The Champion Within
This is a series with fascinating and inspiring people, and what it takes to be the best you can at whatever your endeavours may be.
We will learn from others as to how they have handled themselves in their own pursuits, and so that we can apply to ourselves.
We’ll talk about the necessary support and how important it is, to have the best and appropriate systems around us, so that we can be the best possible. We’ll discuss aspects of ourselves that we can all develop.
This is a show with inspiring people, including musicians, artists, athletes, medical specialists, business entrepreneurs and more…in the pursuit of excellence.
I’m Jason Agosta, a health professional and former athlete, and I'm fascinated in people’s stories, my own involves developing certain attributes over time, but also things that were not done well or were significantly missing.
Join me on The Champion Within in discovering that everybody has a story, and everybody has a message.
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The Champion Within
Ep.26 Mitch Dyer: Inside the Paris Olympics...Unfiltered Stories & Reflections
Ever wondered what it feels like to cover the Olympics from the inside? Join us on the Champion Within podcast as we bring you Mitch Dyer's thrilling recount of his time at the Paris Olympics. From the chaotic rush of securing accreditation just weeks before the event to the momentous highs of witnessing world-class athletes in their element, Mitch's experience offers a rare glimpse into the heart of the games. Get ready to be captivated by stories that go beyond the track, showcasing the raw emotions and intense atmosphere that define the world's most prestigious sporting event.
In our conversation, Mitch emphasizes the importance of humanizing the fierce competitors we cheer for. By sharing their unfiltered stories and personal struggles, we reveal the true personalities behind the medals. This episode also tackles the delicate balance athletes must maintain, touching on themes of burnout, recovery, and the critical role of mentors and coaches. Listen to a former NCAA athlete's candid reflection on his journey through the highs and lows of sports, and learn how he's now dedicated to guiding the next generation of talent.
Finally, we explore the powerful narratives of resilience and transformation in sports media. Discover how a 100-day sobriety challenge led one young man to pursue his passion for sports commentary, and follow the unpredictable career path from local radio to grand international stages. We wrap up with heartfelt post-Olympic reflections, celebrating standout performances and discussing the emotional rollercoaster that athletes face upon returning to everyday life. This episode is packed with inspiring stories and valuable lessons for anyone passionate about the intersection of athletics and media.
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Hi there and welcome back to the Champion Within podcast After a long break. So thanks for joining me. I'm Jason Agosta and, following on from the recent Paris Olympics, I spoke with Mitch Dyer. Mitch is a young man who has followed his passion for running and athletics and has persisted in developing himself as well as his own media work. Mitch covers our national and international athletics meets on social media and has brought a real, authentic feel to covering sport in his media, but has also become very well known in a short time in the world's athletics media. We started talking about the Paris Olympics and his on and off track experience Because obviously there's so many thoughts and feelings that come out of the Olympics because there's nothing like it. So, yeah, that's why I was keen to have a chat to you.
Speaker 1:No I appreciate it, and I know that you were the man with the golden ticket to the paris olympics oh yeah how's? That full accreditation I know it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you so much. Yeah, it was um crazy like it was. It was very last minute, uh, I mean it probably presents as though it's been set up for a long time, but I only found out, I think I would say at maximum like four weeks before the games, so it all sort of happened very quickly. The behind-the-scenes process of trying to get it was a bit longer, but in the grand scheme of you know, people were getting their accreditation in 2022. So for me to get it one month before, I think I was very, yeah, very lucky, but so very grateful.
Speaker 1:It was amazing yeah, well, biggest show on earth? I mean, there's nothing like it is. It's very hard to explain to people what the olympics is like. Um, do you know? It brings out so much within yourself. But when you see the athletes, you see these differences in the top level and the people who are there making up the numbers if it's, you know, not being rude, but you know the people who really excel um, it's quite a unique setting to see those differences and you, you would have obviously seen that and obviously experienced it. You know, face to face, yeah like it's.
Speaker 2:It is hard to explain. I think if you've followed olympic sports, so if you're an individual follower of athletics or swimming or um, you know fencing and all these unique individual sports whose mecca is the olympics you appreciate it. But if you're your average punter sitting at home, getting, you know, immersed in the olympic experience, you're like, yeah, so how often is this like, is this what it's like all the time? So, yeah, to watch it live and not be um back home and just be immersed in the atmosphere. And yeah to I mean athletic specific to watch, you know, the mondos, the sydney mclaughlin's, the, the athletes who are continuously, you know, breaking world records and are considered to be the best of all.
