Sportspiel

On the final episode of this series of SportSpiel we cross into the world of Muay Thai and speak to recently-crowned WBC world champion Ellie Harber. That victory was the 12th title claimed by the 18-year-old from Watford in a variety of martial art disciplines and was her first success in an adult tournament, which saw her win four fights in four days as she went on to secure gold in her maiden senior world championships. Despite her young age Ellie has come a long way since her first venture into a gym. Not only has the sport provided her with a platform to excel it has proved to be a vital way for her to control her anger and find a way of expressing herself. What’s more, she’s also let her sport do the talking to quieten the bullies who tried to ridicule her earlier on in life. Quite simply Ellie is one of an exciting generation of young female athletes proving sport is for them – and for everyone. No doubt she is a superstar in the making. DISCLAIMER: The audio at the beginning of this interview is

This episode of SportSpiel is a very special one, as we delve into an important subject that is still in its infancy in terms of understanding – becoming a mum during your athletic career. Taking part in the discussion is long-time friend of the podcast, British Trampolinist Laura Gallagher, as well as England and GB Hockey star Jo Pinner who have both done just that, given birth to their first child in the last 14 months. With both now on their way back to the top of their sport, they explain just what it takes to become a mum while competing as an athlete – from deciding when to have a child during your career, to the physical toll pregnancy, giving birth and raising a newborn takes on the body. The pair also explain how inspiration from other athlete mums has helped them on their individual journeys and they delve into how they balance training and childcare. There’s also the very non-linear process of returning to sports in the first place, essentially having to start again after becoming mums, and so

Scotland Rugby’s vice-captain Helen Nelson is one of the most crucial individuals in the squad. With 55 appearances for the national team to her name she’s been a vital cog as the team looks to progress and improve – striving for bigger goals each time. With the latest edition of the Women’s Six Nations soon to get underway – with Scotland playing Wales on March 23rd – it’s another opportunity to put that progress to the test. In this episode of SportSpiel we look ahead to the upcoming Six Nations with Helen – who plays her club rugby with Loughborough Lightning – as well as talking about the journey this Scotland team has been on. But there’s also a chance to look at Helen’s own journey – from first trying out rugby at the age of six, to becoming a member of the Scottish Alpine ski team, as well as returning to rugby at university after being turned down for football. As so happened, that university experience helped set her up on the path she’s currently on – and now it’s just as much inspiring the nex

Aged just 20, Lilli Ives Campion is widely regarded as one of the brightest prospects in English women’s rugby. And if it hadn’t been for one seemingly innocuous moment, she might never have even tried the sport to start with. Ever since then Lilli has gone from strength to strength within the game, making her Premiership Women’s Rugby debut for Loughborough Lightning at just 17 years old. Now her prospects are continuing to look up as she has joined the senior England squad for training camps this season, including ahead of the upcoming Women’s Six Nations – with England’s first game against Italy on Sunday, March 24. In this podcast episode Lilli tells us all about her journey so far in rugby, including leaving home at 16 so she could combine her studying with playing. She also talks about being an ambassador for rugby’s leading mental health charity LooseHeadz and also why she is so excited about what is to come in the sphere of women’s sport – including why the next 10 years are so crucial. With wom

Despite being in her early 20s, Liv Thomas has already experienced a lot in her sporting career. The GB and England lacrosse midfielder had to wait two years for her England debut, thanks to the Covid pandemic, but after finally earning that first cap she would go on to win a World Cup bronze in triple overtime. But the difficulties would rear their head again, with Liv rupturing her ACL and tearing her meniscus. From the second she felt it, she knew something bad had happened – and it’s an injury she is still working to come back from eight months on. That brings in one of the most challenging aspects of being an athlete in her position, as she manages the physical, financial and organisational demands of trying to be at the top of her sport but also needing to have a full time job. For some athletes an injury like that is devastating enough in terms of severity. But many are able to be afforded much more regular time with physios than someone needing to work at the same time. But Liv’s motivation is st

