Stay ConnectedThe Podium: An NBC Olympic and Paralympic podcast. Join us for insider coverage during the intense competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In the run-up to the Opening Ceremony, we’ll bring you deep into the stories and events that have you know and those you’ll be hard-pressed to forget.
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Amanda McGrory and Michelle Konkoly, 7x and 4x Paralympic medalists respectively and Paris 2024 analysts join Chris to give their highlight moments of these Games. The face, countries and dynamics discussed shapes the medal table in France but also define the horizon for 2026 and 2028. The Podium is back for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Join host Chris Waddell during the games for fresh perspectives and deeper dives to hear the Paralympics like you’ve never heard them before. Follow the show on iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games August 28th – September 8th on NBC & Peacock.
In this episode, Paralympian Ryan Medrano opens up about living with cerebral palsy and the challenges of competing with an invisible disability. Ryan shares his personal journey in track and field along with shedding light on the misconceptions and stigma surrounding invisible disabilities. The Podium is back for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Join host Chris Waddell during the games for fresh perspectives and deeper dives to hear the Paralympics like you’ve never heard them before. Follow the show on iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games August 28th – September 8th on NBC & Peacock.
In this episode, we chat with Tokyo Paralympic champion Ian Seidenfeld, who shares his journey in the world of table tennis and the unique family legacy he continues. As the son of a Paralympic champion, Ian talks about the challenges and triumphs of following in his father’s footsteps, and how the sport has shaped both their lives. The Podium is back for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Join host Chris Waddell during the games for fresh perspectives and deeper dives to hear the Paralympics like you’ve never heard them before. Follow the show on iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games August 28th – September 8th on NBC & Peacock.
In this episode, we take you behind the scenes to the Paralympics' prosthetic pit with Jeff Waldmuller, a research and development prosthetist from Ottobock. Jeff shares insights into the fast-paced world of Paralympic prosthetic repairs, where precision and speed are crucial. Learn about the essential role these "pit stops" play in keeping athletes at their peak performance. The Podium is back for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Join host Chris Waddell during the games for fresh perspectives and deeper dives to hear the Paralympics like you’ve never heard them before. Follow the show on iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games August 28th – September 8th on NBC & Peacock.
In this kick-off episode of the Paris Paralympics, we sit down with Calahan Young, a standout player on Team USA's Goalball team. Discover the unique intensity of Goalball—a sport created specifically for blind athletes that has no Olympic counterpart. Calahan shares his journey, the sport’s challenges, and why Goalball might just be the greatest sport you’ve never seen. The Podium is back for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Join host Chris Waddell during the games for fresh perspectives and deeper dives to hear the Paralympics like you’ve never heard them before. Follow the show on iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games August 28th – September 8th on NBC & Peacock.
The Podium is back for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Join host, Chris Waddell for fresh perspectives and deeper dives on the people and performances that will shape the medal count. The first episode will air on August 28th when the games kick-off. Follow the show on iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games beginning August 28th on NBC & Peacock.
While the closing ceremony is only hours away, Volleyball analyst Kevin Barnett previews one of the last American gold medal opportunities and why it is symbolic of the Games at large. Follow the show on Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. Stay tuned for more episodes of The Podium soon covering the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games beginning August 28 on NBC & Peacock.
Kristen Faulkner’s gold medal in the cycling road race, Team USA’s first in 40 years, isn’t a result of her singular lifelong path in cycling. She wasn’t a favorite. In fact, she hadn’t even technically qualified. Instead, she used her relative newness to the sport and learnings from her past successes out of the saddle to make a break for the finish line. Follow the show on the Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch and listen to every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.
How long does it take to tell a story? The kind of story that has ups and downs, heroes and villains, hope lost and hope found? Cole Hocker’s gold medal winning 1500 meter run gives us a pretty accurate answer: 3m 27.6s Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch and listen to every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.
Discus thrower Valarie Allman and pole vaulter Sam Kendricks earned gold and silver, respectively, for Team USA only moments and yards apart. That parallels the tiny and often uncontrollable differences between a good and great performance in their events. The pair take us into the art of letting go when gold is within reach. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch and listen to every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.
Epic Olympic performances are said to be built “from the ground up” but in Paris, historic and novel ground surfaces are literally affecting the speed of sport. Track and field athletes Eleanor Patterson, Nicola Olyslagers, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon and Matthew Wilkinson juxtapose their fast track with the slow clay court that Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram faced at Roland Garros. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch and listen to every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.
Canoe Slalom bronze medalist Evy Leibfarth tells the podium why becoming one with the flow of water and paint helped her navigate these Games. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.
Fencing at the Grand Palais is already grandiose, but the athlete presentation for finals takes it up a step, or more accurately down over 80 steps to the field of play. A grand entrance that eventually led Lee Kiefer, Lauren Scruggs, Jackie Dubrovich and Maia Weintraub to a first American team gold in fencing’s long and ornate Olympic history. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.
Track sprinters Andre De Grasse, Brendon Rodney and Duan Asemota help us see all the facets of sunglasses at the Olympics. From trying an iconic pair to describing the perfect fit, these fast men agree there is more to wearing shades than meets the eye. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.
Matteo Jorgenson is a road cyclist, a sport that every four years demands its best to juggle the demands of two huge races, the Tour de France and the Olympic road race. With only 13 days between the events, Matteo takes us into the science of living slow to ride again fast. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.
Nevin Harrison, Aaron Small and Jonas Ecker are masters at building and releasing tension in the water, in their muscles and in their incredibly close races. We join a practice with coach Shelley Oats-Wilding to get the on and off from the nautical venue. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.
The Olympic mountain bike course in Elancourt Hill, about 25 miles outside of Paris, is designed to let its competitors around…just. Cranking up steep hills only to descend on technical obstacles is hard, but with 35 other riders, 90 degree weather and 8 laps, this event is extreme. Team USA’s Savilia Blunk, fresh off the women’s race, gives us a grip on the tight men’s race. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.
In Cycling’s time trial event, everything is planned. So when rain and a crash unexpectedly wiped out Chloe Dygert’s lead, she used her experiences of overcoming the worst to ride her way to a Bronze medal for Team USA. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.