Speaker 2:Time you kind of sit back and you're like, oh my God, this is a moment, this is like a capsule in history, this is a snapshot in history right now. And to be there to absorb it and to watch it and to see it in an Olympics as well, like, I've been lucky. I've been at the Diamond Leagues, I've been to the world champs last year, but the olympics is just the pressure and, like the, the intensity that the athletes feel to perform at that level, is crazy. So yeah, mate, it was. It was wild, like it was. It was even more than what I thought it was going to be and I thought I was prepared. But until I got there I was like, mate, I'm not prepared I'm like I could have done as much work for this as possible, and I still wouldn't have been prepared.
Speaker 1:So this is the first Olympics you've been to, though. First Olympics, yeah. Being in the media contingent, yeah yeah or first ever like.
Speaker 2:I've never been as a spectator, never been okay. Um, you know, maybe when I was four I wish my parents took me to Sydney, because I maybe just remembered it. But yeah, first time ever at an Olympics, full stop. So to get the gold, I was in.
Speaker 1:Sydney and I remember sitting there and I thought, you know, if I had done this and just been a spectator and I don't think it would have had to have been track, I think it could have been anything I could have went and watched the canoeing or the cycling, or even just staying on the road watching the marathon on the road, cycling. I think that experience and the power and the magnitude of the sort of emotional element that comes with it at the Olympics, I think that would have been completely life-changing and changed your whole thought process on the trajectory that you wanted to take as an athlete, I've got absolutely no doubt and to watch Paris, much later, like 24 years later, it was still brought back all the same feelings of that depth of emotion and you know, and for you to be there it must have been extraordinary, yeah 100% Like it's I don't know.
Speaker 2:It is a really interesting feeling because, since I've come home, I probably didn't when you're in it, you don't realise what you're doing. So you're sort of like I kind of went into this full mode of like I'm working, I'm working, I'm working, I don't have time to you know, sort of take in what's happening. I'll do it later, and now I've got to later and I kind of sit back and I'm like shit, that was pretty amazing. Um, yeah, and it's just like you. You are and I always try and say this in a media perspective.
Speaker 2:My entire job is purely to be the vehicle for the story. Like athletes don't owe me anything, athletes don't owe the media anything, but if you do your job right, they'll be willing to talk to you and willing to share that story. So I think for me it was really beautiful to be able to, you know, share those moments for the athletes in a purely professional sense, but then to see them, you know, when the cameras are off and they walk off the track and they're in the mix zone. That's where so much emotion can come out, because you're away from the limelight. Yes, you're in front of media and whatnot, but you may be starting to realise what's just happened. And it was crazy the amount of athletes where you talk to them, even like you know the Ninas and Matt Denny's and Jess Hull's and these incredible athletes and you're like, do you realise what you've just done, like do you understand, sort of what's just happened, and they're like, no, like I will.
Speaker 1:It's starting to hit me now as I'm in this, uh, media zone and people are asking me these questions, but it's, um, yeah, yeah, pretty cool to to be frontline and be like, oh, I get to, yeah, I think one thing you've done I don't know whether someone has said this to you or not is well, from what I can see in the brief time I followed you, is that you have been that vehicle to tell a story for the athlete, but very grounded.
Speaker 2:Do you know what I mean? Thank you, yeah.
Speaker 1:If we think about, like the high-end commercial media, it seems like it's a little bit orchestrated, and how can you say all the clichés come out? Yeah, but I've noticed with you you seem to just be able to get on these people's level and stay super grounded, and that is what opens people up, isn't it really? Oh, thank you. Yeah, no.
Speaker 2:I'm really big on that. I'm really big on people that do sports. It's sort of sometimes the mantra I try to keep in my head, like it's obviously what people come to the page and to, I guess, straight out at four, is the results and is like how well people are doing. But I often find that and I always say this like people don't tend to care too much about the result if they don't know the person. And if you can sort of tell that story a little bit more or open up different little avenues and I don't do it intentionally, I'm not like trying to find an angle, being like present the personality.
