Para Sports Nutrition: Recent Episodes
Liz Broad
Para athletes, or athletes with a disability, require sports nutrition recommendations to be adapted to their specific sport, impairment, practical and/or medical needs. Liz Broad, Sports Dietitian, helps answer athletes and sports nutritionists questions and find ways to optimise your sporting performance through interviews with researchers, sports nutrition practitioners, coaches, athletes and other sports performance personnel.
Susannah Scaroni is a wheelchair racer who has won nearly every wheelchair marathon race in 2025. We first spoke to Susannah in 2021 while she was recovering from a training accident. We catch up to discuss everything she's been doing in the past 5 years including her career as a dietitian, her ongoing success in wheelchair racing, and the impending birth of her first child.
Dr Anneke (Ann) Hertig-Godeschalk is a Research Associate at the Swiss Paraplegic Centre in Notwil. Ann has been involved in a number of research projects in individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI), including athletes. We discuss a few of these projects to find out what she knows, including the topics of Urinary Tract Infections, Vitamin D and Pre- and Probiotics.
Dr Gary Farkas, Dr Sven Hoekstra and Dr Christof Leicht are the co-authors of a chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Disability Sports Science entitled "Inflammatory responses to exercise and related health interventions". Gary, Sven and Christof talk to us about what inflammation is, the impact inflammation has on health and disease, and how exercise and other factors such as heat, cold and diet help to mitigate inflammation and thereby improve health and disease risk.
Dr Kristin Jonvik is a Norwegian researcher and dietitian who has undertaken research into aspects relating to low energy availability and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) in para athletes. She also co-authored the chapter Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport and disordered eating in the Routledge Handbook of Disability Sport Science, published early in 2026. Kristin talks to about what REDs is, how it impacts on athletes, what the process of assessing and diagnosing REDs is and how this can be complicated in para athletes due to interactions with their impairment.
For those interested in reading Dr Jonvik's research further, these are some relevant articles, together with those provided for episode 102:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35268044/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11061701/
https://www.jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672(24)00248-X/fulltext
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41442093/
Dr Nathan Delang is a dietitian and the Post Doctoral Research Fellow in the Acquired Brain Injury in Children Group at the University of Queensland. Nathan talks to us about research into nutritional support of the brain during or after brain injuries, from concussion through to acquired brain injuries.
Sally Baumann is the senior sports dietitian working with Para athletes at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Sally co-authored (with Dr Michelle Minehan) the chapter on "Hydration monitoring and management in para sport" in the recently published Routledge Handbook of Disability Sport Science. Sally provides us practical tips and strategies to help athletes and sport scientists effectively assess and improve hydration in para athletes, including some useful questions to ask athletes to better understand their specific barriers to hydrating well.
Prof Jill Parnell is the Chair, Health and Physical Education at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Canada. Jill co-authored a chapter on "Navigating Supplement Use in Para Sport" in the recently published "The Routledge Handbook of Disability Sport Science" (https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Handbook-of-Disability-Sport-Science/Griggs-Arnet-vanderSlikke-Flueck/p/book/9781032502656). Jill walks us through the supplements covered within the chapter, the considerations that athletes should take when assessing supplement use, and the decision tree that is included within the chapter.
Julia Battams is the head para equestrian coach for Australia, and the founder of the Equine Pathways Australia charity which supports the development of para equestrian riders across Australia. Julia tells us all about the sport of para equestrian, the nutrition challenges athletes face, and the pathways available to coaches to get involved in the sport.
Elliot Stewart won a silver medal in the 2020 Paralympic games for Judo, and has since begun a role as the National Para Lead for Judo Australia. Elliot tells us what Para Judo is, the demands of the sport, and his experience in progressing from being an able-bodied Judoka and coach into Para Judo with a newly acquired vision impairment. He has great advice for Judo coaches, athletes and support personnel.