On today's episode of the podium, we take you inside an Olympic badminton match and how perhaps the quietest field of play generates some of the fastest, liveliest and most challenging conditions for Team USA, who have yet to ever medal in the sport. Team USA players Vincent Chiu and Howard Shu are joined by some avid Parisian spectators to provide insight on what it's really like at the badminton courts. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.
Kassidy Cook and Sarah Bacon have woken up Team USA’s medal count by having a perfectly in-sync day from breakfast to diving to podium. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.
Is there a more regal Olympic sport than equestrian? Well for 2024 the venue is literally fit for a king and queen. The International Equestrian Federation’s David O’Connor, a 3x Olympic medalist in his own right, walks us through the grounds that are part sporting challenge and part royal garden, and entirely amazing. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.
When Olympic skateboarders Nyjah Huston and Jagger Eaton touched down as part of only the second-ever US Olympic Skateboard team, they went for a practice session…in the streets of Paris. It’s one of the ways that street skateboarding, much like the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as a whole, blends the city and field of play in innovative ways. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.
With full speed hits, trash talking and uncompromising competitiveness, Team USA’s Sarah Adam explains wheelchair rugby’s electrifying appearance into popular culture and why it’s empowered her and many others to see Para-sports in a different light. Join host Zora Stephenson every day during the games to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before.
Arguably the world’s most competitive swim meet, the US Olympic Swimming Trials are integral to why Team USA is so dominant in the pool. National Team coach Todd Desorbo and Director of Performance Matthew Barbini break down the strategy and magic of a make-or-break event. Our swimming correspondent and 2-time Olympic medalist Elizabeth Beisel gives us a report from her time on deck. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games beginning July 26 on NBC & Peacock.
What do Jackie Joyner Kersee and Gustave Eiffel have in common? Both made something in’88 that, against all odds, has stood the test of time. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games beginning July 26 on NBC & Peacock.
Anita Alvarez and Bill May take us beneath the surface and into the Grit and the Glamour required to master perhaps the summer games’ hardest sport, artistic swimming, and the bottomless effort required to make something look “effortless”. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games beginning July 26th on NBC & Peacock.
Excited for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games? You’re not alone. We’re starting off the season with four bonus pieces from our Olympic and Paralympic athlete summits. This week, a glimpse into the “never before seens” to expect from Nyjah Huston, Oksana Masters, Hannah Roberts, Sunny Choi, Ilona Maher, Victor Montalvo, Ryan Crouser, Daniela Moroz, Jeffrey Louis and Rai Benjamin. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games beginning July 26 on NBC & Peacock.
Excited for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games? You’re not alone. We’re starting off the season with four bonus pieces from our Olympic and Paralympic athlete summits. This week, the sights and sounds that inspire athletes like Sha'Carri Richardson, Bobby Finke, Nyjah Huston, Frederick Richards, Sarah Hughes, Nick Mayhugh, Mallory Weggemann, Jagger Eaton and McKenzie Coan Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games beginning July 26 on NBC & Peacock.
Excited for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games? You’re not alone. We’re starting off the season with four bonus pieces from our Olympic and Paralympic athlete summits. This week, the return of full arenas and athletes’ loved ones in the words of Ashleigh Johnson, Evan Medell, Jagger Eaton, Jessica Parratto, Hannah Roberts, Ilona Maher, Andrew Capobianco, Nyjah Huston, Matt Stutzman, Jessica Long, Adeline Gray, Brittni Mason, Courtney Ryan, Maddie Musselman, Anna Hall and Alex Walsh. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games beginning July 26 on NBC & Peacock.
Excited for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games? You’re not alone. We’re starting off the season with four bonus pieces from our Olympic and Paralympic athlete summits. This week, the beauty, culture and stinky cheese that defines the host city in the eyes of some of Team USA like Katie Ledecky, A'ja Wilson, Nyjah Huston, Regan Smith, Sarah Adam, Hannah Roberts, Brooke Raboutou, Brittni Mason, Ashleigh Johnson, Tyler Downs, Ilona Maher, Jordan Larson and Adeline Gray. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games beginning July 26 on NBC & Peacock.
The Podium is back. Join host Zora Stephenson for fresh angles and deeper dives on the people, places and performances that will shape the medal count. New episodes weekly before the opening ceremony and daily during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games beginning July 26th on NBC & Peacock.
Paralympians are well-versed in the challenges of life and sport, and yet fun sems to permeate the ranks of competitors at all levels. Through the experiences of Team USA’ Brittani Coury & Lera Doederlein, we’re reminded why we should all seek fun in sport. Follow The Podium now to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch coverage of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.
Top sit ski racer Andrew Kurka is collecting Paralympic heartbreaks that would shake even the toughest competitors. While the Alaskan had ambitious goals to add to his Paralympic medal collection in Beijing, the void in his trophy room from these Games has marked an even bigger win: the triumph that comes from getting back up, and out on the slopes. Follow The Podium now to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch coverage of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.
Visually-impaired skier Danelle Umstead and her guide Rob Umstead share every twist and turn of their lives and their Paralympic aspirations on and off the slopes. The couple discuss race strategy, headset etiquette and why facing down the biggest challenges is possible, and faster, together. Follow The Podium now to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch coverage of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.
The 6 month gap between paralympic games has left athletes with an unprecedented challenge: finding their podium form after going all-in for Tokyo. Oksana Masters and Kendall Gretsch kick into high gear and even higher medal counts, explaining what it takes to go from one winning season to the next in record time. Follow The Podium now to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch coverage of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.
Mike Schultz designed a prosthetic leg to help him return to motorsports racing, but it’s the process of adapting his design for other athletes that he found his way to the Paralympic podium, and his most meaningful work. Follow The Podium now to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch coverage of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.
As the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games begin, we look into the increasingly united front of para and able-bodied athletes through the experience of skier Thomas Walsh. Walsh and host Mallory Weggemann expand on how para athletes may better embody traditional sportsmanship despite their less traditional ways of competing. Follow The Podium now to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch coverage of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.
There's a city in central Florida that has proven to be the epicentre for American long track speed skating excellence. We speak to medalists Erin Jackson, Brittany Bowe and Joey Mantia to figure out just what about the subtropical town makes fast athletes on ice. Follow The Podium now on Spotify to get automatic downloads. We thank you for tuning into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games and stay tunes for the 2022 Paralympics starting March 4th.
