Off The Podium - An Olympics Podcast

When it comes to the voices of American Olympic coverage, Leigh Diffey is one of the true standouts. The Aussie broadcaster worked his way up from calling local motorcycle races in Queensland, all the way to becoming the voice of track and field at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics for NBC. But for Leigh, it was a journey he never planned — one that started on a completely different path, and somehow took him to the very t...

It’s time for another epic Newscast as we bring you up to speed with everything Olympic-related and continue our preview series of all the sports in the lead-up to the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics! We share our thoughts on the newly unveiled medal designs for the 2026 Games – and why they might look familiar to keen Olympic fans. We also break down the schedule for the LA 2028 Olympics and explore the latest countries en...

Another massive interview coming through your speakers today as we chat with US Paralympic track and field superstar Ryan Medrano about his incredible rise in the sport and his recent experiences at the Paris 2024 Paralympics! We dive into how his time on Survivor—and his connection with a former guest of ours — helped steer him toward the Paralympics, and how he managed to rise through the ranks of track and field so quic...

If you were to look up the words 'Olympic legend' in the dictionary, chances are you would find a photo of Australian cyclist Anna Meares. The four-time Olympian won six Olympic medals across her stellar career, including two gold, and has gone on to become one of the most respected figures in Australian sports administration after her role as the Chef de Mission for the Australian Olympic Team at the Paris Olympics in 202...

It’s an exciting day on Off The Podium as we finally launch our long-awaited series diving into every Olympic Games in history! And where better to begin than the very first: the Athens 1896 Summer Olympics. In this jam-packed episode, we explore how the modern Olympics came to life, highlight the standout athletes, and explain why we’re so fascinated by massive bulges and murderous gold medallists. You'll also learn about...

It’s been over eight years since we last caught up with Australian freestyle skier David Morris, and a lot has happened since then. In 2018, he competed in his third and final Olympic Games — an appearance that saw him narrowly miss out on a second Olympic medal under controversial circumstances in the men’s aerials final. Seven years on from that moment, David reflects on the experience and shares how he feels about it to...

It’s Newscast time as we return with all the latest Olympic headlines and kick off our sports preview series ahead of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Games. Patrick Riley returns to the show to break down all the big stories, including the beginning of Kirsty Coventry’s IOC presidency, confirmation that NHL players will take part in next year’s Games, and a new city officially joining the race to host the 2036 Olympics. We ...

A very special bonus episode drops today, giving you a sneak peek at an incredible chat we’ve got coming next month. We sit down with the voice of track & field in the US, the legendary Leigh Diffey, for an exclusive preview of this weekend’s iconic Prefontaine Classic in Oregon — and what American viewers can expect from NBC’s coverage. It’s a great insight into a world-class event, delivered by one of the best in the...

An absolute treat coming down your speakers today to celebrate July 4th as we welcome back to the show legendary American swimmer, and 'the voice of swimming', Rowdy Gaines to learn more about his incredible career both in and out of the pool! We find out from Rowdy just how he is still buzzing after the Paris Olympics, and how a prediction he made on this show came very true and if that makes him a secret clairvoyant. He ...

We're right back into the bobsleigh this week as we welcome back Aussie bobsledder Sarah Blizzard to catch up on everything that has happened since the 2022 Olympics, as well as how she is tracking towards Milano Cortina in 2026. We find out everything around her role in Beijing and learn just what an alternate bobsledder does during an Olympic Games, and how she was able to get through that period after the disappointment...

We are so pumped and excited today to bring you back one of our favourite guests on this show as we sit down with Aussie bobsledder Ashleigh Werner to learn about her journey across the sport since we last spoke to her four years ago! We hear about overcoming heartbreak for the second time on her Olympic journey after not making the team for Beijing, and find out just how she has been able to recover from that disappointme...

Thought we had finished talking about the Paris 2024 Olympics? Think again! Because even though it's been less than a year since the Opening Ceremony of those Games, we're back to talk about it once again as we continue our Opening Ceremony review series by looking closely at the most unique Opening Ceremony in Olympics history. Is it perhaps too soon to chat about this again or has enough time passed to give us a differen...

We're back to the slopes today as we welcome back Aussie snowboarder Josie Baff to the show! Since we last spoke with Josie, she has gone on to massive success on the snowboard cross circuit, making her Olympic debut in 2022 as well as claiming World Championship silver in 2023 and multiple World Cup medals. We find out from Josie just what has brought about her success and how she is using it as momentum towards her secon...

It's Newscast time as we once again bring you all the latest Olympic news that has happened over the last month as Ben welcomes back the amazing Alex Loveless to the show to help him out! We find out what it was like to have Thomas Bach in Australia and learn why we are so jealous of high school kids in Brisbane. We also get some updates around some news from LA 2028 that we already knew, and news from Milano Cortina 2026 ...

On a September Thursday evening in the year 2000, Ludi Wiggins was part of Australian Olympic history. Not only did she help break a 76-year medal drought for Australia at the Olympics in the sport of diving, she also became the first ever female to win an Olympic diving medal for her country, alongside her teammate Rebecca Gilmore in the women's synchronised 10 metre platform. Amazingly for the then 21-year-old, it was he...

Two of our favourite guests return to the show today as we catch up with Aussie curling icons Tahli Gill & Dean Hewitt to find out about their journey to get to their second Olympics in Italy next year! We find out just why their red hot form is tracking well into 2026 and how a coaching change has helped them not only prepare for this, but also have them avoid another awkward meeting during the Olympics. We also find ...

Since we last spoke with her in 2022, Breeana Walker has gone on to incredible success in bobsleigh. The Beijing Olympian has twice finished in the top two in the Crystal Globe standings, and created history in 2024 by becoming the first ever Australian sliding athlete to win a World Cup gold medal. But for 'Bobsled Bree', it's only the beginning, as she sets her sights on her second Olympics in Milano Cortina in 2026 and ...

When we last spoke with Australian taekwondo athlete Leon Sejranovic at the end of 2023, he was riding high off his World Championship success that saw him win a bronze medal. Full of confidence and in red hot form, Sejranovic headed into his first ever Olympics as a genuine medal threat and a chance to break a 24-year medal drought for Australia in taekwondo at the Olympics. Unfortunately for Sejranovic it wasn't to be, w...

For Australian shooter Elena Galiabovitch, her third Olympics didn't exactly go to plan. Competing in both the 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events, she performed below where she expected to be and left Paris bottling her experiences up and not wanting to talk about them. But as we welcome back Elena to the show today, she finally opens up about her experiences at the Games in 2024 and find out just what happened and how s...