Abid Imam - Road to Rio: Recent Episodes
Biddy Imám
Presenter Abid Imam catches up with Olympic & Paralympic athletes in the build up to the Games to find out about their journeys, sacrifices, hopes and dreams.
The Olympics/Paralympics are the biggest sporting events in the universe. It was held in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Rio de Janeiro. There was controversy, scandal, incredible feats of sporting prowess, danger, beauty, challenges and charm. What was it actually like behind the scenes, away from your screens? Dave ‘Robbo’ Robertson @mrdaverobbo (Aussie Athletics commentator extraordinaire) joins me as we both reminisce and attempt to appropriately encapsulate the experiences and feeling of being right in the epicentre of the action.
Robbo and i discuss:
Best and favourite moments of the Games
Meeting Usain Bolt
Getting onto the Athletics Track
What was safety and security like
Muito muito more
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Dave ‘Robbo’ Robertson (@mrdaverobbo) is one half of the phenomenal @mossyandrobbo commentary duo who have revolutionised the coverage of sports such as athletics by harnessing the power of social media. Their entertainingly supportive coverage of Australian sport has seen them specially attend events such as the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Their popularity amongst Aussie Track & Field athletes and fans was pivotal in the success of the #getmossyandrobbotorio campaign. Robbo shares a world exclusive story of how they have secured their ticket to support the green and gold in Rio, it involves 'Brastralia'.
We also discuss:
Parkrun
The art of commentary and favourite commentators
What it was like at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow
Storylines and athletes to follow in Rio
How Mossy & Robbo made sure they got to Rio
+ more general sport and Olympic talk
Nagmeldin Peter Bol came to Australia with his family from Sudan. Now at just the age of 22, he will represent Australia at his first Olympics. He has achieved the Olympic qualifying performance he needed and can now look forward to the excitement of competing on the biggest stage of all.
He shares great detail about his journey, running training and goals.
Melissa Wu is a world class diver who has been competing at elite international level since the age of 13!
She is a Olympic silver medallist and Commonwealth Games gold medallist among countless other accolades.
She will be off to her third Games.
We have a great chat about the sport of Diving, physical preparation, Rio, the mental side of competing and some practical advice.
Ellia Green is just an incredible athlete. Coming from a Track & Field background, she made her way into the Australian Women’s Rugby 7’s team in 2013, making an immediate impact with her breathtaking speed, scoring memorable tries. Australia are reigning world champions and favoured to do well in Rio.
Ellia and i had a great chat about her transition from athletics to rugby, the growth of Rugby 7’s and some of her performance tips. It was great to speak to a fellow Aussie/Fijian.
Scott Keach is a Dual Australian Olympic Equestrian Showjumper. His selection means he will smash an Australian record for the longest break between Olympic Games. He competed at Seoul 1988 and is off to Rio 28 years later.
Scott takes us through the following:
- An insight into the various disciplines within Equestrian.
- The process of sourcing his horse, Fedor.
- Nuances of mindset and considerations when riding at an elite level.
- His formative experiences riding, how a country upbringing helped.
Jeremy McClure is an inspiring athlete. He is a vision impaired swimmer who has been to 4 Paralympic Games for Australia (Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and now qualified for Rio 2016).
Jeremy speaks about swimming at the Paralympics, what the classifications mean, his training schedule and hopes for Rio.
Cedric Dubler is an Australian Decathlete from Queensland. He achieved a Gold and Olympic qualifier at the 2016 Australian Athletics Championships in April. In doing so, Cedric became the first decathlete to qualify for the Olympics since Sydney 2000.
Cedric had a great chat about his events, training, social media exploits and some performance tips.
On Brazilian Bits, Fernanda and Lucas share a little bit of knowledge about Favelas in Rio.
Kylie Wheeler is a dual Olympian who competed in one of the most demanding events, Heptathlon. As a four time National Champion (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006), she gives a superb explanation of how this event is structured and her training.
Kylie takes us into what it was like competing at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and winning silver at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
Alanna Kennedy is a top class defender for the Australian women’s football team, the Matildas.
I spoke to her after the team recently qualified for their first Olympics in 12 years after winning the Asian Qualifying Tournament in Japan. It was a remarkable campaign which has the country excited for what the Matildas can possibly achieve. The team is currently ranked 5th on the planet.
At this point, Alanna had played over 40 times for the green & gold and she’s just 21 years young. Her excellent performances for Australia are capturing international interest. She has just signed a contract to join the Western New York Flash in the National Women’s Soccer League. We also spoke about her preparations as she gets ready to play the jogo bonito in Brazil at the Olympics.