ben waterworth

It's been just over a month since we wrapped up our coverage of the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympics and today we're excited to speak with Australian Ice Hockey player Jasmin Mayor about her experiences at the games and why she is still buzzing after her experiences in Korea! We learn from Jasmin how her rapid ascent through the ice hockey ranks landed her a spot on the Australian team for the Youth Olympics and just what it meant to her when she discovered she was going. We also learn about the experiences competing at a Youth Olympics and just what the vibe was like on the ground in the Australian team. Added to this we find out why she is perhaps very well suited to our show given her obsession with the Olympics, why it was a good thing there were some highly trained doctors on her team and just when she plans on changing out of her Olympic team uniform. It's a great chat with a great insight into the Youth Olympics, so get to listening and be entertained and informed!

It's been way too long since we've had a Paralympic athlete on this show and finally today we rectify that with an incredible chat with Australian para triathlete Anu Francis about her extraordinary career. We find out from Anu her incredible journey to getting into para triathlon and just how she went from not knowing how to swim, to winning a silver medal at the World Championships within three years. We also find out just how she went from para badminton to para rowing to para triathlon and how her very unique condition was a catalysts to get her heavily involved in the world of sports after initially turning to another career. Added to this we find out more about her rivalry and friendship with her key medal opponents come the Paris Paralympics, find out just why her artistic skills may bring a unique gift to the world and discover just why a Welsh prison affected one of her most important races of her career. It's an amazing chat with so much to learn from, so sit back and listen and enjoy! 

2024 is a historic year for the Olympics with the inclusion of breaking for the very first time. And one athlete creating history with the inclusion of the sport is Australian Jeff Dunne, who will become the first ever Australian male to compete at the Olympic Games in the sport. Added to his historic qualification, Jeff will do so at the ripe age of 16, making him the youngest breaker to be competing at the Paris Olympics. But despite his age, Jeff is vastly experienced in the sport and is pushing towards bringing home a medal for Australia. We learn from Jeff about his background and his journey into the sport and why his 'addiction' to breaking has pushed him to great success in both Australia and overseas. We also learn just how much he trains and what is involved in his training regime and how he hopes to amp that up in the coming months before the Olympics. Added to this we find out just what unique diet he has that helps him perform, the emotion of securing qualification for the Olympics and why we might have helped him a little towards securing a medal in Paris. It's an epic chat that you simply cannot miss!

Are you ready for a legendary interview from an absolute legend of the Olympics? If you answered yes, you've come to the right place, as we sit down with the iconic Donovan Bailey to hear more about his incredible career that has made him a true Canadian icon. We learn from Donovan just which other sport he could've been an Olympian in, and how he still competes in that sport to this day. We also find out more about just how his path into sprinting was so unique and how he was able to reach the highest level so quickly. Added to this we learn more about his mental preparedness for that race in Atlanta off the back of the tragic bombing that happened the same day, find out more about how he was able to use his supreme confidence to get the best out of himself and help Colin and his children to carry the Canadian sprinting legacy into the future. It's an incredible chat that no Olympic fan can miss, so get to listening and enjoy!

Another 50 episodes have passed since our last BEST OF episode which means it's time to bring out another clip show and celebrate the last 50 episodes that have kept you entertained and informed for the last year! You'll hear all those classic moments from episodes 301-349, including our coverage from the 2023 Women's World Cup and PanAm Games, 2024 Winter Youth Olympics as well as every interview and episode that was done in between. Excited? You should be! So sit back, relax and listen as we bring you the best bits of the last 50 episodes in true Off The Podium style!

It felt like the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics just started but sadly they're now over and that means it's time for us to bring them home in true Off The Podium style as we review the second week of action, give our take on the Closing Ceremony and review the games as a whole! We find out from the gang just what their highlight of the week was and why we are currently very scared of New Zealand and their capability in winter sports. We also find out just how good it is to see Italy do so well as well as just why Colin is good at math all of a sudden and why that bodes well for Italy, Germany and France moving forward. Added to this we talk up more on Moongcho, find out why Jennifer Garner is somehow involved this week and continue to get sad about Thomas Bach, Olympic Champion Fencing, leaving his post as IOC President later this year. It's an action-packed episode to fully bring the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics to a close!

The Youth Olympics are here! And after an action packed week in Korea, Ben & Colin are back to go over everything to do with the Olympics and give their viewpoints on all the big talking points! Just why do we think the opening ceremony might've been the best one we've seen in a decade? What do we think of Thomas Bach (Olympic Champion, fencing) taking selfies and doing fist bumps? Why is Australia gloating so much after their big win in ice hockey against the Netherlands? What has happened to the coverage in Canada? And why are we so pumped for Tunisia, Brazil and Thailand? It's been a fun ride so far with plenty more to come so get into the zone and get into the Youth Olympics!