Vera Weijer is a Dutch researcher who, together with Kristen Jonvik from Norway, undertook a research project regarding the energy expenditure and intake of Paralympic athletes. What is unique about this research is the number (70) and breadth of athletes studied (Norwegian and Dutch from a range of sports and impairment types), mostly at the elite level, and the range of techniques they've used in the study, including doubly labelled water. The details of their results can be found in these links:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38763462/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38694186/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38194704/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39587809/
Hoda Elshorbagy is an Egyptian wheelchair racer with polio. Hoda talks to us about her journey from a small Egyptian town with no pavement where there are no other wheelchair racers to training with the University of Illinois wheelchair racing group under the coaching of Adam Bleakney. She also discusses how she manages her nutrition priorities during Ramadan.
Dr Steve Reid is a sport and exercise physician and Chief Medical Officer of Paralympics Australia. Steve talks to us about how he got into working in sports medicine, and focuses on the medical issues that he sees most commonly in Para athletes and how nutrition inter-relates with them.
Erin Popovich is a 3 time Paralympic swimmer with achondroplasia who won 14 gold medals and 5 silver medals, 2 ESPYs and numerous other accolades. Erin is currently the Director of Para Swimming for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and has held positions as the Classification Coordinator and program manager of other sports within the USOPC. Erin talks to us about her journey as a para swimmer, her transition into classification coordinator and what classification is about, and provides her insights into the current status and future of Para sports and athletes.
Sean Pollard is an Australian para snowboarder who competed at the PyeongChang Paralympic games and, after taking a break, is back competing again. Sean is a bilateral arm amputee as a result of a shark attack when surfing. Sean talks to us about his journey into para snowboard, his training and how he's becoming more serious about his nutrition.
Joshua Brunais and Jake Kaplan are CP Soccer players for Team USA. Josh and Jake talk to us about their impairments (aquired brain injury and cerebral palsy, respectively), how they got into playing CP soccer, their training and how they manage their nutrition and hydration to support their training.
Kate Davis is the sports dietitian who has been working with the U.S. Mens' and Womens' Goalball programs since 2017. Kate talks to us about goalball, all the things she's learned by working with athletes with a visual impairment.
Trinity Lowthian is a Canadian wheelchair fencer who is striving to qualify for the Paris 2024 Paralympic games. Trinity is also 'fed' and hydrated solely via intravenous nutrition. She talks to us about her impairment, why she cannot digest foods, and how she's worked towards finding a solution to enable her to train and compete at the best of her ability.
Raquel Teixeira is a sports nutritionist at FC Porto in Portugal who works with a number of athletes with impairments. Raquel talks to us about the work she does with athletes with an intellectual impairment, the challenges she faces in teaching them about nutrition, and the lessons she's learned in how best to get the key messages across.
Stuart Sharp is the senior director, Extended National Teams at USA Soccer and works alongside Daniel Wartner who is the physiologist and strength & conditioning coach. Stuart and Daniel tell us all about CP soccer (or football 7-a-side), how they interact with the players and adjust loads according to the degree the cerebral palsy or brain injury effects each player, and how they manage the individual nutrition needs during competition.
Dr Greg Cox is a sports dietitian and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine at Bond University. Greg talks to us about his particular area of research interest, the carbohydrate needs of athletes, what influences this, and how important consuming sufficient carbohydrate is for optimising training, health, and ultimately performance.
David Wagner is a wheelchair (quad division) tennis player and 5 time Paralympian. David talks to us about his journey as a quad tennis player, his impairment, his training and how he has built his nutrition strategies around the short times at home and long periods of travel.
Oliver Lam-Watson is a wheelchair fencer who competed in Tokyo at his first Paralympic games, winning 2 medals. Oliver talks to us about his impairment, how he got into wheelchair fencing, what the sport of wheelchair fencing looks like, his training, the nutrition journey he's been on and what he's learnt, as well as how he monitors himself to ensure he optimises his training and adaptations / recovery.
Keely Shaw is a Paralympic Cyclist who medalled on the track in Tokyo 2020, and is also finishing a PhD in the area of nutrition. Keely talks to us about her impairment, how she got into para cycling, her training, and how she uses her nutrition to make her a better athlete. She also tells us about her masters and PhD work in the areas of nutrition and performance and how she balances training with being a full time grad student.
