Blind Landing
Blind Landing is a documentary podcast about elite sports. Season Two is a thought-provoking deep dive into the world of figure skating. Behind the scenes, behind the jumps and spins and sequins is a shocking culture of exclusion, discrimination and prejudice. These are the stories of skaters who became the change they wanted to see in the sport. This critically-acclaimed series has been featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone and was named one of The Atlantic’s Best Podcasts of 2021.
Episodes
Blind Landing is the untold story of the greatest mistake in Olympic history. All episodes available on July 19th.
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Elise Ray, America’s top gymnast, qualified for the 2000 Olympics with big dreams –– but during the all-around final, high expectations clashed with reality and came crashing down. Literally.
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The story of the 2000 women’s gymnastics all-around final picks up with Australian gymnast Allana Slater. In the midst of the competition, Allana realized that it was no coincidence gymnasts were falling on vault.
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The officials tried to solve the vault problem. Their decision had major consequences for everyone in the arena – but no one more so than the frontrunner, Russia’s Svetlana Khorkina.
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Romanian gymnast Maria Olaru discusses how the vault problem might have been stopped before it even started. Olympic officials explain what was happening behind the scenes.
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On the final episode of Blind Landing, British gymnast Lisa Mason reflects on the culture she trained in. Elise and Allana discuss the impact that the Sydney Olympics had on their lives.
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We spoke with Olympic gymnasts from around the world about the current state of safety at competitions. Twenty years after the Sydney vault controversy, things have changed. And not necessarily for the better.
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When it comes to addressing the safety concerns gymnasts have about competitions, there are structures in place to help gymnasts be heard... but are these structures working? Can they work?
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The new season of Blind Landing is all about… figure skating! We’re taking you behind the scenes with the biggest names in the sport, from Adam Rippon to Kristi Yamaguchi, and telling the stories of skaters who dared to challenge the norms and put everything on the line for something greater than gold. New episodes coming February 7th.
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From the outside, figure skating might look like a queer haven, a space where LGBTQ+ athletes can be out and open… but inside of the sport? That couldn’t be farther from the reality.
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For decades, skaters have been pushed to play into narrow gender stereotypes on and off the ice, leaving queer athletes feeling like being themselves wasn’t an option –– but not everyone was going to stay silent.
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“Out On The Ice” concludes with the story of Adam Rippon, the first out skater to represent the US at the Olympics, and a new generation of queer skaters determined to change the culture of their sport.
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Mabel Fairbanks changed figure skating forever. As a Black figure skater in the 1940s, Mabel made a name for herself skating in ice shows all over the world — but was barred from entering competitions because of the color of her skin. Mabel made it her life’s mission to get Black skaters into the sport and to reach the highest peaks. Using excerpts of interviews with Mabel never before heard by the public, we’re bringing you not ju...
On this special episode of Blind Landing, we're stepping away from figure skating and going back to the world of gymnastics to bring you Ukrainian gymnast Illia Kovtun. Illia tells us about what it's been like to compete during the invasion of Ukraine and the story of how politics found it's way onto the competition floor.
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For many Asian Americans, seeing Kristi Yamaguchi win the gold in women’s figure skating at the 1992 Olympics was everything. She was more than a famous athlete — she was one of the few Asian Americans on TV, period. Yet for Kristi, the polished, glamorous image that we all saw was very different from her experience on the inside. From her choice to skate solo to seeking endorsements in an anti-Asian climate, reporter Stefanie Rito...
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