We've teased and teased about covering our first ever YOUTH OLYMPICS and finally they're here! And for the very first time we're set to bring you our unique look at the Youth Olympics as we get set to be excited for the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon, Korea! Ben & Colin go over just what they are excited about from these unique Olympics and why sometimes the Youth Olympics can be more entertaining to watch. We also learn more about the mascot, more about Gangwon and Korea and learn just how equal these games are going to be! It's an epic episode for an epic occasion that you won't want to miss in any epic way! So get to listening and get excited for the first of two Olympics in 2024!

We are a week away from the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon, South Korea and we have a very special episode today to get you in the mood! Today we are speaking with the head coach of the Australian 3x3 Women's Ice Hockey team, Remi Harvey, to learn more about the sport, her role in Australian Ice Hockey and just what it means for the sport in Australia to have a team back at the Olympic Games! We find out from Remi her background in the sport and why playing ice hockey in Australia is just part of the family for her. We also learn the intricacies around the 3x3 version and why it will create a fairly open field for the Youth Olympics. Added to this we hear just what the Aussie style of play is and why teams hate playing against us, just what special activity Remi does to help with team bonding and whether we can influence the official team name heading into the games. It's a great chat that you'll love every second of! So get to listening and get pumped ahead of the Youth Olympics!

2024 is here! An Olympic year! And as we get closer and closer to Paris 2024, what better way to start the year with an interview with an athlete who will be competing at the Olympics in July and is in with a real shot at winning a medal, Aussie triathlete Matthew Hauser! Matt goes over his journey through the sport, including his early 'addiction' to triathlon that set him on his future career path and which other sport he very nearly pursued instead. We also learn from Matt how the heartbreak of not being able to compete in the Youth Olympics in 2014 helped push him further in his career as well as getting an insight into his two very unique Commonwealth Games experiences in 2018 and 2022. Added to this we learn more about his Olympic experiences in Tokyo and the difficulties it brought, how his recent form is helping him towards Paris and find out how he thinks Kanye West would do at triathlon. It's an incredible chat that is the perfect way to start off your year! Don't miss it!

It's time to close out 2023 in style as we go back to the sport of taekwondo and chat with Aussie Leon Sejranovic, fresh off his recent World Championship performance which saw him bring home Australia's first medal in a Taekwondo World Champs in a decade! We learn from Leon about his rapid progression through the sport and how two former Olympians helped him along his journey and inspire him towards his Olympic dreams. We also learn just how close he was to making his Olympic debut in Tokyo and just how his performances have been able to be so strong in the subsequent years. Added to this we hear more about his incredible 2023 World Championship run, learn why going up a weight division for the Olympics is a whole bunch of fun and also discover just why Chairy could be the reason for him winning gold at the Olympics. It's a blast of a chat that you won't want to miss!

If you wish to purchase a shirt to help Leon get to Paris next year, click here: https://bit.ly/3NtlnZb

As we get to the very pointy end of 2023 we are back to bring you an epic interview with an incredible athlete from the incredible sport of alpine skiing, Madi Hoffman! Madi goes over her journey into the sport and how growing up in Australia led her to chasing winter all the way on the other side of the world. We also learn just how committed her family were to ensuring her and her brothers were able to pursue their athletic dreams and just how she was able to rise through the ranks so far away from home. Added to this we learn more about the most emotional filled 24 hours of her life that saw her qualify for the Olympics before getting her dream snatched away from her, her recent groundbreaking result in the alpine skiing world cup and for the very first time get an guests insight into our brand new mascot, Chairy! It's an incredible chat that you simply can't miss! So get to listening!

We're back for another classic Opening Ceremony review as this time we go into the Winter Olympics once again as well as the 1980s once more as we travel back to the then Yugoslavia for the 1984 Sarajevo Opening Ceremony! We try to analyse whether the coverage from ABC America skewed our opinion of this chat in a good or a bad way and try to find out just why so many countries looked sad to be at the Olympics in 1984. We also find out if we love Yugoslavian ABBA, try to work out why the President of the Presidency is a thing in 1984 and get to the bottom of Yugoslavian knitting patterns. Oh, and there's also maybe one of the most amazing cauldron lightings we've seen yet that we definitely weren't expecting. Excited yet? Pumped? Ready to go back and discover another Opening Ceremony from the past? Well get to it, listen and get yourself entertained!

A real treat coming down your speakers today as we return to the great sport of fencing for the first time in over two years by speaking with Canadian Olympian Joseph Polossifakis about his extraordinary career and the extraordinary circumstances he has overcome to achieve everything he has along the way. We learn from Joe the reasons behind his fencing journey and why going to school helped him pursue his fencing dream. We also learn about the extraordinary circumstances that nearly derailed his Olympic dream in the lead up to Rio 2016 and just how he was able to breakthrough those hurdles. Added to this we learn more about his role with the Canadian Olympic Committee Athletes Commission, find out about his own journey into the podcasting world and learn just how much of a film buff he is and why we could've nearly seen him in Hollywood rather than the Olympics. It's an incredible interview that you simply can't afford to miss!

