Off The Podium - An Olympics Podcast

There is no doubting that swimming is the biggest Olympic sport in Australia, and one of its brightest stars over the last three Olympics has been Brianna Throssell. The triple Olympian first caught the world’s attention with her seven-medal haul at the 2014 Youth Olympics, and just two years later she was representing Australia at her first Olympics in Rio. She would go on to compete in Tokyo and Paris, retiring from the sport with four Olympic medals, including two golds. In this open and fun chat, Brianna reflects on her epic rise through the sport, talking about the high-intensity pressure of being on the Australian Swimming Team, how she maintained consistency over all those years, and which races stand out to her across her amazing Olympic journey. It’s honest, reflective, and an incredible insight into one of Australia’s biggest swimming stars, and one chat you won’t want to miss!

It's been a few months since we brought you a classic Games review episode, and what a way to come back! In this episode, we go over the history of the “forgotten” 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens, as we uncover just what these Games were about, why they happened, and why they’ve turned out to be so influential on the modern Olympic Games. We also meet the stars of these Games, including Canadian marathon runners and walkers, American track stars, and a Greek weightlifter with arms that truly need to be talked about. Plus, we explore why a certain figure from Olympic history is to blame for these not being considered a “real” Olympics, and why perhaps that needs to change. It's one episode for all the history buffs to sink your teeth into, so get listening and don’t miss it!

We always love covering a sport we’ve never explored on the show before, and today is one of those days. For the very first time, we dive into table tennis with two-time Australian Olympian Heming Hu, who takes us through his incredible career and Olympic experiences. Heming opens up about how he got involved in the sport, why more people should give table tennis a go, and just how demanding it is both physically and mentally. He also shares how he overcame key mental demons to remain at the top of the sport in Australia. On top of that, Heming explains how he’s remained a viral sensation in his post-Olympic career and delivers some unbelievable impersonations that you truly have to hear to believe. It’s an incredibly raw, open, and honest chat and one you won’t want to miss.

We’re pumped to welcome back the incredible Aussie triathlete Natalie Van Coevorden to the show! Natalie joins us to reflect on her Paris 2024 Olympic experience and to share the story behind her impressive career pivot since finally making her long-overdue Olympic debut. She opens up about what it meant to secure her Olympic spot after the heartbreak of 2020 — including the very different phone call she made to her mum this time around. We dive into the unique conditions in Paris, especially around the Seine, and hear whether the Games lived up to her expectations. Natalie also reveals why she’s moved into a new triathlon discipline and how she’s already found remarkable success since making the switch. It’s another fantastic chat with Natalie that you won’t want to miss!

Well it's come to that time where we have to say farewell to all things Milano Cortina 2026, as the Paralympics have come to a close and brought an end to our time in Italy for 2026. But that doesn't mean we don't have one last episode to go over everything that happened across the final few days of competition, the closing ceremony and the Games themselves as we bring our coverage to an epic close! We find out just why we're celebrating the final few days of the Paralympics, which added a couple more medals to the Team OTP tally. We also learn more about Canada's celebration over curling and why they're not talking about the USA becoming a hockey nation. On top of that we go over the unique closing ceremony and go over just how we would rank all of Milano Cortina compared to all the other Games we have covered. It's a hell of a way to close out a hell of a Games!