Brian Siemann is a 3 time Paralympian wheelchair racer. Brian talks to us about how he got into wheelchair racing, how he has worked on his nutrition over this time to support his training and manage his body composition, and how he monitors his training to ensure he optimises his health and performance capacity.
Dr Ricardo Costa is a sports dietitian and the Associate Professor of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food at Monash University. Ricardo talks to us about his research into the impact of exercise on gut function and gut-related symptoms, with a focus on how to assess this and what can be done to improve symptoms for athletes.
Some references include:
Martinez et al. 2023, The Effect of Gut Training and Feeding Challenge on Markers of Gastrointestinal Status in Response to Endurance Exercise: A Systematic Literature Review. Sports Medicine.
Gaskell et al. Gastrointestinal Assessment and Management Procedures for Exercise-Associated Gastrointestinal Symptoms. Aspetar Sports Medicine Journal.
Costa et al. 2022. Assessment of Exercise-Associated Gastrointestinal Perturbations in Research and Practical Settings: Methodological Concerns and Recommendations for Best Practice. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.
Dr Adam Tenforde is a sports medicine physician and Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Harvard Medical School. Adam specialises in bone stress injuries, and talks to us about bone health, how to assess bone density and bone stress injuries, and what factors athletes and coaches should focus on to ensure bone health is protected and optimised.
Dr Chris McGlory is an assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queens University in Canada. Chris talks to us about omega 3 fatty acids (aka fish oils), their role in health and in muscle for athletes.
Mitch Valize is an H5 handcyclist who won both the time trial and road race on debut at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic games. Mitch talks to us about how he got into hand cycling, his training, how he manages his nutrition and eating enough energy to support his training and racing, and how he monitors his body to ensure he's adapting effectively to his training.
Jessica Heims is a 2 time paralympic discus thrower and previous world record holder. Jess talks to us about her impairment, her training, how her nutrition has changed to help improve her strength as a thrower and the challenges and benefits she's experienced when increasing her energy intake for this.
Dr Jamie Stanley is the senior sport physiologist working with the Australian para cycling team. Jamie talks to us about the work he does in conjunction with athletes and coaches to optimise performance through monitoring how the body adapts to training and recovery practices in order to produce the best performances within any individual.
Dr Sommer Christie is a mental performance consultant with the Canadian wheelchair rugby team. Sommer explains to us how a mental performance consultant (or sport psychologist) can help athletes improve their mental approach to training and performance, and how they interact with coaches and other performance support personnel to create the most productive environments for athletes to thrive.
Dr Miriam van Reijin is a sports nutritionist working with the Dutch wheelchair tennis and ski / snowboard programs. Miriam talks to us about her approach to working out the nutritional needs of her athletes and improving their intakes to better support training and competition.
Dr Gary Slater is an associate professor in Nutrition & Dietetics at the University of the Sunshine Coast and the National Nutrition lead for the Australian Institute of Sport. Gary talks to us about physique (or body composition) assessment of athletes - why it might be undertaken, what methods are best to use and for what purpose, when it might be appropriate to undertake and some precautions practitioners, athletes and coaches may want to consider.
Dr Jill Parnell is a Canadian researcher who has investigated dietary supplement use and nutrition knowledge of paralympic athletes. Jill explains what we mean by dietary supplements, tells us why we would study dietary supplement use, what para athletes and coaches need to consider before deciding to take a supplement, and sources of useful information about dietary supplements.
Rob van der Werf is a sports dietitian who works with the Dutch para cycling and swimming programs. Rob talks to us about some of his experiences in working with para athletes, how that's different to working with able-bodied athletes, some of the research they've done on energy requirements of para cyclists, and the opportunities for young sports dietitians / nutritionists coming into para sports.
Josh Pauls is a 4 time Paralympic gold medallist with the Team USA Para Ice Hockey program. Josh talks to us about how he got into playing ice hockey, his impairment, his training and the work he's done on improving his nutrition to support his performance.
Diede de Groot is the world number 1 in wheelchair tennis singles and doubles who won the Gold medal in both events at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic games, as well as winning the Golden Slam in 2021. Diede talks to us about her impairment, how she got into playing wheelchair tennis, her training and how she manages her nutrition through all the travel she does each year to compete.
