The Podium

In this episode, Paralympian Ryan Medrano opens up about living with cerebral palsy and the challenges of competing with an invisible disability. Ryan shares his personal journey in track and field along with shedding light on the misconceptions and stigma surrounding invisible disabilities. The Podium is back for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Join host Chris Waddell during the games for fresh perspectives and deeper dives to hear the Paralympics like you’ve never heard them before. Follow the show on iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games August 28th – September 8th on NBC & Peacock.

In this episode, we chat with Tokyo Paralympic champion Ian Seidenfeld, who shares his journey in the world of table tennis and the unique family legacy he continues. As the son of a Paralympic champion, Ian talks about the challenges and triumphs of following in his father’s footsteps, and how the sport has shaped both their lives. The Podium is back for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Join host Chris Waddell during the games for fresh perspectives and deeper dives to hear the Paralympics like you’ve never heard them before. Follow the show on iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games August 28th – September 8th on NBC & Peacock.

In this episode, we take you behind the scenes to the Paralympics' prosthetic pit with Jeff Waldmuller, a research and development prosthetist from Ottobock. Jeff shares insights into the fast-paced world of Paralympic prosthetic repairs, where precision and speed are crucial. Learn about the essential role these "pit stops" play in keeping athletes at their peak performance. The Podium is back for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Join host Chris Waddell during the games for fresh perspectives and deeper dives to hear the Paralympics like you’ve never heard them before. Follow the show on iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games August 28th – September 8th on NBC & Peacock.

In this kick-off episode of the Paris Paralympics, we sit down with Calahan Young, a standout player on Team USA's Goalball team. Discover the unique intensity of Goalball—a sport created specifically for blind athletes that has no Olympic counterpart. Calahan shares his journey, the sport’s challenges, and why Goalball might just be the greatest sport you’ve never seen. The Podium is back for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Join host Chris Waddell during the games for fresh perspectives and deeper dives to hear the Paralympics like you’ve never heard them before. Follow the show on iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games August 28th – September 8th on NBC & Peacock.

The Podium is back for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Join host, Chris Waddell for fresh perspectives and deeper dives on the people and performances that will shape the medal count. The first episode will air on August 28th when the games kick-off. Follow the show on iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games beginning August 28th on NBC & Peacock.

While the closing ceremony is only hours away, Volleyball analyst Kevin Barnett previews one of the last American gold medal opportunities and why it is symbolic of the Games at large. Follow the show on Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. Stay tuned for more episodes of The Podium soon covering the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games beginning August 28 on NBC & Peacock.

Kristen Faulkner’s gold medal in the cycling road race, Team USA’s first in 40 years, isn’t a result of her singular lifelong path in cycling. She wasn’t a favorite. In fact, she hadn’t even technically qualified. Instead, she used her relative newness to the sport and learnings from her past successes out of the saddle to make a break for the finish line. Follow the show on the Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch and listen to every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.

How long does it take to tell a story? The kind of story that has ups and downs, heroes and villains, hope lost and hope found? Cole Hocker’s gold medal winning 1500 meter run gives us a pretty accurate answer: 3m 27.6s Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch and listen to every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.

Discus thrower Valarie Allman and pole vaulter Sam Kendricks earned gold and silver, respectively, for Team USA only moments and yards apart. That parallels the tiny and often uncontrollable differences between a good and great performance in their events. The pair take us into the art of letting go when gold is within reach. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch and listen to every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.

Epic Olympic performances are said to be built “from the ground up” but in Paris, historic and novel ground surfaces are literally affecting the speed of sport. Track and field athletes Eleanor Patterson, Nicola Olyslagers, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon and Matthew Wilkinson juxtapose their fast track with the slow clay court that Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram faced at Roland Garros. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch and listen to every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.

Canoe Slalom bronze medalist Evy Leibfarth tells the podium why becoming one with the flow of water and paint helped her navigate these Games. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.

Fencing at the Grand Palais is already grandiose, but the athlete presentation for finals takes it up a step, or more accurately down over 80 steps to the field of play. A grand entrance that eventually led Lee Kiefer, Lauren Scruggs, Jackie Dubrovich and Maia Weintraub to a first American team gold in fencing’s long and ornate Olympic history. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.

Track sprinters Andre De Grasse, Brendon Rodney and Duan Asemota help us see all the facets of sunglasses at the Olympics. From trying an iconic pair to describing the perfect fit, these fast men agree there is more to wearing shades than meets the eye. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.

Matteo Jorgenson is a road cyclist, a sport that every four years demands its best to juggle the demands of two huge races, the Tour de France and the Olympic road race. With only 13 days between the events, Matteo takes us into the science of living slow to ride again fast. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.

Nevin Harrison, Aaron Small and Jonas Ecker are masters at building and releasing tension in the water, in their muscles and in their incredibly close races. We join a practice with coach Shelley Oats-Wilding to get the on and off from the nautical venue. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.

The Olympic mountain bike course in Elancourt Hill, about 25 miles outside of Paris, is designed to let its competitors around…just. Cranking up steep hills only to descend on technical obstacles is hard, but with 35 other riders, 90 degree weather and 8 laps, this event is extreme. Team USA’s Savilia Blunk, fresh off the women’s race, gives us a grip on the tight men’s race. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.

In Cycling’s time trial event, everything is planned. So when rain and a crash unexpectedly wiped out Chloe Dygert’s lead, she used her experiences of overcoming the worst to ride her way to a Bronze medal for Team USA. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.

On today's episode of the podium, we take you inside an Olympic badminton match and how perhaps the quietest field of play generates some of the fastest, liveliest and most challenging conditions for Team USA, who have yet to ever medal in the sport. Team USA players Vincent Chiu and Howard Shu are joined by some avid Parisian spectators to provide insight on what it's really like at the badminton courts. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.

Kassidy Cook and Sarah Bacon have woken up Team USA’s medal count by having a perfectly in-sync day from breakfast to diving to podium. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.

Is there a more regal Olympic sport than equestrian? Well for 2024 the venue is literally fit for a king and queen. The International Equestrian Federation’s David O’Connor, a 3x Olympic medalist in his own right, walks us through the grounds that are part sporting challenge and part royal garden, and entirely amazing. Join host Zora Stephenson weekly and every day during the games, to hear the Olympics like you’ve never quite heard them before. Follow the show on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform and watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.