What are figure skating's biggest storylines heading into the Winter Olympics?

Imagine you’re single. Your date turns out to be an Olympic figure skater. Six months later, you propose. She says yes. Liam Cross went from knowing nothing about figure skating to being physically sick before the Olympic Games in PyeongChang because he was so nervous about his wife’s performance. Together With Bruno Massot, Alonja Savchenko took gold in the pairs from PyeongChang 2018 for Germany. Her husband Liam Cross says that day was the most terrifying of his entire life. Why? Because he's madly in love with a figure skater... LINKS: Tough Girl Podcast: https://www.acast.com/toughgirlpodcast Record-breaking pairs free programme in full: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/playback/savchenko-and-massot-ger-gold-medal-pairs-free-skating

29 Elo 201820min

Heptathlete Rebecca Wardell is on a mission to cycle through most of Europe and Asia before hopping on a plane and finishing her journey through New Zealand. After injury forced her hopes for a second Olympic appearance six weeks before London 2012, she’s now embarking on a trip to meet as many Olympians as possible and raise money for charity to get more women into sport. She says, “It’s definitely not as hard physically as you might think.” LINKS: Asian Games: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/events/2018-asian-games--jakarta-and-palembang-idn/ Tim Ferris Podcast with Jerzy Gregorek: https://tim.blog/2017/03/16/jerzy-gregorek/ Long Way Home website: http://www.thelongwayhome.co.nz/

22 Elo 201826min

Four-time Olympic medallist, coach, and NBC commentator Ato Boldon remembers Usain Bolt’s incredible world record breaking performance at Beijing 2008. The Trinidad and Tobago sprint legend has been at the stadium every time Jamaica’s Bolt has broken a record. He says that moment was simply iconic. As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of a race that won’t be forgotten, we spoke to Boldon about Bolt’s untied shoelace, the man who finished second Richard Thompson, and the celebrations that changed the way people think of running forever. The Olympic Channel Podcast comes out every Wednesday. Think like an Olympian. SUBSCRIBE NOW. LINKS: BACK TO BEIJING 2008: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/features/back-to-beijing-2008/ RICH ROLL PODCAST WITH DES LINDEN: http://www.richroll.com/podcast/des-linden-375/

15 Elo 201821min

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