Jeongmin Lee was a South Korean para rower and nordic skier who competed in the 2018 PyeongChang Paralympic games. Having completed his PhD, Jeongmin now works as a researcher for the Korean Paralympic Committee. We talk to Jeongmin about his journey through paralympic sport.
Kevin Mather is a Paralympic Archer and gold medalist from Tokyo. Kevin talks to us about his background in multiple sports (ironman triathlon, alpine skiing), his impairment, how he got into para archery and the discipline he brings into being a professional athlete.
Greg Smith, OAM, is a 5 time Paralympian and multiple medalist across two sports (wheelchair racing and wheelchair rugby), who is currently the strength and conditioning coach for the Australian wheelchair rugby team. Greg tells us about how he got into coaching, his journey as an athlete, and how para sport has changed over the past 30 years.
Andrew Kurka is a 3 time paralympic alpine sit skier who won gold in the Downhill and silver in the Super G at the PyeongChang paralympic games. Andrew talks to us about his spinal cord injury, how he got into sit skiing, how a sit ski operates, the things he focuses on with his diet and how he modifies his diet when he's recovering from injuries.
David Hoff is the National Para Ice hockey coach for Team USA, who have won gold at the last 4 Paralympic Winter games. David tells us about the sport of para ice hockey, monitoring athletes' ability to manage training loads, and the primary nutritional concerns.
Nathan Doyle is a para swim coach who has coached numerous Australians to medal at the Paralympic and Commonwealth Games. Nathan describes para swimming to us and provides some insights into how he manages his training programs to cater for a wide range of impairment types.
Melissa (Milly) Tapper is a 3 time Paralympic and 2 time Olympic table tennis player, and sliver medallist from the Tokyo Paralympic games. Milly talks to us about her impairment, how she got into playing table tennis, her training and nutrition, and how she monitors her response to training and recovery.
Melissa Lacroix is the lead physiologist for the Canadian Sports Institute Ontario and the lead physiologist with the Canadian Wheelchair Rugby team. Melissa talks to us about the work she does with para sports and provides advice on some simple monitoring tools that athletes and coaches can use to assess the effectiveness of training and recovery.
Chris Wilkins is a young British para cyclist with a vision impairment. Chris talks to us about his vision impairment, how he transitioned into para cycling, his training and nutrition, and the adaptations he's making to enable him to compete at a higher level.
Carolyn Murray is the Head Para Triathlon coach for team Canada. Carolyn talks to us about how she got into coaching para triathlon, what para triathlon is, some of the training and nutrition challenges, and what she's learnt along the way.
Chris Bond, OAM, is a 3 time Paralympic wheelchair rugby player and quadruple amputee. Chris talks to us about his impairment, his training and nutrition for wheelchair rugby, and provides great advice on keeping your sports nutrition simple but effective.
Katie Holloway Bridge is a 4 time Paralympic sit volleyball medallist and leg amputee. Katie talks to us about her journey from collegiate basketball player to elite sit volleyball player, how she manages her training and nutrition together with full time work, and her first time pregnancy.
Lindsey Zurbrugg is a wheelchair basketball player who was part of the bronze medal winning team at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Lindsey talks to us about her impairment which she acquired at age 13, her journey as a basketball player and university student, and her proactive approach to her sports nutrition.
Steve Emt is a 2 time winter Paralympian in the sport of wheelchair curling. Steve talks to us about his background, his impairment, how he got into wheelchair curling, his training and nutrition, and the purpose behind his book "You Decide".
Dr Chris Irwin is an accredited dietitian, lecturer and researcher at Griffith University on the Gold Coast of Australia. Chris talks to us about alcohol, what it does and how it may impact athletes, providing some sound advice about the appropriate consumption of alcohol.
Chris Murphy is a 2 time Paralympic cyclist (C5 category) with Erb's Palsy. Chris talks to us about his transition from being a professional musician to Para cyclist and the process he's going through to specialise in the 1km time trial on the velodrome.
