society
Hosted by BBC World Service · society · EN
The stories behind the medals. As the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics approach, comedian Eliza Skinner and athletics commentator Ed Harry interview remarkable athletes about the journeys they took to the Games. Basketball champion Breanna Stewart and shot-putter Raven Saunders explain why they use the platform sport gives them to act as advocates. Swimmer Anastasia Pagonis and rower Brigit Skarstein share how sport helped them rebuild their futures after life-changing events, while John McFall, Markus Rogan and Maarten van der Weijden talk about the lives they have found after leaving competition behind. Multi-sport stars like Oksana Masters and Jana Pittman reveal what it's like to compete at both the summer and winter Games. There's stories of memorable victories, like the moment high jump champion Gianmarco Tamberi chose to share his gold medal, and Shaunae Miller-Uibo putting everything on the line to reach the top step of the podium. Plus, the triumphs nobody predicted, inc
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Signup to Generate a PitchThe stories behind the medals. As the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics approach, comedian Eliza Skinner and athletics commentator Ed Harry interview remarkable athletes about the journeys they took to the Games. Basketball champion Breanna Stewart and shot-putter Raven Saunders explain why they use the platform sport gives them to act as advocates.
On the Podium is hosted by BBC World Service. The show has published 40 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "Marit Bouwmeester: Perfection and parenthood" (24 July 2025, 35 minutes), "Derrick Loccident: A new challenge, a new life" (24 July 2025, 33 minutes), and "Monica Puig: Puerto Rican pride" (24 July 2025, 48 minutes).
On the Podium publishes roughly daily, with episodes averaging 39 minutes across 40 episodes.
Booking probability for On the Podium is 30%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. On the Podium requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. On the Podium's contact route on record: verified email.
The strongest fits for On the Podium are Sports. On the Podium has a society audience.
BBC World Service hosts On the Podium, a society podcast with 40 episodes published.
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On the Podium
<p>Marit Bouwmeester is the most decorated female sailor in Olympic history, winning medals at four consecutive Games, including two golds. She credits her success to the mental strength she amassed over the course of...
On the Podium
<p>Derek Loccident was a college American football player when, in 2018, an accident changed the course of his life. But despite becoming a below-the-knee amputee, he refused to give up on returning to the football...
On the Podium
<p>Puerto Rican tennis player Monica Puig wasn't ranked among the favourites for the women's singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Though she was in the best form of her life, she hadn't been seeded in the draw, which...
On the Podium
<p>Noemie Fox grew up in a family of canoeing and kayaking champions, but she didn't believe she could become one herself. She struggled to master the skills that seemed to come naturally to her relatives, and felt like...
On the Podium
<p>It takes a lot more than practice to to make it onto the podium. Eliza Skinner and Ed Harry meet four more extraordinary athletes who've won medals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, finding out how - and why...
<p>Ntando Mahlangu was born with fibular hemimelia, a condition that meant his legs didn't develop fully below the knees. After spending his childhood in a wheelchair, he made the decision to undergo amputation aged 10...
On the Podium
<p>Men's pole vaulting has been part of the Olympics since the inaugural modern Games in 1896 - but there was no women's competition until more than a century later. When America's Stacy Dragila became the first woman...
On the Podium
<p>Jess Learmonth was a talented junior swimmer, but aged 15, she decided she'd had enough. Over the next few years, she and her partner worked in supermarkets, and travelled through Asia. When they returned home, Jess...
On the Podium
<p>John McFall's life changed forever when, at the age of 19, he lost the lower part of his right leg in a motorcycle accident. His dream of joining the British Army was over - but sport gave him a way to find the...
On the Podium
<p>Eliza Skinner and Ed Harry meet more amazing Olympic and Paralympic athletes ahead of the 2024 Paris Games. New episodes from Thursday 27 June.</p><p>Paralympic sprinter John McFall left athletics behind to become an...
On the Podium
<p>From an alcoholic home to three gold medals aged 16, swimming was Carrie Steinseifer-Bates’s "safe place". But the pressure of being an elite athlete took its toll, and Carrie herself became an alcoholic. Today she...
On the Podium
<p>Australia’s track and field gold medallist Jared Tallent campaigned for years to get what was rightfully his, following a doping scandal. Already an Olympic silver medallist in race walking, it took four years before...
On the Podium
<p>The Olympic water polo gold medallist inspired by her friendship with the late basketball star Kobe Bryant. After an accident left her with severe injuries, Kaleigh Gilchrist vowed to get to Tokyo in his memory. And...
On the Podium
<p>“It saved my life.” BMX competition helped the Swiss-American athlete fight anxiety attacks, which left her unable to leave home as a young teenager. The Olympic bronze medallist is now a mental health advocate.</p>
On the Podium
<p>Singapore’s most decorated Paralympian, with five gold medals. When Yip Pin Xiu won her first gold at the Beijing Paralympics, she was the youngest in her country’s team. And it was the first time ever that...
On the Podium
<p>The Argentinian legend who fought back from cancer. Santiago had won Olympic bronze before he got sick. After years of struggle, he came back to take gold at the Rio Games.</p>
On the Podium
<p>The star basketball player in the US Olympic team. And, off the court, a voice for the abused. Breanna Stewart speaks frankly about her own experience of child sexual abuse, to give hope and strength to other...
On the Podium
<p>Gold medal-winning speed skater Denny Morrison’s near death experience, and a teammate’s selflessness. A competitor gave up his place to give Denny a sporting break, but a devastating motorbike accident was to...
On the Podium
<p>From rowing gold to tackling taboos. Paralympian Birgit Skarstein challenges stereotypes. A gold medallist at the Tokyo Paralympics, she campaigns for women’s sport and disability rights.</p>
On the Podium
<p>Olympic bronze against the odds, in only Molly Seidel's third ever marathon. Her success came after years of battling an eating disorder – a struggle with which she still lives. She talks about her mental health...
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Sharing the Podium
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Helden hinter den Medaillen
Beyond Medals Unraveling Athletes Life Stories
The Para Podcast
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