Indigenous athletes are rare in the Winter Olympics, but for the select few in Beijing like Greenlandic biathlete Ukaleq Slettemark and Team USA hockey player Abby Roque, their unique background is a point of strength. Follow The Podium now on Spotify to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
In a sports landscape of ultra-specialized athletes, there is meaning in finding the compromise of doing different sports in different seasons.
We talk to nordic combined skiers Taylor Fletcher & Jared Shumate along with summer and winter Olympian Nathan Crumpton about what it takes to shift gears between multiple sports.
Follow The Podium now on Spotify to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
Skiers like Paula Moltzan return to the same training and competition venues year after year, allowing them a front row seat to the distressing spectacle of climate change.
We check in with her and On Her Turf’s Alex Azzi to collect stories and actions from winter Olympians concerned about the future of snow and ice.
Follow The Podium now on Spotify to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
Doubles luge is like two people dancing on a knife’s edge. And while the soundtrack may not exactly make it to your Spotify favorites, its rhythms and steps are much closer to the heat of a crowded dance floor than the sub-zero Yanqing weather might lead on. Luge Medalist and Dancing with The Stars contestant Chris Mazdzer helps us make the link between ballroom dancing and this most intimate of sliding events. Follow The Podium now on Spotify to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
Olympians in Beijing are proudly donning their matching national uniforms from the ice and snow to the dining hall. Despite, or perhaps because of that uniformity, small gestures and equipment choices are speaking volumes about the athletes who populate the results sheet. One athlete and one sport seem to be getting their message across quite well: Andrew Blaser in Skeleton. He joins Lauren Shehadi to explain why equipment choice can be so much more. Follow The Podium now on Spotify to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
There’s one telltale way to spot an Olympian, and it’s not their muscular physiques or worldly attitudes. It has become tradition for each to get the Olympic rings tattooed on their bodies. Kaillie Humphries and Elizabeth Beisel tell us why they wear their Olympic experiences on their sleeves. Follow The Podium now on Spotify to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
Grabbing your snowboard or skis while midair has both style and efficiency advantages, but within that simple action lies a gripping world of variations and personal history. US freeskiers Nick Goepper, Mac Forehand and Colby Stevenson are joined by snowboardcross racers Lindsey Jacobellis and Nick Baumgartner to explain how grabs can hand you gold or leave you empty-handed. Follow The Podium now on Apple Podcasts to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
Elana Meyers Taylor was meant to bear the flag for Team USA. Instead, she spent the first days of these games in isolation following a positive COVID test for her, her husband and toddler. Elana’s situation allows Lauren Shehadi and On Her Turf Blog editor, Alex Azzi, to explore the added challenges that female Olympians face and how they do so with unbridled optimism for an increasingly equal sports landscape. Follow The Podium now on Apple Podcasts to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
With the world’s eyes focused on them, it’s no surprise Olympic champions are giving a thought to how they look. Nathan Chen, dressed by Vera Wang, and Julia Marino by Prada are the newest Olympic medalists to mix winter sport and high fashion and join host Lauren Shehadi to talk about their own take on high-flying fashion. Follow The Podium now on Apple Podcasts to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
In sliding sports, the all-important clock tallies the forces of speed by time. But there is one variable every skeleton, luge and bobsled athlete always wants more of: Weight. US four-man bobsled team of Frankie Del Duca, Jimmy Reed, Carlos Valdes and Hakeem Abdul-Saboor are trying to get to the very upper limit of the allowed weight to maximize speed and five-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender explains how making yourself heavy is about being light in your mental approach. Follow The Podium now on Apple Podcasts to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
Every podium at the Olympics is accompanied by a song, but for skier Colby Stevens and figure skaters Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, music is part of what propels them to medal ceremonies to begin with. On today’s show, soundtracks to win medals to, directly from the athletes that won with them. Follow The Podium on Apple Podcasts now to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
Training, performing and winning is better done with those we love. And that extends right up to sharing the podiums steps. Madison Chock and Evan Bates are creating love stories on and off the ice, and now on Olympic podiums. Jaelin Kauf stood on a mogul podium with her mom as a toddler and has turned that support into an Olympic Silver. Follow The Podium now on Apple Podcasts to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
Watch something long enough and certain trends start to appear. Commentators Todd Richards, Todd Harris and Trond Nystad’s unique abilities are to get you closer to the action despite being 1000s of miles away from Beijing. With that experience, we turn to each to figure out why their respective countries excel at the Winter Olympics. Follow The Podium now on Amazon Music to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
Listen to a special Winter Olympics episode of the TODAY podcast. Hear all the history-making moments, athlete interviews, and inspiring stories every morning on the TODAY podcast — your daily destination for news on the go. Follow and listen to TODAY now: https://link.chtbl.com/olympics_today
Stratton Mountain School is a small prep institution in southern Vermont, one that seems to excel at readying its students for a very successful field trip every 4 years to the Winter Olympic Games. We talk to some of the SMS alumni currently competing in Beijing about their experience at the school. Louie Vito, Ben Ogden and Julia Kern show the camaraderie that exists between its incredibly decorated and long list of 46 Olympic alumni. Follow The Podium now on Amazon to get automatic downloads and tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
The Slopestyle course that hosts the ski and snowboard events is turning heads because of its innovative features and ancient looks. Unmistakably, its inspiration is the nearby Great Wall of China. We catch up with Dirk Scheumann of Schneestern, the lead designer and course builder to understand his design philosophies and the cold realities on the ground in Zhangjiakou. Follow The Podium now on Amazon Music to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
Team USA consists of a record 224 Athletes for these winter games. They‘ve made it to the games on chartered flights and wear the same uniform, but each also has their own journey to the games. Amongst the crowd, connect with stories from the members of team USA. From loss to levity, see how the experience of the Opening ceremony means different things to Chris Lillis, David Wise, Red Gerard, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Alex Hall, Summer Britcher and Winter Vinecki. Follow The Podium now on Amazon to get automatic downloads. And tune into the networks of NBC to watch every moment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games.
NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano and 10,000m Speed Skating Gold Medalist Ted-Jan Bloemen explain how oval racing's truths carry over from the speedway to the ice. Speed, risk and constant improvement turn out to be the fuel behind both racers.
Join Lauren Shehadi for Season 3 of The Podium from NBC Sports.