Jim Murdock has been the athletic trainer and medical coordinator for Team USA wheelchair rugby for nearly 20 years. Jim talks to us about the sport of wheelchair rugby, the work that he does as athletic trainer and medical coordinator, and what he's learn about working with para athletes.
Ryan Pinney is a hand cyclist and medalist in the handcycle relay at the Tokyo Paralympics. Ryan talks to us about his spinal cord injury, how he got into para cycling, his training and nutrition, and his recent shoulder injury and how he managed his recovery.
Rusty (Russell) Schieber is the national wheelchair curling coach for Team USA. Rusty tells us all about wheelchair curling and the things he's learnt as a coach over the past 14 years.
Matt Levy, OAM, is a recently retired 5 time Paralympic swimmer, medalist and author with both cerebral palsy and a vision impairment. Matt talks to us about his swimming, training, nutrition and how he balanced this with schooling, university and work over his 20 year career.
Bobbi Kelly was the guide for Mel Perrine (para alpine skier, E51) for 4 years leading in to the Beijing Winter Paralympics. Bobbi explains her background, the role of a guide, and the work she did with Mel to create a strong partnership.
Hailey Danz is a dual silver Paralympic medalist in Para Triathlon. Hailey, who is an above knee amputee, talks to us about the changes she made in her bike setup and running prosthesis between Rio and Tokyo Paralympic games, as well as her training and nutrition.
Mike Durner has been a Team USA Para Cycling coach for over 12 years. Mike talks to us about what the sport of para cycling is, the different disciplines and bikes, the changes he's seen over time in the sport and the various aspects his coaching role requires of him.
Melissa Perrine is a 4 time Paralympic alpine skier with a vision impairment. Mel is a multiple medalist at Paralympic games and world championships. We talk to Mel about her vision impairment, and how she juggled training with her university studies which have lead to hear qualification as a Physiotherapist. Mel also discusses her experience with changing epilepsy medication and the impact that had on her ability to fully express the work she'd done in training and with nutrition.
Dr Amber Donaldson is a sports physiotherapist (physical therapist), Vice President of Sports Medicine at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and has been the medical director for Team USA at numerous summer and winter Paralympic Games. Amber tells us about common health and injury issues she manages with Para athletes both in their daily training environment as well as at major competitions.
Dr Daniel Owens is an exercise physiologist and researcher at Liverpool John Moores University who has undertaken numerous research projects looking at Vitamin D and athletes. Dan talks to us about what Vitamin D is, why it's important for athletes, where we get it from and what's considered to be enough.
Steven Lovelace is one of the first documented athletes with a physical impairment to compete in Triathlons in the USA, starting in the mid 1980's. Steven talks to us about his experience in the early days of triathlon before Para Triathlon itself was a recognised discipline, and his experiences throughout his years of competing in sport.
Stephanie Wheeler is the womens wheelchair basketball coach at the University of Illinois, and was the head women's national team coach when the USA women's team won gold at the Rio Paralympic games. Stephanie explains wheelchair basketball to us, about her journey as an athlete then coach, and about the physical and nutrition demands of the sport.
Kathryn (Kat) Ross is a 4 time paralympic rower and silver medalist. Kat talks to us about her impairment, her career as a para rower, and how she juggles her training with her work as a full time emergency department nurse.
Kendall Gretsch is both a Para triathlete and nordic skier who has won multiple medals at both summer and winter paralympic games. Kendall talks to us about her impairment of spina bifida, and how she balances the demands of two different sports the see her training and competing all year around.
Professor Claudia Juzwiak is a sports nutritionist, educator and researcher at the Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo who has worked with the Para Track & Field athletes in Brazil. Claudia talks to us about low energy availability and relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) - how to assess it, its impact on athletes and potential causes.
Carol Cooke is a 3 time Paralympic cyclist, multiple world champion and Paralympic medalist. Carol has multiple sclerosis and competes on a trike. Carol talks to us about her history as an athlete, how her sport has changed over the years, and what her training and nutrition looks like.
Sam Gardner is the senior Strength & Conditioning coach for U.S. Paralympics at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). Sam talks to us about his journey as an S&C coach, how he works with para athletes, and the lessons he's learnt along the way.