Don’t die wondering – that’s Laura Siddall’s motto – and it’s a phrase you can see applied to so much of her life as a pro athlete. Laura now is a hugely successful British triathlete but her path into professional sport came relatively late in life. While sport was always important growing up she would go on to do a degree in Mechanical Engineering before taking a gap year as an officer in the British Army. She would go on to work in the corporate world and moved to Sydney in Australia back in 2007 on a two-year assignment. Then came triathlon, a sport she tried out a year after moving to Australia and with great success. After progressing from a rookie to securing four amateur world champion titles she took the plunge in 2013 and decided to become a pro, going full time in 2014 and moving to San Francisco to chase the dream. She is now a four-time Ironman Champion, which includes winning Ironman Australia for three consecutive years (2017, 2018, 2019), Ironman New Zealand (2018), and also becoming the

Isla Mackenzie is on a mission – to inspire the next generation as she chases her dream of being a racing driver. Her early life is world’s away from what it looks like now. She grew up on a dairy farm on the Isle of Lewis, in the Scottish Outer Hebrides and she was driving anything she could as soon as she was old enough to reach the pedals – be it quad bikes or tractors, and she drove a car for the first time at the age of 12. Isla comes alive with speed – a description given by her mum – and a passion for motorsport was always there. Fast forward to now and she finds herself fulfilling that passion, in her role as a Dyno Technician for the Mercedes F1 Team, the team that seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton currently races for. But, while the engineering side of her life is seriously impressive, her true calling is to race herself – and the talent is there. She has been fast-tracked from karts to single seaters, she signed with IMC Motorsport and, in 2023, there were opportunities in the Monoposto

Ben Gallagher is a remarkable individual. After serving in the British Army for over 16 years, his life was turned upside down in 2019 when he was shot numerous times on active duty. Ben would sustain blast and fragmentation injuries to his upper torso and arms as a result of that incident – and without a doubt his body armour saved his life. What followed was a number of operations and extensive surgery to reconstruct his left arm, while he now also has surgical injuries to both legs. But this was all just the beginning of an immense battle. What happened to Ben was utterly traumatic and, along with a long period of rehabilitation, he felt lost, isolated, unable to come to terms with what happened and he would have suicidal thoughts. Subsequently he would also be diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Ben’s journey – and turnaround since then – has been remarkable – and sport has played a key part in it. He can now say he’s represented his country at the 2023 Invictus Games – winning gold in the

Beth Gill is one of Britain’s – and the world’s – leading canoeists. In 2022 she became C1 short course Marathon World Champion and she’s hoping to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the C2 500m Sprint. Remember, while there’s been women’s kayak events, women’s canoeing events only first arrived at the Olympics for Tokyo 2020. But there’s much more to Beth than just her sport as she has become a passionate advocate for raising awareness over the pollution in our rivers and waterways, as well as their ecological importance. The situation is serious. To put it into perspective, Beth says that in training its almost expected by some that you will get sickness bugs along the way. That can’t be acceptable. In this episode of SportSpiel, Beth explains why she is so passionate about this issue, as well as how it inspired her choice to take up a university course in this area. She also explains what individuals can do to try and make a difference in their daily lives, with current practices needing to c

British weightlifter Mercy Brown has been on an extensive journey in her sporting career. But the comeback is very much on. The 26-year-old Londoner is an exciting talent and secured gold in the 2022 British Weightlifting Championships. But, unfortunately, her year didn’t pan out as expected despite that promising start and indication that the potential is very much there. Throughout her rollercoaster ride in the sport there have had to be breaks for Mercy to prioritise her own self-care and mental wellbeing. There is no substitute for looking after yourself as best as you can and it is all part of that personal development. She also admits, in this episode of SportSpiel, about how tough it has been losing her coach of so many years, after he passed away. Part of that connection was that he had a team of lifters who looked like her and she emphasises just how important it is to know an individual’s culture. But what shines from Mercy throughout this interview is how much she cares and how important it

