsQbE-MjuHXevj2A

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