Remember, starting February 4th, The Podium will speed up to a daily release schedule until the closing ceremony, and don't forget we're back for the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Games starting March 4th.
As sports fans stateside fall asleep on February 20th, 2018, the US is embarking on a historic run of performances. By the time they turn down the lights next, their medal count will have shot up by nine. Seven of those new medals are hanging around women's necks.
American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin and hockey player Kendall Coyne Schofield take us through that momentous day in Pyeongchang and how it tells the story of much more than a single 24hr period. Instead, that medal run is illustrative of the power and resilience of all female athletes and these two women's personal growth since.
Join Lauren Shehadi on Season 3 of The Podium, from NBC Sports.
Recent Winter Games have seen less-than-abundant natural snow. But that hasn't changed the forecast for incredible performances.
So what does a winter athlete's life look like with a lot less winter? American aerial skiers Ashley Caldwell and Justin Schoenefeld join host Lauren Shehadi to share how their journey to the games involves more days in the pool than on snow.
Listen to Season 3 of The Podium from NBC Sports.
Big Air Skiing will make its Olympic debut in 2022. Everything about the format, venue and competitors point to an event high in airtime and consequences. Medals can be won in mere seconds, but below the scary stunts lie life lessons about patience and personal growth.
Olympic medalist Nick Goepper is joined by sit skiers Josh Dueck and Jay Rawe to explore why they fell in love with big jumps, no matter the cost.
Join Host Lauren Shehadi on Season 3 of The Podium from NBC Sports.
Biathlon is a fan-filled, high-drama and celebrity-making sport, just not in the US. And yet Amercian biathletes are etching their way into the competitive landscape abroad with every rifle shot and ski stroke.
Lowell Bailey, director of high performance at US Biathlon and current competitor Clare Egan take contrast their stateside and European realities and give us insight into the last winter olympic sport their nation has yet to medal in.
Join host Lauren Shehadi on season 3 of The Podium from NBC Sports.
In the mid 2010s Curling, both Hardline Curling and American Olympic medalist curler John Shuster were facing a huge challenge from the powers governing this centuries-old sport. Hardline had come up with a controversial and revolutionary sweeping pad and Shuster has been dropped by USA Curling. Their next moves would have lasting impacts on the game you'll see in February.
Both join host Lauren Shehadi to share their stories of early success, tumult and vindication in a time known as "broomgate".
Listen to Season 3 of NBC Sports' The Podium.
Only 1.8% of US ski area users are Black, leaving minority skiers and snowboarders with little representation at the top levels of the sport.
Andre Horton, the first able-bodies black skier on the US Ski Team and Brian Rice, the first black snowboarder to be sponsored by a major US ski resort, join host Lauren Shehadi to discuss the experience of being a rarity in the lift line, the vibrant and supportive community they discovered within Black ski culture and the pipeline for putting more minorities in the mountains and on the podium.
Quadruples are the culmination of generations of figure skating and snowboarding progress. Axels or Corks, these maneuvers defy what was thought possible for Olympic athletes. On this episode on The Podium, we explore the dizzying abilities required of modern competitors and the ramifications on artistry and injury. Vincent Zhou was the skater first to land a quad lutz at the games and shares his journey with Marcus Kleveland, the youngest snowboarder to land a quadruple cork to understand the biggest move in Beijing.
Listen to Season 3 of NBC Sports' The Podium hosted by Lauren Shehadi.
Over the next 8 weeks and right through to the closing ceremony, we’ll bring you deep into the stories and events that have defined the Olympics and those that will shape the Beijing games. But we’ll also give you an intimate look into the unseen details that only the athletes themselves can tell. From curling innovations to big air ski tricks, inclusivity in winter recreation to epic medal runs, experience the lead up to Beijing with NBC Sports, the home of the Olympic and Paralympic games. Hosted by Lauren Shehadi, each episode features experts and athletes you’ll recognize along with those whose story you’ll be hard-pressed to forget. Prepare for season 3 of The Podium, an Olympic podcast from NBC Sports.
All good things come to an end. Through delay, innumerable challenges in just putting on the games and the actual sporting competition itself, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and all involved have excelled beyond expectation. Now, the world unites to celebrate the end of a shared moment: the last of the first global sporting event in over 18 months.
Brittney Reese reflects on a sport-defining career in women’s long jump and Mike Tirico give us a parting thought before going into the booth the call the closing ceremony.
The sting of missing out on Olympic glory can be a hurdle to overcome as well as a fuel for future success. Ultimately, delayed gratification may just be the ultimate prize.
We speak with the second American woman to win a wrestling gold, Tamyra Mensah Stock, about how previous failures motivate her on and off the mat. Keni Harrison was the favorite coming into US Olympic Track & Field Trials in the 100 meter hurdles for Rio, but had to watch the Games on TV. She leveraged that into record- setting times that set her on the rhythm that clinched a medal in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover.
From using your podium performance to speak for a wider group or simply turning your chopsticks around for a shared platter, gestures big and small are a defining feature of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Hear from Women’s Shot put Silver-medalist Raven Saunders about how her personal style speaks volumes and explore the Japanese world of social gestures with etiquette expert Ben Sparrow.
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover.
Running from steeple to steeple in the Irish countryside, over fences and through streams might seem like a task far removed from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. And yet 2 events, run on 2 or 4 legs, remind us that utility is at the core of the Olympics, and that manufacturing once-natural challenges may seem a little forced, but that finding our force is why we compete in the first place.
We speak to women straight off of their 3000 meter Steeplechase heats to discover what attracts them to this event. Doug Payne of Team USA’s Eventing squad tells us why equestrian sports, especially the cross country discipline, are as beautiful as they are complex.
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games feature the most sports and events in any modern Olympics. Organizing and participating, notably, in Track and Field and Water Polo, involves mastering a lot of pandemonium.
Athletes like Maggie Steffens and Valarie Allman join us from their chaotic fields of play to explain why chaos creates additional challenges for the athletes, but that having a lot going on is part of the culture that make these events so exciting.
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover.
Athletes prioritizing their health and wellbeing has been a through line in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games. And while that may sound like a given considering these are the highest performing physical specimens on earth, the public is being exposed more than ever to the hardships often hidden by the podium steps or outshined by the glimmer of Olympic medals.