Speaker 1:Is that you mean, yeah, like yeah, just just let them talk?
Speaker 2:and let them, like, have their moments and and let them speak freely. That's why I don't bleep out swearing. I don't bleep out any language like I swear. I do all this because that's human, like it's the human element of of what these moments are. So that's been a really big thing for me. So I'm really like that's a great thing for me to listen to. Um yeah that you think it is that way that's definitely what I've tried to do, yeah yeah, yeah, well, shout out to the athletes like they make it that way too.
Speaker 1:So it's yeah, but you're obviously getting getting to them at like an ideal time as well to speak to them and bring that down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like right after um, they get a bit of a break. I guess I'm not like straight in their face like tell me about how this happened, but yeah, um, I think as well. It's probably just about like building that relationship with them um and not yeah, like you've said, like not treating them like a robot or like a. Yeah, you've just come off the track. Tell us purely about your performance, like I want to know the people who got you there.
Speaker 1:And yes, exactly you've just reminded me. You know, one thing I'm so done with I'm sure everyone is is speaking to the athletes, or whoever it is, when they come out of their competitive zone and they're still huffing and puffing and they're going to drink there. And we're trying to get two words out and I was like, geez, give the guy the girl, just give him 10 minutes, come on, let him breathe.
Speaker 2:I know it's funny, the amount of like, it's probably happened to me a handful of times, but, like an athlete will walk off, there's someone who did it, the olympics caleb law, the 200 runner. Yeah, he was taught, we were talking and, um, you know, the the aoc media is there, obviously, and they're they're watching out for the athletes, moving them on if questions get too long. And you know, talking to caleb and I've talked to caleb handful of times and I was like, okay, you know he's, maybe he's just processing the moment. I'll stop asking questions like, let him, I'm not more, I could not have been more than 20 seconds after I look behind in the media zone in a closed room and he's just throwing up everywhere. The poor kid is just all over the shop.
Speaker 2:He did it in Adelaide as well and I'm thinking like that makes a lot more sense now why he was so quick to move on, like it's not a meat thing. Yeah, mate, he's not well. Um, so, yeah, some of the athletes trina busett's another one who you need to sort of give, because they just go full gas and they're fully cooked after their race and it's yeah hard for me to be like. So tell me about 200 to go. You did. She's like can you shut the hell up like I need to.
Speaker 1:I need to get my head together. Makes sense?
Speaker 2:yeah't make sense yeah, yeah, it's like nothing's making sense.
Speaker 1:You know, one of the things I've done since Paris is I've written down a list of words that I've thought and felt about the Olympics and, from the Olympics, what it did to me and what I could sense, and I'm sure you'll get this because you've been at the coalface of it all. But one of the things I could, I could see with the athletes, and again distinctly, um, you know clear differences between, you know, some of the athletes and others. One was the fierceness. Some are just fierce but they also have this beautiful composure.
Speaker 1:But I think, if we think about the field events particularly, I think, you see, because there's, you know, like the pole vault can go for three hours or whatever it may be, but there's not just this fierceness that I'm going to, you know, I really want to beat the rest of the field and they've got to be so beautifully composed in handling themselves. But one thing that sort of really hit me was there's a depth of maturity and there's a depth of and the only word I can think of is spirit. There's something defining with, say, mondo, who you mentioned, and Sydney McLaughlin and Kip your eye gone there's. There's something different there and it's. I think this is one of the aspects of athletics which is very, very poorly coached, not even spoken about, like it's just so badly done in that sort of professional personal development. But I'm interested in what you sort of felt and whether those words sort of resonate with what you experienced, because that's what I came away with just from the television.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think fierceness is a great descriptive word for it and it was funny because in the lead up to going on, an Australian athlete, nina Kennedy you know she is fierce, I think that's a very great way to describe her. And, um, I think it was sally pearson and it was like she's got that and this is pre-games. I remember reading sally had about nina, sally had it and she said that she was like she has this. Look now where it's. It's fierce, like it is putting athletes and competitors on edge to go and compete against uh, nina, and and you saw it at the games and I actually was just listening to a snippet from her on another podcast and she was talking about competence versus confidence and like you to be competent in your abilities, like to do something a hundred times and know when you get to the moment you can do it again builds confidence. And I never thought of it that way and I was like wow, that is such a poignant description of like you don't get confidence doesn't just happen like that. You don't wake up one day and it's much the same in any same as me with work, it's the same as anybody doing anything. You don't wake up one day and you're like, oh, this is the best thing ever, I'm the best at this. Like I'm so confident, but you do it enough and you do it consistently, you're competent, and so that's like such a big part of fierceness as well.
