This Is Athletics

Episode 10 - Linden Hall, Quokk and Roll

Olympic finalist Linden Hall stops by This Is Athletics to chat all things Quokka Track Club and fueling for athletes.  Combining her passion for athletics and degree in nutrition, Linden breaks down her training weeks and fueling under different settings, providing insight into what it takes to power an elite athlete. Making history when becoming the first Australian woman in history to shatter 4-minutes for the 1500m in 2021, Linden progressed to finish in sixth place at the Tokyo Olympics, returning in 2022 to clinch fourth at the Commonwealth Games. Linden speaks on the current depth of Australian distance running for both men and women and touches on some plans for the year ahead which culminate in the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.  A member of the Athletics Australia Athletes' Advisory Committee, Linden discusses the collaborative approach to introducing new ideas to Australian athletics and maximising the voices of athletes.

Episode 9 - A Home World Cross Country with Jess Hull

Episode 9 of This Is Athletics sees one of Australia's best middle-distance runners in history pop in to chat all things World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, with Jessica Hull joining Matty Denny with two weeks until race day. Jess currently holds seven national records and finds herself back in Australia from the United States for the summer, selected to represent her country in the Mixed 4x2km Relay where she will chase a world title alongside Stewart McSweyn, Abbey Caldwell and Oliver Hoare. Jess provides insight into her preparation and also how anyone can be involved in what is set to be a great festival of running in Bathurst over three days from February 17-19.  For more information about the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst, visit www.worldathleticscrosscountry.com

Episode 8 - The White Tiger (Chad Perris)

With white hair and whiter skin than most, two-time Paralympian Chad "The White Tiger" Perris' comparison to a big white cat roaring around the track is of little surprise to his teammates, but the two-time Paralympian is as ferocious a competitor as his nickname leads you to believe.  Chad is Australia's fastest ever Paralympian over 100m. He ran 10.83m in Rio in the T13 class to win bronze and shaved his time down to 10.76 in 2019. While his Tokyo campaign ended with a disappointing fifth place, the 30-year-old is proving to be evergreen, having run his second fastest legal time just last weekend. This International Day of People with Disability, Chad sits down with Matt Denny to talk about being one of 1000 Australians born with albinism, living with a vision impairment, and his love for Call of Duty and Fulham FC.

Episode 7 - Reigning Gold with Kelsey Lee Barber

Kelsey Lee Barber caps off a dream year with a special appearance on This Is Athletics to chat all things gold with host Matt Denny.  Barber made history at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon when successfully defending her 2019 World Title from Doha, launching the javelin 66.91m to clinch gold before doubling the dose again with gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The 31-year-old invites listeners into the mind of a champion and provides invaluable insights into entering competition mode, playing with the crowd, and the mass of both internal and external expectation.  Coached by husband Mike Barber, Kelsey discusses how the pair balance their relationship and opens up on some of her off-track interests, while Denny reveals a backlog of cancelled episodes due to one crucial preference.  With the 2023 World Athletics Championships set to be held in Budapest, Barber drops some hints for her future plans including the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and 2025 World Athletics Championships in Japan - with history at her fingertips.

Episode 6 - Commonwealth Champion Oliver Hoare

Freshly crowned Commonwealth 1500m champion Oliver Hoare joins Matty Denny in Zurich!  Ollie Hoare has a long list of achievements to his name but none greater than his 3:30.12 Commonwealth Games record to clinch gold in Birmingham, becoming the second fastest Australian man in history over the distance behind only Stewart McSweyn. The 25-year-old shattered the national record in the Mile with a 3:47.48 performance in Oslo in June, and holds a handful of national indoor records in the 1500m (3:32.35), Mile (3:50.83), and 5000m (13:09.96).  An obsession with Mountain Dew, his Coffee Club Podcast, and famed bulldog Gus all find their way into an episode packed with track and field insights from a man who has done it all from Olympic finals to NCAA titles. Enjoy Ollie's laid back nature as he invites you into his life as one of Australia's latest heroes.  Be sure to leave a review and let us know who you would like to feature on the show next via Athletics Australia's social media channels!