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The stories behind the medals. Find out what it takes to get to the Games

The stories behind the medals. Eliza Skinner and Ed Harry find out what it takes to make it to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The stories behind the medals. As the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics approach, comedian Eliza Skinner and athletics commentator Ed Harry interview remarkable athletes about the journeys they took to the Games. Basketball champion Breanna Stewart and shot-putter Raven Saunders explain why they use the platform sport gives them to act as advocates. Swimmer Anastasia Pagonis and rower Brigit Skarstein share how sport helped them rebuild their futures after life-changing events, while John McFall, Markus Rogan and Maarten van der Weijden talk about the lives they have found after leaving competition behind. Multi-sport stars like Oksana Masters and Jana Pittman reveal what it's like to compete at both the summer and winter Games. There's stories of memorable victories, like the moment high jump champion Gianmarco Tamberi chose to share his gold medal, and Shaunae Miller-Uibo putting everything on the line to reach the top step of the podium. Plus, the triumphs nobody predicted, including Molly Seidel's shock marathon bronze, and the day Anna Kiesenhofer rode away from cycling's biggest names to claim gold in Tokyo.

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On the Podium: Maarten van der Weijden

Maarten van der Weijden

09/06/2021 GMT

BBC World Service - On the Podium, Maarten van der Weijden

How an open-water swimmer overcame leukaemia before becoming an Olympic champion

Just a few years after recovering from leukaemia, swimmer Maarten van der Weijden won Olympic gold. He reveals the techniques and mindset that got him through his darkest days.

When Maarten van der Weijden was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of 19, he thought it was not only the end of his sporting career, but his life. According to Maarten, he was a “lazy” patient and didn’t “win a fight” against cancer; he says he survived simply because he was “lucky”. But having been given a second chance at life, he was determined to make the most of it.

Just a few years after recovering from cancer, Maarten won open-water swimming gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He reveals the techniques and mindset that got him through his darkest days, and the significance of setting goals in order to achieve things, whether that be in sport or life.

He retired from competitive swimming after winning Olympic and World championship gold in 2008, and dedicated himself to raising funds for other leukaemia sufferers by completing the most severe of swimming challenges. So far, he has raised more than $15 million.

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