Flame Bearers: Pathways to Paris

As we step into 2025, we wanted to pause and reflect on some of the incredible conversations we had in 2024. This episode celebrates some of our favorite moments, featuring powerful stories and insights from remarkable athletes. Here are just a few highlights: Caster Semenya, 2x Olympic champ and 3x World champ, reflects on her role as an advocate for women in sports: "It's about time we, as women, decide what is right for us. If women are respected, given opportunities, and treated equally, I will finally feel peace." Marine Fatoumatta Camara, Mali's first-ever female Olympic boxer shares the challenges of representing an African nation: "Competing for Mali is harder than people realize—lack of funding, political issues, and constant underestimation make every win even more rewarding." Anastasia Pagonis, 2x Paralympian, describes the freedom swimming gives her: "In the pool, I feel like a mermaid—it's the one place where my disability doesn't hold me back." Bryony Page, Olympic trampoline champion, opens up about overcoming fear in her sport: "Fear brings focus. Instead of dwelling on what could go wrong, I learned to focus on what will make me perform well."