Alois Rosario is the head Para Table Tennis coach for Australia. Alois explains what Para Table Tennis is, the physical demands of the sport, and how to get involved as a coach.
In this special episode, the PSN podcast host, Dr Liz Broad, is interviewed by Dr Laurent Bannock for his "We Do Science" podcast. Laurent agreed in advance to allow the podcast to be shared on both platforms. Liz has been a sports dietitian for nearly 30 years and specialised in working with Para athletes for the last 12 years. She is the editor of the book "Sports Nutrition for Paralympic Athletes" which is in its 2nd edition.
Daniel Michel is a 2 time Paralympic Boccia player who won bronze in Tokyo 2020 and has spinal muscular atrophy. Daniel talks to us about how he got into playing boccia and how he manages his training and nutrition.
Mike Jennings is a Para Snowboard coach with Team USA. Mike talks to us about his somewhat unusual journey into coaching Para Snowboard, the physical demands of the sport, and the common nutrition issues snowboarders face.
Eileen Carey is the High Performance Director of Para Nordic Ski for Team USA, and previously the head coach. The program won 16 medals in PyeongChang and 14 medals most recently in Beijing. Eileen talks to us about the sport of Para Nordic Ski (cross country and biathlon) and what she's learnt as a coach.
Cody Jung is a C4 Para Cyclist who has cerebral palsy, and who eats a vegan diet. Cody competed in the road cycling competition at the Tokyo Paralympics, placing 4th in the time trial and 16th in the road race. We talk to Cody about his impairment, his journey in para cycling, and his choice to eat a vegan diet.
Jacque Scaramella is a US Sports Dietitian who works with the national Sit Volleyball, Para Ice Hockey (Sled Hockey) and Para Archery programs. Jacque shares with us her key focus points with each program and how she's developed their sports nutrition capacity over the years.
Noah Elliott is a 2 time Paralympian in the sport of Snowboard, and is a single leg amputee. Noah won a gold and bronze medal on debut in PyeongChang and came 4th and 6th in Beijing despite a major injury on his residual limb. Noah talks to us about his journey into snowboarding and what he's learnt in the process.
Dr Ben Stephenson is the physiologist for GB Para Triathlon who undertook his PhD research at the Peter Harrison Center for Disability Sport / Loughborough University on the impact of exercising in the heat on body temperature in para athletes. Ben shares his learnings as to why para triathletes are at higher risk of heat-related issues and how they can best prevent or minimise the impact of heat on performance.
Gordon Marcks has been the national para rowing coach for Australia for the past 10 years. Gordon explains what para rowing is, the impairments eligible to compete, the training and nutrition challenges they face and how new athletes and coaches can get involved.
Katie Kelly is a Para triathlete with Ushers syndrome (an impairment of both vision and hearing) who won gold in Rio and was 6th in Tokyo. Katie started competing in para triathlon in her late 30's. Katie talks to us about the sport of para triathlon, her impairment, and her experience in becoming an elite athlete at a relatively late age.
Shaun Caven is the National Para Canoe / kayak coach for Australia, having previously coached in the US and UK. Shaun describes the sport of para canoe / kayak, the physiological and physical demands, and how new athletes and coaches can get started in this sport.
Professor Peter Peeling is a sports physiologist at the Western Australian Institute of Sport and researcher at the University of Western Australia. Peter has devoted much of his research time to iron metabolism in athletes, which is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies particularly in female athletes. We talk to Pete about the role of iron, what happens when athletes are deficient in iron, how to diagnose and treat iron deficiency, and why some para athletes may be more at risk of iron deficiency.
Siobhan Crawshay is the sports dietitian for Paralympics Australia, and specifically has worked with the Australian wheelchair rugby team (Steelers) for the past 11 years. Siobhan (Vorny) provides some fabulous insight into the key nutrition issues she covers with the wheelchair rugby players and the strategies she's used to support them.
Steve Serio is a 4 time Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball player, and the co-captain of the USA Mens Wheelchair Basketball team who have won Gold at the last 2 Paralympic games. We talk to Steve about his history, how he got into playing Wheelchair Basketball, his training and how he fits his nutrition around his training.