If you want to see Joe's answers from his 'My Name Is' questionnaire from 2016, you can see them here: https://bit.ly/3sWMjJA

The sport of softball has had a varied history at the Olympics which makes it quite difficult for aspiring Olympians to pursue a career in the sport. For one athlete though, a taste of an Olympics as a kid was enough to set her down a path towards that goal in the sport, no matter what obstacles stood in her way! That amazing athlete is Ellen Roberts from Australia, and she joins us on the show today to talk about her incredible journey in the sport that saw her go from being obsessed with the Olympics as a child, right through to representing Australia on the biggest sporting stage! We find out from Ellen just what Olympics moment set her on her path and what exactly it was about softball that got her on that journey. We also learn about her experiences playing at Olympic venues as a young child and what it was about pitching that made her take up the position. Added to this we find out more on the emotional rollercoaster that Tokyo 2020 was for her and her teammates, THAT game against Italy and where that stands amongst all her achievements and just why acting lessons may be an important training exercise moving forward for her as a pitcher. It's an incredible chat that you simply can't afford to miss!

We don't need to tell you how much we love the sport of handball and today we're excited to welcome our first ever Olympic handball player to the show to talk about his incredible career and the amazing sport itself! Taip Ramadani represented Australia at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and has since gone on to forge a successful career in the sport and is the current coach of the men's national handball team. And in an incredible chat, Taip joins us to go over his early roots in the sport and his incredible journey along the way! We find out just what the experience of playing for Australia at the Olympics was like and just what it meant to the sport in general in the country. We also find out how the sport and team are tracking in the lead up to the Brisbane Olympics and what lessons from Sydney can be learnt to help the sport grow even further post 2032. Added to this we also hear about a 'secret team' that was put together to possibly represent Australia in handball in Sydney 2000, just why he made sure him and his teammates walked out into the Opening Ceremony despite them having to play the World Champions Sweden the next day and just what incredibly odd thing a coach once said to him that helped spur him on in his sport. It's an amazing chat that you will love every second of, so get to listening and be entertained and informed!

We like to get our kicks with some great interviews here on Off The Podium and we're returning to our great interviews by bringing you an amazing chat with Australian 2020 Tokyo Olympian Stacey Hymer to learn about her journey in the great sport of Taekwondo and more about this incredible sport that saw her achieve her dream of becoming an Olympian! We find out just what drew her into the sport and what the progression was like from a junior right through to her Olympic debut. We also find out about the path Australian Taekwondo athletes have to take and how they are able to overcome the challenges that face them against the more established nations in the sport. Added to this we find out her incredibly raw and personal emotional reaction to making the Olympic squad in 2020 as well as her raw and personal emotional reaction to being bundled out in the first round and find out how things are tracking towards Paris next year and why Australia is about to be exposed to the incredible world of Taekwondo like it has never been before! It's another incredible chat that you simply won't want to miss!

If you wish to donate to help Stacey get to Paris next year, click here: https://bit.ly/3ud8dbZ

Well it's been a fun ride but it's time to draw to a close our coverage of our first ever Pan Am Games as we give our final look at Santiago 2023! Just how did we feel it all finished up? How excited are we to see a mascot be given a medal in a Closing Ceremony? What did we think of artistic roller sports? How is Colin feeling after seeing breaking? How hard is it to measure a race walk course? How did we go in our predictions? Why are we all on board with Fiu as a mascot? And how pumped are we to go to Colombia in four years time for the next Pan Ams? It's all here and more as we close out an epic games in epic style! 

Another week of the 2023 Pan American Games is behind us and we're back once again to go over all the action that has happened with your favourite Olympics Podcast! Just how are we feeling with Canada's performance and how are we feeling with just a few days remaining with our predictions? How about our feelings on Paraguay? Suriname? Or even the hosts Chile? Why does America just have to keep winning? Why do we fully believe Basque pelota is a fake sport that doesn't exist? Since when has Ben snuck over to Canada to compete in racquetball? Has Chile just shown how great they continue to be as a host? Who is the chubby Brazilian guy? And have we been able to watch any of the action? It's all here in another epic episode that will keep your sporting fix going and going and going! 

The Pan Am Games are here for 2023 and we're back to give our take on the opening week of action, the opening ceremony and everything else in between in another epic episode! What have we made of the opening week of the action, when we've actually been able to watch it? Who is Lucy Lopez and we do we love her so much? How epic is water skiing? What have we made of Canada's performance so far? How underwhelming is the Pan Am commentary? How excited are we over the performance of Suriname? And why are we still counting down the days for basque pelota? It's another epic episode filled with epic action so tune in to feel even more epic!