Brendan Creed has discovered a lot about himself since he first represented his country back in 2017. By his own admission he is a massive perfectionist, but he used to let it ruin his game. Dealing with mistakes has been a key change in the England and GB Hockey star and he has worked closely with his team psychologist on his journey. But that has also come at the same time as having to deal with tournament disappointment along the way. From being named as a reserve for two World Cups, to coping with injuries, and plenty more hurdles throughout, it hasn’t been easy. Not only has that experience changed his opinion on the topic of psychology as a result, but Brendan has also changed his outlook on himself and his sport. It’s a journey many athletes can go through as they learn so much about their mindset and how to grow. Despite the disappointments, the 30-year-old’s passion for hockey has never wavered. In this interview on SportSpiel, Brendan explains why representing his country will never just be

After leaving school at the age of 18, Lauren Torley had barely touched a rugby ball. But fast-forward to now and things are very different. Few will have predicted that just five years later she would have represented England at a home Commonwealth Games and been named as one of the most exciting prospects around – but that’s exactly what has happened. It has been a whirlwind career so far for the speedster as she has rapidly risen to the top of the women’s game plying her trade for the England Sevens and GB Sevens as well as Harlequins in the Premier 15s. She was a keen athlete throughout her life and had always dreamed of achieving one thing – representing her country in a sporting capacity. It didn’t matter which sport and it was all she’d ever wish for. At the age of 22 she achieved it. But while the journey so far may sound like one of non-stop positives, that isn’t the case. It has been far from easy. In Lauren’s first game of contact rugby, she suffered a serious injury while she has also had to

Netball used to be one of the most important things in Nat Panagarry’s life – but that has all changed. Last year Nat’s wife Katie was diagnosed with stage four clear cell cancer and life as they knew it was turned upside down. Suddenly playing netball for England and Loughborough Lightening paled into insignificance for Nat compared to what she and her wife were facing. Unsurprisingly it has been a rollercoaster journey for the pair. There have been hospital appointments, chemotherapy and they have both had to tackle hurdles no one in their 30s expects to face. As Nat admits in this SportSpiel podcast episode, there were moments of anger. Many in their situation would ask – why them? They were no different. But there have also been moments of hope and happiness. In November the pair tied the knot and the countless messages of support they have received as they share their journey on social media have been overwhelming. Throughout it all playing netball for Loughborough does still play a key part in Na

British track cyclist Milly Tanner has had a whirlwind last few years, and she’s determined to leave her mark. The 24-year-old switched from swimming to cycling back in 2017 through UK Sport’s talent transfer programme ‘Discover your Power’ – a gruelling process in itself as you’ll hear in this SportSpiel interview– but she hasn’t looked back since. A bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships in the team sprint, a silver in the same event at the 2020 European Championships, as well as competing at the Commonwealth Games last year are just some of the highlights. But as is so often the case in the world of elite sport, it has been a rollercoaster at times. There’s highs, there’s lows and there are days where you really have to grind to get through. For those in British Cycling there is also the pressure of living up to some of the greats that have come before – think Jason and Laura Kenny, Chris Hoy and many, many more. But cycling still retains that community feel and when Milly faced her first big

Cricketer Fi Morris has learned a lot at the age of 29. From making her county championship debut at the age of 14, to top scoring for her team in the first ever women’s Hundred final, there’s plenty to celebrate. But it has been far from an easy ride for the all-rounder. An incident in her early 20s led to a severe decline in her mental health and well-being, which she struggled to admit and accept. That decline led to her taking a two-year break from cricket as – in her own words in this SportSpiel interview – she ‘went off the rails a bit.’ With the introduction of regionalised professional contracts in the women’s game, Fi also struggled to cope with the pressure after she was offered one. But throughout it all, Fi has learned some valuable lessons as she finds herself in a stronger place – ultimately to embrace what you love. She has now recently moved to North West Thunder, to play alongside former SportSpiel guests Kate Cross and Alex Hartley, and Fi reveals how that move has given her a new leas