Bill Hamiter is the USA Womens National Sit Volleyball head coach and high performance director, and Michelle Goodall is the assistant coach to the same team. The US Women's team has won Gold at the last 2 Paralympic games under their guidance. Bill and Michelle talk to us about the game of Sit Volleyball, the physical demands of the sport, common nutrition concerns and provide advice to potential athletes and coaches.
Iryna Dvoskina is a 7 time Paralympic athletics (track sprint and jumps) coach. Iryna started her coaching career in the early 90's in the Ukraine and moved to Australia in the early 2000's. She has coached a wide range of highly successful Paralympic sprinters and jumpers across many different impairments. Iryna talks about her coaching framework and philosophies, the benefits of balance to ensure long term health and wellbeing, and the importance of mentoring when working with athletes with an impairment.
Lex Gillette is a 5 time Paralympic silver medallist, 4 time world champion and current world record holder in the F11 class for Long Jump. He has been completely vision impaired since the age of 9. Lex talks about his training, his diet, and how he uses artificial intelligence and smart phones to help him navigate life.
Ellie Cole is a 4 time Paralympic Swimmer who has won 17 medals and is the most decorated female swimmer in Australia. Ellie was one of the athletes showcased on the Rising Pheonix documentary and is an active member of the #WeThe15 movement. Ellie shares with us some insights into her 17 year journey as a national level swimmer, how she's learnt to adjust her intake according to her training demands, and the importance of developing good working relationships with various practitioners who support athletes.
Dr Joelle Flueck is a sports nutritionist in Switzerland who has spent over 10 years working with, and undertaking research into, athletes with a spinal cord injury. Joelle has recently written several narrative reviews on carbohydrate and protein needs for athletes with a spinal cord injury, as well as nutrition needs for para cycling. Joelle provides her insights into what she's learnt from working with para athletes and on some of the research she has undertaken.
Jacob Schrom is a single above knee amputee who competed in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in the 107kg Powerlifting weight division after 12 years competing in the sport. Jake shares with us his journey in powerlifting, highlighting the role that accessing sports performance specialists had on his ability to compete at his best.
Curtis McGrath, OAM, is a 2 time paralympic canoe/kayak paddler who has won 3 gold medals. Curtis talks to us about his injury and impairment, his training and diet as a canoe / kayak paddler, and provides some great insight into the energy needs of a double leg amputee.
Mary Hodge is the High Performance Manager for U.S. Para Powerlifting and has worked with powerlifting for over 20 years, being involved in 6 Paralympic games. Mary describes the sport of Powerlifting, the training requirements, and rules of competition.
Dr Brooke Lamphere is a US-based sport psychologist who recently completed her PhD dissertation around social influences on body image of female Paralympic athletes. We talk about her work as a sport psychologist with Para athletes, her research, what it uncovered and what recommendations come out of that.
Danni Di Toro is a 7 time paralympian with a spinal cord injury who has competed in both wheelchair tennis and, more recently, para table tennis. Danni was co-captain of the Australian Paralympic team at both Rio and Tokyo Paralympic Games, and is currently the Paralympics Australia athlete welfare and engagement manager. Danni shares with us her extensive experience as an athlete, mental health advocate and team mate.
Anu Koivisto is a 2 time Olympic swimmer for Finland who has worked for a number of years as a sports dietitian at the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Olympiatoppen. Anu is responsible for working with both Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Anu talks to us about her approach to working with Para athletes, some of the specific issues that have arisen through their medical screening and some solutions they've found.
Dr Bridie Kean is a 2 time Paralympian in wheelchair basketball for Australia. She has also completed a PhD looking at barriers and facilitators to playing wheelchair basketball in a collegiate / university setting. We talk to Bridie about her nutrition journey as an athlete with coeliac disease, the findings of her PhD, and her more recent experiences in being a member of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic / Paralympic bid.
Gustavo Osorio (aka Goose) is a strength & conditioning coach who works at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and is based at the Chula Vista training centre in San Diego. He talks to us about how he approaches programming for the Track & Field athletes.