MyKayla Skinner, Simone Biles' teammate, gives us a glimpse into her own mental process as Team USA’s female gymnasts cope with the pressure both within and outside themselves. Silver medalist wrestler Adeline Gray explains how finding balance helped her breakthrough at her second Games.
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover
A few days ago, we referenced our sister podcast, In the Village, hosted by Elizabeth Beisel. Her recent interview with Katie Ledecky was so insightful and fun that we wanted to share it to The Podium audience.
So for today’s episode of our show, Katie Ledecky hauls her medal collection to In the Village to catch up with former teammate Elizabeth Beisel. The pair talk about the amount of outfits required for a finals day, transitioning from first timer to team leader and scheduling in 5 minute increments.
When you win a medal at the Olympic Games, your names is etched in history and plastered all over the ticker tape. Sometimes, the names of our Olympic champions fit just a little too well and lead us to ask: Is it in the name?
Jagger Eaton explains his family’s naming conventions and not so rock’n’roll celebration plans. Tennys Sandgren and Austin Krajicek talk to us while nursing their bronze medal match loss and women’s 200m breaststroke medalist Annie Lazor keeps the man who gave her such a speedy name at the forefront of her mind.
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover.
What just happened and what might happen are the two things an Olympic athlete can’t do much about. Getting past them, as we’ll hear, is a challenge at every level.
To explore the mindset of taking the games stroke by stroke, we spoke with Gold medalist Chase Kalisz about staying ready overnight for morning finals and with golfers finishing their final rounds with varying levels of satisfaction.
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover.
Two sports new to the Olympics in Tokyo are based on imagination. Visualizing and then executing a sequence of movements in precise order and in total control are key to both Sport climbing and Karate’s Kata.
We revisit Sakura Kokumai’s explanation of Kata as the first practice takes place on Olympic day 8. Off the tatami and onto a wholly vertical plane, american climbers Kyra Condie and Nathaniel Coleman tell us how to get a hold of any problem.
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover.
Time, it’s the measure by which most sports are played. For 3x3 Basketball and Olympic boxing, two sports with more prominent and lengthy versions, the lack of time plays a huge role in making every move more crucial and exciting.
We caught up with Team USA’s 3x3 Women’s Basketball team and finals-bound boxers to see what’s it’s like to have no time to lose.
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover.
Two countries with strong hockey ties look to begin new legacies of success in the summer sport by leveraging their history and history-making into participation and support back home.
We’re joined by Elizabeth Murphy, who is not only part of the first Irish women’s field hockey team at the Olympics, her squad is the first female Olympic team of any kind for the Emerald Isle! Canadian field hockey has been overshadowed by its icy cousin in domestic sports culture, but gained momentum in hot conditions and the game’s multicultural appeal are nothing to shake a stick at.
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are alive with beeps, from vending machines to the backing up of athlete transport shuttles. Most of us don’t think twice about the virtual birdsong of digital chirps around us. But for some athletes, that’s the sound of their most ambitious dreams coming true.
Hear from Connor Fields, the defending Gold medalist in Men’s BMX racing, about how reading the beeps of a start gate is key to outpacing the competition. History-making Anastasija Zolotic explains how she connected the circuits to an electrifying win in Taekwondo.
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover.
We’re sharing an episode of the new TODAY podcast – live from Tokyo! Join Savannah Guthrie & Hoda Kotb each morning for all the insider news, history making moments, and great interviews from the Olympics. You can LISTEN to us anywhere you go! On your commute or on the run, you’ll get your daily dose of news, every morning. Follow and listen to TODAY wherever you get your podcasts. Listen NOW to TODAY
While participants at these Olympics are well-versed in guidelines, mother nature follows no such plans. As tropical storm Nepartak threatened to strengthen into a Typhoon and make landfall on July 27th, organizers and athletes began treating the weather as more than small talk.
We connected with surfers to see how a disruptive force for other events gave their final day of competition a boost. Katie Zaferes also joins The Podium to explain how managing temperature earned her an Olympic medal.
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover.
After failing to win a medal on the opening day of the Summer Olympics for the first time since 1972, the United States has secured its first podiums in Tokyo, unleashing a flurry of hardware for Team USA.
Connect with Jay Litherland and Emma Weyant, the U.S. athletes who helped uncork the medal count, to hear how good victory tastes!
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover.
What is lost can’t be replaced, but it can drive us to new heights. That’s the case for so many things about the 2020 Tokyo Games, dubbed the “Reconstruction Olympics”, from the venues to the athletes competing in them.
On Olympic Day 2, we take you to the small exhibit that’s at the heart of the biggest sporting event on earth. Italian rower Luca Rambaldi and American beach volleyball star April Ross share how losses both recent and decades-past can give us the extra bit required to win.
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover.
The new Olympic sports in Tokyo might be brand new for many fans of the games, but they begin an exciting fresh chapter of an existing book. This gives us a rare opportunity to discover “new veterans”.
Hear how Felipe Gustavo risked it all to make his mark on street skateboarding and showed a generation of skaters that a gritty Brazilian competitive fire could become a long-term career. We catch the GOAT of 3x3 Basketball, Dusan Bulut, post-game to ask what’s fueled his rise from street-ball to the Olympics.
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover.
The day has come. After an unprecedented leadup, the wait is over: The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are opening as the sun rises over the US.
TODAY Show fixtures Al Roker and Craig Melvin join us to discuss the magic of live events, their favorite Opening Ceremony memories and their upcoming trip to the Games.
Listen to The Podium daily during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games for new insight into the stories you know and the ones you’ll be happy to discover.
The Opening Ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games is finally upon us. The world’s eyes will be focused on the first global gathering since the pandemic and its ability to pipe music, spectacle and hope onto billions of TV screens. Although this monolith of an event dazzles in its size, production and technology, the main product are the memories it creates for people, whether watching at home or in starring roles on the stadium floor.
We talk to Nikki Webster, Sydney 2000’s “Hero Girl”, about being the protagonist of the biggest show on earth and how the Opening Ceremony fits national identity, sports and pageantry into one stadium. Ahmed Fareed tells the story of a fortuitous alphabetical quirk that gave a small nation’s athletes big time exposure.
