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Sportshour: Elladj Baldé - The figure skater trying to change perceptions of his sport

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Elladj Baldé - The figure skater trying to change perceptions of his sport

17/04/2021 GMT

BBC World Service - Sportshour, Elladj Baldé - The figure skater trying to change perceptions of his sport

Canadian professional figure skater Elladj Baldé tells us how he’s bringing the sport to a new audience through social media. Videos of Baldé performing unconventional routines to artists including Rihanna and Labrinth, have been viewed millions of times. He was born in Moscow to a Russian mother and a Guinean father and tells us he hasn’t always found it easy to express himself in the sport. Baldé also explains how we was once told to cut his hair to fit in with perceptions of how a figure skater should look and about his hopes for increasing diversity in skating.

Gerda Steyn joins us to reflect on breaking the South Africa national marathon record, which had stood for twenty five years. The 31-year-old confirmed her place at a first Olympic Games, with her performance in Italy last week.

We’re live at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on the opening morning of the World Snooker Championship. The BBC’s Jamie Broughton brings us the latest action and we hear from the world number three, Neil Robertson. The Australian tells us how a second world title could cement his legacy in the sport and why superstition means he’s keeping his lockdown hair for the tournament.

In the week that marked 100 days to go until the Tokyo Olympics, we speak to New Zealand rugby sevens star Tyla Nathan-Wong. She explains how she battled perceptions about her height and heritage to make it in rugby and how her Chinese grandfather is her inspiration. Nathan-Wong also tells us about chasing the gold medal in Tokyo and why she couldn’t turn down the chance to be featured on postage stamps ahead of the games.

In Sporting Witness – we tell the story of the Spanish hurdler - Maria Jose-Patino - who was forced to quit the sport in the 1980s after a test found she had male chromosomes due to a rare genetic condition. Maria fought a two year legal battle, successfully proving it did not improve her athletic performance. The case is seen as a milestone in the debate around genetic variation in sport.

And the BBC’s Vicki Sparks joins us live from St James Park ahead of the early game in the Premier League between Newcastle United and West Ham United.

(Credit: Getty Images)

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