Dr Peta Maloney is an Australian sports physiologist and recovery specialist who has works with Para athletes. Peta talks to us about the importance of sleep for athletes, why para athletes may have difficulty with sleeping consistently, and what strategies can be used to help develop better sleeping patterns to support sports performance.
Sally Baumann is the lead sports dietitian for the U.S. Paralympic programs and has been working with para athletes for the past 2.5 years. In the first of a series of interviews with sports dietitians, we talk to Sally about how she goes about working with para athletes and how this might be different to working with other athletes.
Meg Lemon is a WC4 para cyclist with an acquired brain injury who recently won a bronze medal in the time trial at the Tokyo Paralympics. Meg is also a sports dietitian. Meg talks to us about her impairment and how it affects her, the nutrition challenges she has faced and the ways she is working on overcoming those challenges.
Sophia Herzog is a 2 time Paralympic medal winning swimmer with short stature. Sophia talks about her career in swimming and her experiences with changing training programs. She also explains how a change in body weight (increased muscle mass) through training did not suit her in the pool.
Adam Bleakney is a 4 time Paralympic wheelchair racer and the head wheelchair track and marathon racing coach at the University of Illinois, the most consistently successful program in the world. Adam shares his transition from being an athlete to a coach, how he manages a program involving collegiate through to elite level athletes, and his insight into what has shaped such a truly successful program.
Cannabidiol (or CBD) is a substance often promoted for its potential to relieve pain, reduce anxiety, improve sports performance, aid with sleep, and even improve acne! Dr Danielle McCartney discusses the research that has been undertaken into CBD and its potential benefits and highlights the lack of research in many areas. We also discuss the difficulties faced in relation to WADA regulations for athletes who may want to explore CBD.
Associate Professor Ben Desbrow is a sports dietitian and academic at Griffith University (Qld, Australia) who has undertaken research across 2 decades in sports nutrition related topics, including caffeine. He is a co-author of the book Caffeine and Sports Performance. Ben talks to us about how caffeine influences sports performance, the ideal doses, sources of caffeine (including energy drinks) and potential side effects. The discussion includes some of the limited research on caffeine in Para athletes.
Mitch Gourley is a 3 time Paralympic Alpine ski racer who has a congenital lower arm 'amputation'. Mitch talks to us about his experiences in using nutrition to support his training across his career to date, and outlines some of the complexities in doing that while traveling to train and compete along with the solutions he's found.
In this episode we talk Goalball with Lisa and Jake Czechowski. Lisa is a 6 time Paralympian with a vision impairment, and Jake is the USA National Womens' goalball coach. Goalball is a uniquely Paralympic team sport for athletes with a vision impairment. We discuss the sport of goalball, how it has changed over time, and what Lisa focusses on in her nutrition both at home and when traveling.
Jo Mirtschin is a sports dietitian who has worked as the food service dietitian at the Australian Institute of Sport for the past 12 years. Jo represented Australia in shot put at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Soon after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Jo talks about her experience of that diagnosis and how that has impacted on her over the past 10 years.
Liz Dunn is a member of the USA National Wheelchair Rugby team. Liz is also a registered dietitian. Liz talks with us about her entry into wheelchair rugby and the National team, how she eats and trains, and what strategies she uses to cool her body since she doesn't sweat due to her impairment.
In our inaugural episode A/Prof Nick Burd (University of Illinois) discusses some background on research into protein recommendations for athletes. We explore why there is so little research specific to Para athletes, and his current interest around how whole food may be a better option than the isolated protein sources (like whey, casein or amino acids) that are used in research.
Susannah Scaroni is a 3 time Paralympic wheelchair racer who recently won the Gold medal in the T54 5000m, bronze in the T54 800m and 6th in the wheelchair marathon at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. Susannah is currently completing her dietetic internship program after completing her masters degree with Nick Burd (E1). Susannah shares with us her nutrition journey and specifically how she's changed her focus on protein intake for training.
For the more technically minded or interested in how protein research is undertaken, this bonus episode provides the rest of the interview with A/Prof Nick Burd. Nick outlines his journey through researching protein needs in athletes and describes how the research is undertaken in the laboratory.