Join us for Season 2 of NBC Sports’ The Podium. Starting July 23rd the Podcast will be coming to you daily from the ground in Tokyo to bring you new stories along with fresh takes on the events of the day. Follow The Podium wherever you listen to podcasts
Olympians train hard. For many, it’s their job to push harder and longer and heavier than us mortals do. When we say “no way” and bump up against our limits, they endure. But the net effects of all those watts and miles and grunts aren’t only measured in washboard abs, records held and medals won: the discomfort of the most unbearable workouts is in a way the reward, giving meaning and value to the endeavor of athletic excellence and creating a bond between those who understand how much ache is required for gold.
Hear Carlin Isles, Chloe Dygert and other Team USA athletes recount some of their worst workouts. Weightlifter Kate Nye gives her insight on breaking through to new bests and Canadian Rower Gabrielle Smith joins us from Tokyo with her coach Gavin McKay to talk about reaching the body’s limits and teambuilding through discomfort.
Join us for Season 2 of NBC Sports’ The Podium. Episode 11 also features Ahmed Fareed’s telling of Kerri Strug’s 1996 display of toughness.
The tradeoff between the raw ability of fresh joints and the savvy of a mature mind used to be linear, with each slice of cake predictably and measurably pushing an athlete from precocious prodigy to washed up veteran. But this summer, Tokyo will host Gen-Z with veteran pedigrees right next to athletes staying physically competitive far past what was previously considered retirement age. One constant appears: why one competes is far more important than when.
Ahmed Fareed sits in for Lauren Shehadi to explore how swimmer Brent Hayden mounted a successful comeback a decade after his retirement and we hear from Olympic and Paralympic phenoms on their journeys through precocious high-performance childhoods.
Join us for Season 2 of NBC Sports’ The Podium.
What would you label a group of athletes responsible for the majority of medals for the most decorated nation in the last 2 Olympics? Winners. A group who has fought for over a century to go from 2% of Olympic Athletes to 49%? Trailblazers. And what if this same group was routinely cast as less capable, exciting, profitable and valuable athletes?
We’re talking about the American women and women in the Olympics.
For being incredible athletes and so much more, there is one label that fits better than most: Champions.
Hear our conversation with Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger on how sports and the games are changing from their unique perspective as female Olympians, spouses of female athletes, activists and mothers. Mary Carillo tells the story of how Wilma Rudolph’s resolve took her from childhood leg braces to Olympic track stardom and civil rights activism.
Join host Lauren Shehadi for Season 2 of NBC Sports’ The Podium.
The Olympics conjure the image of single-mindedness, of an athlete's individual effort to improve, culminating in a medal whose ribbon only fits one. However, the Olympic pursuit is anything but. The reality is that those lofty goals are reached from atop a mountain of support and accomplishment from family, both blood and chosen. From the front stoop to the podium step, gold at the Games is a decidedly family affair.
Hear how canoe slalom contender Jess Fox and her nine “paddling” family members stay afloat in all their trophies. Listen to how marrying a fellow high jumper has allowed Ty Butts and Roderick Townsend to raise the bar. Get insight into Olympic support systems and pressures from experts Tim Layden and Mike Gervais. Ahmed Fareed tells the story, and incredible history, of the Montano Fencing Dynasty.
Join host Lauren Shehadi for Season 2 of NBC Sports’ The Podium.
An Olympic athlete’s career defining performance may last just seconds, but before and after it lie hours of logistics, warmups, and waiting in “ready rooms.” While they might sound tedious, those moments are often full of team-building, mind games and obstacles that come to define the athlete experience and actually contribute, in no small part, to the golden outcomes.
Feel the energy of the aquatics ready-room with 2-time gold medalist Lilly King and hear about other defining moments unseen, from Kerri Walsh Jennings’ porta potty mishaps to Chase Kalisz’s video game rivalries and Brooke Raboutou’s explanation of isolation rooms for climbing events. Ahmed Fareed tells the story of how Josy Barthel’s unexpected win threw a wrench into a very customary post-win moment.
Join host Lauren Shehadi for Season 2 of NBC Sports’ The Podium.
Second place, silver medal, best of the rest. The Sports world seems obsessed with differentiating performances that are, to the hundredth of second, incredibly similar. We explore the unique mindset of aiming for gold, why second is proven to be the least satisfying podium finish and how expecting the best of athletes is different from expecting 1st place.
Hear Ryan Murphy’s take on golden expectations, both external and self-imposed. Understand the psychology at play with Dr. Mike Gervais of the Finding Mastery Podcast and relive how Mackayla Maroney’s disappointment with Silver became the most viral photo of 2012.
Join host Lauren Shehadi for Season 2 of NBC Sports’ The Podium.
Japan, by its language, geography and history, offers a fascinatingly distinct culture. And the same applies to interests and philosophies around sport. In this episode, we dive into the host nation’s own Olympic sports to experience a more authentic Tokyo Games, and how seeing the athletic world from a different lens can make it more meaningful.
Feel the precision and protocol of Karate with Sakura Kokumai and Tom Scott, and get a glimpse into the wild world of professional Keirin racing with Kaarle McCullogh.
Join host Lauren Shehadi for Season 2 of NBC Sports’ The Podium. Episode 5 also features Mary Carillo’s telling of the “Friendship Medals” of 1936.
Tokyo welcomes Skateboarding, Surfing, Sport Climbing and 3X3 Basketball into this summer’s medal count, and with them a whole culture of urban and action sports. We explore these new-school events and how their development outside of the games could actually make them the perfect embodiments of old-school Olympic values.
Let Todd Richards take you through the evolution of boardsports with input from riders like Nyjah Huston, Kolohe Andino and Heimana Reynolds, feel the gritty excitement of 3X3 with Kareem Maddox and Robbie Hummel, and elevate your climbing knowledge through Colin Duffy and Brooke Raboutou's vertical prowess.
Join host Lauren Shehadi for Season 2 of NBC Sports’ The Podium.
Mental game: two words that are as often used as they are hard to grasp. But when the stakes are highest, when all competitors have sharpened their skills and trained tirelessly, psychology may be the deciding factor-both in and out of sports.
Get a glimpse inside diver David Boudia’s intricate pre-performance routine, hear from Dr. Mike Gervais (from the Finding Mastery Podcast) how mental training separates good athletes from great ones and understand how these skills apply to adversity and success well beyond the Olympic Games.
