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Ntando Mahlangu was born with fibular hemimelia, a condition that meant his legs didn't develop fully below the knees. After spending his childhood in a wheelchair, he made the decision to undergo amputation aged 10. When he received his first set of prosthetic "blade" legs, his whole world changed - and four years later, he was on the podium at the Rio Paralympics, with a silver medal around his neck for finishing second in the T42 200m sprint. By the time he turned 20, he'd added two gold medals for sprinting and long jumping to his collection.
So what's he planning to do next?
Eliza Skinner and Ed Harry hear from Ntando about growing up in rural South Africa, and how he's taught those around him to appreciate disabled people for who they are. He explains how seemingly small things in life have made a huge difference to him, and how walking on blades helped him develop as both an athlete and a human being.
He also shares his perspective on being a veteran in his sport at the age of 22, the lessons he's learned about balancing his athletic career with personal development, and why he now feels a responsibility to build para-athletics for the generations coming through behind him: "Those hurdles are for me to jump, and to make sure the guys that come after me just walk through them."
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.
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Men's pole vaulting has been part of the Olympics since the inaugural modern Games in 1896 - but there was no women's competition until more than a century later. When America's Stacy Dragila became the first woman to win gold in the event at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, it was the culmination of years of campaigning from athletes and coaches, who'd been training for an opportunity they were never sure they'd get. As she stood on the podium, Stacy thought about the criticism she had and her fellow competitors had faced - from disapproving comments on their appearance to being repeatedly told their bodies weren't strong enough for the sport.
Stacy tells Eliza Skinner and Ed Harry about the "hot mess" that was her introduction to the sport, when her athletics coach in Idaho decided to see if her team of multi-event athletes might have an aptitude for vaulting. She recalls her journey from tentatively vaulting into a long-jump pit to setting her sights on an Olympic medal that didn't yet exist, and the battles that had to be fought to gain acceptance from athletics authorities in both the US and internationally.
She also shares the unique mental and emotional experiences that come from landing a perfect jump, and reveals a few things about the event that spectators might not appreciate. Now her competitive days are over, Stacy's devoted herself to introducing children in Idaho to pole vaulting, and she explains why she finds training reluctant or unlikely athletes to be the most rewarding experience of all.
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.
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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.
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John McFall's life changed forever when, at the age of 19, he lost the lower part of his right leg in a motorcycle accident. His dream of joining the British Army was over - but sport gave him a way to find the challenges he'd been seeking. A little over eight years later, he sprinted to bronze at the Beijing Paralympics. Then he left the track behind, and turned his attentions to a new challenge: training as an orthopaedic surgeon. He also began raising a family with his wife Sonia, herself a former Olympic gymnast.
But a few years later, a phone call from a friend would send John on another unexpected journey - one that might even take him to outer space.
Eliza Skinner and Ed Harry talk to John about the passions that have driven his life, and which are now fuelling his work with the European Space Agency to test what it will take to send a physically disabled person to space safely. He shares the emotional impact that learning to run again had on him, and how he wants his new career to challenge preconceptions of what disabled people can do, both among the scientific community and with the wider public. He also explains why he thinks his Paralympic medal was less important than the eight years of work it took to earn it, and reveals the small memento he keeps from the accident that changed everything.
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.
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Eliza Skinner and Ed Harry meet more amazing Olympic and Paralympic athletes ahead of the 2024 Paris Games. New episodes from Thursday 27 June.
Paralympic sprinter John McFall left athletics behind to become an orthopaedic surgeon - and is now setting his sights on outer space. Triathlete Jess Learmonth nearly abandoned her sporting dreams to work in a supermarket, until an epiphany led her back. Stacy Dragila had to conquer stereotypes and outdated attitudes before becoming the first woman to claim Olympic pole vault gold. And Ntando Mahlangu claimed his first Paralympic medal aged 14 - four years after he first learned to walk on prosthetic blades.
Discover more stories of extraordinary Olympic and Paralympic journeys in our back catalogue. 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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From an alcoholic home to three gold medals aged 16, swimming was Carrie Steinseifer-Bates’s "safe place". But the pressure of being an elite athlete took its toll, and Carrie herself became an alcoholic. Today she is sober and dedicated to helping others.
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Australia’s track and field gold medallist Jared Tallent campaigned for years to get what was rightfully his, following a doping scandal. Already an Olympic silver medallist in race walking, it took four years before a Russian rival was disqualified and Jared finally got his gold medal.
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The Olympic water polo gold medallist inspired by her friendship with the late basketball star Kobe Bryant. After an accident left her with severe injuries, Kaleigh Gilchrist vowed to get to Tokyo in his memory. And in honour of her Olympian father.
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“It saved my life.” BMX competition helped the Swiss-American athlete fight anxiety attacks, which left her unable to leave home as a young teenager. The Olympic bronze medallist is now a mental health advocate.
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Singapore’s most decorated Paralympian, with five gold medals. When Yip Pin Xiu won her first gold at the Beijing Paralympics, she was the youngest in her country’s team. And it was the first time ever that Singapore’s national anthem had been played in an Olympic arena.
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The Argentinian legend who fought back from cancer. Santiago had won Olympic bronze before he got sick. After years of struggle, he came back to take gold at the Rio Games.
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The star basketball player in the US Olympic team. And, off the court, a voice for the abused. Breanna Stewart speaks frankly about her own experience of child sexual abuse, to give hope and strength to other victims. Since becoming a parent, she campaigns to change attitudes on professional sport and motherhood.
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Gold medal-winning speed skater Denny Morrison’s near death experience, and a teammate’s selflessness. A competitor gave up his place to give Denny a sporting break, but a devastating motorbike accident was to follow. He fought back against multiple injuries, before then suffering a stroke. But Denny refused to be beaten, qualifying for the 2018 Olympics.
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From rowing gold to tackling taboos. Paralympian Birgit Skarstein challenges stereotypes. A gold medallist at the Tokyo Paralympics, she campaigns for women’s sport and disability rights.
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Olympic bronze against the odds, in only Molly Seidel's third ever marathon. Her success came after years of battling an eating disorder – a struggle with which she still lives. She talks about her mental health issues and the physical problems which bulimia can cause.
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A champion swimmer’s journey to find a new path outside of the pool. Markus Rogan held a world record and won two Olympic silvers for Austria. But when he stopped competing, his world unravelled. Markus trained for a new career as a psychotherapist, and it led him back to the Olympics - as a sports psychologist.
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A champion on and off the track. Paralympic track and field star Jaleen Roberts was born with physical disability cerebral palsy. But she has never let it stop her. She shares her mental health journey to help others.(CP description from Cerebral Palsy Alliance in US)
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Still winning medals nearly 40 years on from his first Olympic Games, Australian equestrian Andrew Hoy has no plans to retire. After becoming the oldest man to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, he’s gearing up to compete again.
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From a child fleeing conflict to the fastest Paralympian on earth. Salum Kashafali fought for survival, escaping the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo with his family. He took 100 metres gold at the Tokyo Paralympics, breaking his own world record and becoming a global role model.
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The non-pro Austrian cyclist who beat the best, without the support of a single teammate. When Anna Kiesenhofer lined up for the women's road race, few thought she was a contender. But her belief paid off and she became the first Austrian to win gold at a Summer Games for 17 years.
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