World Mental Health Day roundtable: "Let's continue to find the answers"

Less than three months after winning Olympic gold in cross-country skiing at PyeongChang 2018, Kikkan Randall was diagnosed with breast cancer. The 35-year-old American is receiving treatment and the prognosis is good. But she’s had to shave her hair off. Hair that she used to dye pink to stand out from the crowd. We talk about the colour pink, the dreaded moment she took ‘the call’ and making the most of every day. Remember to subscribe to the Olympic Channel Podcast for more inspiring stories every Wednesday. We want you to think like an Olympian. LINKS: ISAIAH THOMAS VIDEO: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/playback/isaiah-thomas-i-want-to-inspire-small-kids/ SPORTSWEEK: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0070lk9/episodes/downloads GOING OLYMPIC: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/playback/going-olympic-tokyo-2020/sports-chronicles/fukushima-returns-as-one-of-japans-premiere-surf-spots/ BREAST CANCER AWARENESS: https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/

8 Elo 201826min

Courage is easy to talk about but hard to practise. How can we find the courage to speak out for the right thing? And do you have the courage to face your fears? Greek gymnast Eleftherios Petrounias won gold on the rings at Rio 2016. His journey to that moment was difficult. He was bullied as a child for being short and lost his father two weeks before he became world champion in 2015. We also talked to him about the bravery of US gymnasts – like Aly Raisman - who spoke out against their abuser and recently won an award for their courage. LINKS: Simone Biles article: https://articles.olympicchannel.com/simone-biles-returns-interview/ StopBullying: https://www.stopbullying.gov/ Speaking out: http://www.stepupspeakout.org/

1 Elo 201819min

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

25 Heinä 201817min

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/

18 Heinä 201820min

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/

11 Heinä 201839min

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_

4 Heinä 201823min

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

27 Kesä 201826min

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/

19 Kesä 201822min