Join host Lauren Shehadi for Season 2 of NBC Sports’ The Podium. Episode 3 features David Boudia, Dr. Mike Gervais, Tim Layden and Mary Carillo.
Every Olympics has pushed the boundaries of sports technology, but the Tokyo games will see that constant multiplied by Japan’s penchant for tech.
Feel how optimizing every single shape and surface propels cyclists to new speeds with Alex Howes, hear how equipment changes do more than improve performance for Tatyana McFadden, understand how old sports are improving with modern tools and go inside the broadcasting magic that transports viewers from their couch right into the action.
Join host Lauren Shehadi for Season 2 of NBC Sports’ The Podium. Episode 2 features Alex Howes, Tatyana McFadden, Kelsey-Lee and Mike Barber, Karl Malone, David Mazza, Tim Layden and Ahmed Fareed
The Olympic Torch’s potential to inspire in times of chaos only deepens its power in the extraordinary leadup to Tokyo 2020. We start a brand new season of The Podium grasping the power of the flame.
Relive Janet Evans’ triumphant 1996 torch relay with Muhammad Ali, hear a first-hand account of Catriona LeMay-Doan’s very public cauldron malfunction and discover how a clown saved a closing ceremony.
Join host Lauren Shehadi for season 2 of NBC Sports’ The Podium. Episode 1 guests: Tim Layden, Janet Evans, Ahmed Fareed, Catriona Lemay-Doan and Yves Dagenais.
Over the next 12 weeks and right through to the closing ceremony, we’ll bring you deep into the stories and events that have defined the Olympics and those that will shape the Tokyo games. But we’ll also give you an intimate look into the unseen details that only the athletes themselves can tell.
From sophisticated sports tech to athletics dynasties, opening ceremony jitters to gold medal storage tactics, experience the lead up to Tokyo with NBC Sports, the home of the Olympic and Paralympic games.
Hosted by Lauren Shehadi, each episode features experts and athletes you’ll recognize along with those whose story you’ll be hard-pressed to forget.
Prepare for season 2 of The Podium, an Olympic podcast from NBC Sports.
The Paralympic Games start March 8th. In this episode, host Lauren Shehadi looks at how advances in technology have created better prosthetics, which have made it possible for more athletes to compete in the Paralympic Games.
NBC Olympics Special Correspondent Chef David Chang is the founder of the Momofuku Restaurant Group and just opened Majordomo in Los Angeles. Lucia Cho is the CEO of Seoul's Bicena and the Michelin three-starred Gaon. They talked with host Lauren Shehadi about the diversity and traditions of Korean food, and what to eat in Pyeonchang, host city of the 2018 Winter Games.
Host Mike Tirico reflects on his first time hosting primetime Olympic coverage, the U.S. women’s hockey team's gold medal game, and the Games's impact on diplomatic relations between North and South Korea. Plus The Podium team tells the story of chance meeting between North Korean cheerleaders and two young South Koreans at the Games.
Speedskater Maame Biney and her father, Kweku, stop by the studio to talk about Biney's favorite experiences at the 2018 Games, and what she hopes will be different for 2022. Plus, a look at what led to Norway's dominance in PyeongChang, as the country has now earned the most medals in Winter Olympic history.
Bronze medalists Maia and Alex Shibutani tell The Podium what made their ice dancing routine successful, their sibling dynamic, and what’s next after taking home the only U.S. medal for individual figure skating. Plus, how announcers call Olympic events for the visually impaired.
Reporter Tim Struby introduces us to bobsled alternate Briauna Jones, who tells us about her difficult journey to the Olympics -- and her struggle since she arrived. Plus, a men’s ski halfpipe judge explains the judging process, how he takes notes while simultaneously watching runs and why some judges must recuse themselves from competition.
Many events at the Winter Games involve high speeds, so when athletes get injured, it can be really gruesome. Oftentimes, it’s just a few months between a major injury and a medal-winning event. How do these athletes heal, physically and emotionally? Speed skater J.R. Celski tells The Podium about his difficult injury, and how he overcame his fears to get back into the rink.
Adam Rippon is here! The figure skater tells Lauren Shehadi why the Olympics is an opportunity to challenge stereotypes about LGBTQ athletes, discusses his friendship with Gus Kenworthy, and tells us why he feels like the winner of the Winter Olympics. Then, the Podium examines the Olympic diet: what's the best food to eat for athletic fuel? Finally, Tom Farrey takes a look at a program designed to maximize Olympians’ training time.
The Podium follows the fiancé of an Olympic speedskater as he watches the race from the sidelines, and copes with the stress. Plus, Katie Couric has the story of how a small town in Vermont has sent a resident to nearly every Winter Olympics since 1984.
Nathan Chen tells host Lauren Shehadi how he bounced back to make Olympic history, and talks about the NBA players who influence him. Jonny Mosley reflects on his Olympic career and takes a hard look at the weather's impact on the 2018 Games. Finally, we look at how Danny Davis has taken his passion for snowboarding and applied it to film.
Gus Kenworthy shares how he calms his parents' nerves when he competes in slopestyle, and explains why being out of the closet at the Olympics is a tremendous opportunity. Plus, Devin Logan breaks down freeskiing, the innovations that changed the sport, and why it’s known as a rebellious discipline.
Host Lauren Shehadi takes us to women's slalom, where alpine skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin fails to win a medal in her second event in two days in PyeongChang, And The Podium takes a hard look at race and winter sports, with Vonetta Flowers, the first black athlete to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
Scott Hamilton explains what makes the Shib Sibs so successful, with a close look at the complicated relationships in figure skating and ice dancing pairs. After a brief cameo from an enthusiastic pairs figure skating fan club, host Lauren Shehadi get a crash course in sliding sports (bobsled, luge, and skeleton) from Lewis Johnson, who also breaks down Chris Mazdzer’s silver medal run.
After a brief cameo from Gold medalist Chloe Kim, the Podium talks to longtime NBC Olympics broadcaster Mary Carillo about breaking gender barriers in sports reporting, her favorite Olympic moments, and the significance of the unified Korean women's hockey team. Then the team heads to the Korean team's game against Sweden, to talk to unified flag-waving fans about the historic moment. Finally, NBC News correspondent Keir Simmons takes us inside North Korea.
