Original version

BBC World Service Online

Coming soon: On the Podium season 4

On the Podium

Documentaries

Factual: Life Stories

Sport: Olympics

Sport: Disability Sport: Paralympics

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.

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

On the Podium: Jess Learmonth: The unexpected triathlete

Factual

Jess Learmonth: The unexpected triathlete

04/07/2024 GMT

BBC World Service - On the Podium, Jess Learmonth: The unexpected triathlete

Jess walked away from sport aged 15. Eighteen years later, she won Olympic gold

Aged 15, Jess Learmonth decided she'd had enough of competitive swimming, and walked away from sport. So how did she become an Olympic triathlon champion 18 years later?

Jess Learmonth was a talented junior swimmer, but aged 15, she decided she'd had enough. Over the next few years, she and her partner worked in supermarkets, and travelled through Asia. When they returned home, Jess realised she wasn't done with sport yet - but she didn't expect that her desire to get back into shape would eventually lead her to the top step of the Olympic podium.

Eliza Skinner and Ed Harry hear how Jess's decision to take part in a triathlon as a fitness challenge eventually spiralled into a full-time career, and a spot on the UK's gold medal-winning triathlon mixed relay team in Tokyo. She shares what it was like to take up one of the Olympics' most demanding sports in her 20s, often finding herself in the company of much younger competitors, and why imposter syndrome is something she says she deals with every day. Jess also reveals how sport and confidence have been intertwined throughout her life - from feeling it was the only thing she was good at while struggling academically at school, to why she believes a lack of self-belief has helped in her competitive career. 

She also discusses the unique physical demands of a sport that combines swimming, cycling and running, and how becoming pregnant with her first child changed the way she thinks about her own body, as well as her attitude towards life and competition. 

As the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics approach, delve into our archive to discover more stories of extraordinary sporting journeys. 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 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.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

On the Podium

Jess Learmonth: The unexpected triathlete

Genres

Brand

BBC World Service Online

About BBC World Service