MainAthlet International – The Track & Field Podcast

He Found Two Future Olympians in His Own Driveway - Alan Sims

He found two future Olympic finalists standing in his own driveway — before either of them owned a pair of spikes. Alan Sims has spent 50 years in track and field: as a 9-year-old who fell in love with the sport by accident, a high school record holder, a coach who's sent over 500 athletes to college, and now a 60-year-old masters sprinter and long jumper still competing at a world-class level. In this episode, Alan talks about: — How a knee injury ended his own college career before it started — The driveway conversation that led to coaching an Olympic family — Why recovery matters more at 60 than it did at 20 — The visibility problem holding masters athletics back from real sponsorship and reach If you've ever wondered what it takes to stay in a sport for five decades — and still find new reasons to love it — this one's for you. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Firefighter. World Champion. Hall of Famer. – Angela Bickel

Angela Bickel is a firefighter, a world champion in the weight throw — and the newest inductee into the USATF Masters Athletics Hall of Fame. In this episode, we celebrate her 2026 Hall of Fame honor and revisit our conversation with Angela from the World Masters Athletics Championships, where she took W50 gold in the weight throw. Her path to the top was anything but straight: gymnast turned hurdler, heptathlete turned shot putter, Olympic Trials qualifier at 29, firefighter for 17 years — and she didn't return to competition until she was 40. Angela talks about the two kinds of adrenaline she lives with (butterflies in the ring vs. the rush of running into a fire), why it's never too late to find your event, and what drives her to keep competing at the highest level. Plus: What is the USATF Masters Hall of Fame? We break down what it takes to earn this honor — and spotlight a few legends who came before Angela. 🏅 Topics: USATF Masters Hall of Fame, weight throw, shot put, masters athletics, firefighter athlete, W50, competing after 40 📩 Have a Hall of Fame in your country? Tell us! Email info@mainathlet.com or DM us on Instagram @mainathlet. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Daegu 2026: Everything Masters Athletes Need to Know Before They Arrive

World Masters Athletics Championships Daegu 2026 – August 22 to September 3. In this episode, a representative from the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) joins Boyke to give international athletes the inside track on everything that matters: competition venues, shuttle buses, free transport cards for all participants, training facilities, accommodation booking, medical and physiotherapy services, and how the LOC is managing the heat. But this is more than a logistics briefing. Daegu is about to become the first city in history to host both the Indoor and Outdoor World Masters Athletics Championships – a dream that started with the 2017 Indoor event and comes true this summer. Our guest also shares personal tips for first-time visitors: where to eat, what to see, a few Korean phrases that will get you far, and why the Athlete Holiday programme is worth planning around. If you're competing in Daegu or still deciding whether to register – this episode is your starting point. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Pole Vault at 40 - Amanda Bisk on Longevity, Masters & Comeback

Amanda Bisk [https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.instagram.com/amandabisk/%3Fhl%3Dde&ved=2ahUKEwicsYn57deUAxUgcfEDHc8fGaYQFnoECB4QAQ&usg=AOvVaw3gNFZ77SkdsrjdhCXLCrqG] is a former elite pole vaulter who represented Australia at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. After being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome in 2011, she was forced to step away from competitive athletics entirely – and build something new. What followed was a complete reinvention: yoga instructor, Pilates coach, personal trainer, CrossFit coach, and founder of a fitness app with over 600,000 Instagram followers. Now, at 40, she's back on the runway – jumping 3.85m in Masters pole vault and preparing for the World Masters Championships in Daegu. In this episode [https://www.mainathlet.de/podcast/international/amanda-bisk/], Boyke and Amanda talk about the identity crisis that comes with retirement, what longevity really means for a former elite athlete, and how coaching masters athletes compares to coaching professionals. Topics covered: Masters athletics, chronic fatigue & recovery, pole vault technique, longevity training, building a fitness business, competing at 40+, World Masters Championships Daegu 2026. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Sub-11 Is the Goal: Damian Maxwell on Masters Sprinting & Living Without Limits

Damian Maxwell grew up in a town of 6,000 people in Jamaica.  Today he teaches mathematics at a US college, coaches sprinters,  pursues a PhD – and competes at masters athletics level on three  continents. In this episode of the MainAthlet International Podcast, Damian  talks about the road from being a parish champion in Jamaica to  winning bronze at the World Masters Games in Taiwan – in the  triple jump, an event he had never seriously trained for. He breaks down: – How he walked away from track at 16 because of his faith   and came back a decade later with a fire nobody expected – His training reality: self-coached, knee injury, PhD deadlines,   and still posting 11.2 in the 100m – Why sub-11 in the 100m and sub-22 in the 200m are not dreams   but targets he's actively working toward – How masters athletics became a mental health tool, a global   community, and a second career in content creation – What he'd tell anyone on the fence about joining the masters   community: go for it Damian also serves as PR representative for Jamaica Masters and  is building visibility for a sport that most people discover far  too late. His message is simple: your current situation does not  dictate your final destination. A conversation about faith, discipline, reinvention – and what  it really takes to compete at the world level after 30. Follow Damian on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d.a_max/ [https://www.instagram.com/d.a_max/] Find all episodes at mainathlet.de ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.