Jamie Anderson and her best friend and fellow gold medalist, Julia Mancuso, discuss their friendship, plus Shaun White shares what it is like to be the “old man” on the slopes, his love of skateboarding and more.
Guest host David Chang, special correspondent for NBC Olympics, is flummoxed by curling. What are the rules? How do curlers train? Is there alcohol involved? In an effort to better understand the game, he sends Tim Struby to learn the ins and outs of the sport, attends a curling match, and interviews a world champion curler.
Meet 17-year-old Red Gerard, who just won the first U.S. gold medal in PyeongChang, and his exuberant family, who watched the run with our reporter Tim Struby. Plus, Katie Couric returns to examine how women’s ski jumping got to be an Olympic sport.
Stars on and off the ice, Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir discuss their journey to Primetime and how the sport of figure skating has changed. Plus, diving into a surprise in the snowboarding world after two superstars, Sage Kostenberg and Kaitlyn Farrington, left the sport — and what they’re up to now.
Opening Ceremony co-host Katie Couric discusses what to expect from the broadcast (8:30 ET, NBC), the unified team of North and South Korea, and her interview with figure skating star Nathan Chen. We'll also take a look back at some pivotal moments in Olympic history, and at how the Winter Games have evolved from 1924 to today.
The first NBC Olympics podcast from the world's biggest sporting event. Join the team covering the Winter Games from the ground in PyeongChang. Hosts Lauren Shehadi and Tom Farrey, with reporter Tim Struby, bring you daily competition updates and the stories behind the games. And K-pop, of course. Lots of K-pop.
In this episode sponsored by Intel, Rob Simmelkjaer sits down with Intel chief strategy officer Aicha Evans and Intel Sports director David Aufhauser to discuss the technological advancements Intel is implementing at the Winter Olympics, how virtual reality has become a cornerstone of the company's initiatives and the esports exhibition happening in PyeongChang.
The Podium takes a journey back to Nathan Chen’s prediction about making the 2018 Olympic Winter Games and how the young wunderkid has mastered five quadruple jumps, something that has never been done at the Winter Olympics. Plus, the U.S. women’s hockey team reflects on the 1998 team that sparked their interest in the game and why the U.S.-Canada rivalry ramped up in 2002.
Ahead of the Opening Ceremony, The Podium profiles four American all-star Olympians to watch in PyeongChang. Olympic medalist Christin Cooper, New Yorker staff writer Nick Paumgarten, and snowboarding pioneer Todd Richards discuss the rise of revolutionary skiier Mikaela Shiffrin, downhill master Lindsey Vonn, longtime snowboarding star Shaun White, and snowboarding maverick Chloe Kim.
The Podium examines how snowboarding evolved and gained popularity in the U.S. and made its way into the Olympics. Plus, why there will never be another Shaun White and how Kelly Clark catapulted to the national scene.
No snow, no problem: more than 25 nations competing in the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang are considered tropical countries. In Episode 1, Tim Struby set out to examine why a generation of "tropical" athletes decided to focus on the Winter Olympics, delve into the influence of the movie "Cool Runnnings," and learn about some of the challenges that "tropical"Olympians face along their journey to PyeongChang.
Get ready for the 2018 Winter Olympics with NBC Sports and Vox Media. All this month, The Podium will introduce you to athletes to watch in the lead up to PyeongChang in February.
The most important story in the world right now is how real the chance of war with North Korea is — and how cataclysmic such a war would be.
Part of the reason the risk of war is so real is that our understanding of North Korea is so sparse. "The Hermit Kingdom" is a world unto itself; a land of deprivation, of lunacy, of tyranny, of delusion. We have no diplomatic relations, no trade, no cross-cultural exchanges. We don't understand Kim Jong Un, we don't understand his people, and they don't understand us. And so, ignorant, we lurch towards the possibility of nuclear war built atop mutual miscomprehension.
The best view we have into life in North Korea is Barbara Demick's Nothing to Envy: The Ordinary Lives of North Koreans. Demick was the Los Angeles Times bureau chief in Seoul and Beijing, and she found herself obsessed with this country she couldn't cover and couldn't understand. So she began talking to the people who had left it, the refugees who escaped across the DMZ. She began asking them to reconstruct their lives, to tell her what it was like, to make everyday life in North Korea intelligible. And they did. They told her what it was like to grow up, and to fall in love, and to go to school, and to have dinner, and to flee. They told her what it was like to build new lives, to remember past friends, to know their family was in a place they could never visit again, to hear the rest of the world fear and pity the place they had once called home.
This conversation is about North Korea, but it's also about North Koreans — about what it's like to live in the most closed society on earth, about what they know and don't know of the outside world, about how their existence can be both ordinary and extraordinary, about what would happen to them if there was a war. And this is a conversation about what we need to know about North Korea, about how the country's past informs its present, about what Demick would tell Trump if he would just listen.
In a special Olympics-themed episode of Worldly, Yochi, Jenn, and Zack look at how global politics will shape next year’s Winter Games in South Korea in a way that hasn’t been seen since the height of the Cold War. The International Olympic Committee has already banned Russia because of a massive doping scandal, and the nuclear standoff with North Korea could make some countries jittery about sending athletes to the games. Add it all together, and you have the potential for an Olympics like no other.
Plus, Jenn confesses to a passionate love of figure skating, Zack argues for taking the world’s guns and giving them to Olympic biathletes, and Yochi makes the case for why skeleton is the only sport you should watch.
Chang Rae Lee’s books include “Native Speaker,” “Aloft,” and “The Surrendered,” for which he was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. His most recent book is “On Such A Full Sea,” a cool, sci-fi dystopia. It was published in 2014. His novels tackle some of the most important themes in American life today, including immigration, life after war, and even the divided Korean Peninsula. He was born in Seoul, South Korea, but moved to the U.S. with his family at the age of three. His home country has been in the news a lot lately. And we’ll be hearing about it for more cheerful reasons in February, when South Korea hosts the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
He spoke to Vox's Todd VanDerWerff for this episode of Vox Media's "I Think You're Interesting."
Introducing The Podium, an insider look into the 17 intense days of competition at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. In the run-up to opening ceremonies, hear in-depth interviews with your favorite Winter Olympians, explorations of host country South Korea’s culture, history, and more from industry experts. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform for automatic download.
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