London Dynasty Cheer has grown exponentially in a ridiculously short time, and Joanna Haeger and Grace Lowe are key parts of that. This week’s podcast guests are the directors of LDC, as well as being athletes and coaches at the cheerleading club, and what began as a project in 2020 is now unrecognisable. With the initial aim of recruiting 23 athletes the growth of LDC has rocketed and the club now boasts in excess of 200 members as well as five competitive, one elite and two recreational teams. What’s more, they also have both national champs and Grand Champs victories under their belts. Joanna and Grace explain how LDC managed to achieve all this in spite of the Covid pandemic that has dominated much of the club’s existence. They also explain all about the sport, which can bring about many misleading connotations. When you think of cheerleading you might think of American sports, pom poms and all sorts of performing. This isn’t it. Competitive stunt-based cheerleading is very different. It’s fast, da

Linn Sandstrom is one of the most determined individuals you will ever meet in sport. Currently ranked ninth by the WBA, the boxer has won three straight title fights – the WBC Australasia Title, WBA Asia Title and most recently the WBA inter-continental title won in October last year. In her words she is on a mission to never be “mediocre or average”. But it has been far from an easy – or conventional – journey for her. Born in Brazil, raised in Sweden and now living in Australia, Sandstrom’s route into boxing is unique. In Sweden she was a professional table tennis player, winning a number of Swedish titles along the way. However, due to the lack of opportunities on offer – and issues with finance on the women’s side – she left the sport before finding her new path into boxing. This is where Sandstrom the fighter really comes into her own. While her exploits in the ring are attracting plenty of attention there have been many doubters along the way questioning this former table tennis player. By her o

British Olympic runner Amy-Eloise Markovc has plenty to be proud of over the last two years of her career. The 27-year-old became European indoor champion for the 3000m back in 2021, made her Olympic debut in Tokyo, came fourth in the 5000m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and she also broke the British two mile record in 2021 too. That’s just a brief list of some of her achievements – there’s many more – and while Amy is understandably proud of her accomplishments, in what she calls a crazy last two years, there’s still a nagging sense of that untapped potential. It’s something many athletes can relate to, the never-ending quest to consistently reach your maximum. With 2023 now here it’s something Amy will continue to strive for as she looks to make even more progress in her athletics journey. In this SportSpiel podcast interview Amy talks about her mission to try and unlock that potential – something that is easier said than done – with so much of it based on training and coaching changes as well as lear

The SportSpiel podcast is back with a brand new series of podcasts, starting from Tuesday, January 24, 2023. It’s been a busy last year for the pair of us, thanks to work, life and everything in between. But we’ve always wanted to get the podcast back up and running and now we have with a new schedule. Starting from January 24th we will be releasing a new podcast every week as part of a winter/spring series in 2023. We will then be returning with a summer/autumn series of episodes later in the year. We’re both really excited to continue what the podcast was always intended to do – tell athlete’s stories properly. Now more than ever we’ve seen the potential with areas such as women’s sport and other previously undervalued sports, and that has never sat right with us. So we’re back with our athlete interviews to bring you closer to these amazing individuals regardless of what sport they do. All that matters is they have a brilliant story to tell or a passionate message to share. That’s what we value on this

Alasdair Hooper hosts the latest episode of SportSpiel with rising Scottish cycling star Anna Shackley. The 20-year-old seemingly came out of nowhere back in 2021 when – then aged 18 – she signed for esteemed cycling team SD Worx. Prior to that she had mostly been focusing on the track with the British national programme, winning multiple Scottish junior national titles before winning the elite British points race and team pursuit titles in 2020. But during lockdown her coach reached out to the SD Worx team manager and that’s where the journey, and subsequent upward trajectory stemmed from. Fast forward to now and the rider is focusing on the road and has an Olympics appearance under her belt, after she was picked as the only support rider for Lizzie Deignan at the Tokyo games.  But there is no doubting Shakley’s talent and enthusiasm for learning as she aims to develop her skills even more. In this interview the rider talks all about that quick rise, being involved at an Olympic Games unlik