Speaker 2:I think, with these athletes that continuously push the needle and break world records and win golds and all this stuff, their fierceness is driven by competence, because they do this, like mondo's broken the world record nine times. So when he stands at the top of a runway and it's like, hey, mondo, can you go one better? He's like, well, I've done it nine times. So, yeah, I probably can. And just watching that just dialed in on comp day, like you cannot break their focus, you cannot break their demeanour. That, to me, is amazing, because when you like that crowd was 80,000 people strong every day, every morning, every night, 80,000 people all expecting you to do well and so to harness that and be competent and be present, I was like that's amazing, like that was something that really stood out to me. I was like I can't even imagine the pressure that you would be dealing with to then harness it and do better, I'm like, damn, these guys are crazy.
Speaker 1:I'm like these guys are crazy. Well, it's unlike a track race because it goes for hours. Oh yeah, and the track race is you have to line up tough and confident and have that fierceness and then that beautiful composure on the track to get it out within three minutes or 13 minutes. Yeah, it's very different with the field events.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a hundred percent. Another really good one because I feel like the event flies under the radar and she flies under the radar was Jemima Montag in the war.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:And, mate, if under the radar and she flies under the radar was jemima montag in the war, oh yeah, um. And mate, if you've never listened to jemima talk like she is the most beautiful person, and what she does for women in sport and how composed she is in general, life is amazing, but what she does on the roads is like some of the best we've ever seen, and it was. I actually went away and I wrote about it because, yeah, I was like she won the medal. She won her first Olympic medal and you're thinking like that's the best thing ever.
Speaker 1:So third in the 20K is that right?
Speaker 2:That's it, yeah. Third in the 20K it was fourth, with a couple of K to go Made this really big moment of like do I commit to it or do I sit back? She commits, she gets the bronze, nearly silver, amazing. Talked to her after and I'm thinking this is going to be really hot, like she's going to be up and about Bronze medal. Can you believe it? This is my third Olympics, or second Olympics, oh my God. And the first thing that she talked about, or like one of the things she talked about, was like I really wanted the medal, really wanted it. That was something I really wanted, but I didn't need it. I really wanted it. Yeah, that was something I really wanted, but I didn't need it. I was, I was comfortable in the fact of who I am, that if I didn't get it, I'm okay, but it didn't take away from my want for the medal yeah, and I was just like.
Speaker 2:I was like damn, like she's so much more balanced than me, like I can't separate, I hadn't been able to separate wants and needs and I hadn't bought about it that way. And then, listening to her, I was like god damn it. I was like she is so right, like she had good perspective yeah, she's obviously zoomed out and thought about it like scoped her whole life, not just one capsule of her life, her whole life, and I was like, wow, that is so true.
Speaker 2:And then like talking, and I remember telling Nina about it and I was like, wow, that is so true. And then like talking, and I remember telling nina about it and I was like, did you hit your mind? And she's like I didn't. And I was telling her.
Speaker 1:She was like, damn, that is very smart, but don't you think there's a moment where the moment of desperation, which you have to have as well, like I'm gonna go this and pull this off or not. There's like, yeah, so she's obviously had a little bit of that desperation.
Speaker 2:Oh 100%.
Speaker 1:Again, that's a separating and a defining characteristic of what we see on the track.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it was, and I think the mentality of at least Australian athletes and global athletes as well, to be honest, from the ones that I interviewed.
Speaker 2:But it's shifting from this like my whole life and my whole existence and my whole self-worth is driven off the Olympics and how well I perform. It's now like I want to win. I want to do the absolute best that I can, like this is the most important thing to me right now. But if I don't achieve that in these games, I have people that love me. I have a community that, like, supports me. I'm still a good person. So I feel like that's starting to shift now, and I don't know where it whether it's the amount of podcasts, the amount of work that's being put into mindfulness now and the contemporary study of the mind and um, all that sort of stuff, but it's really refreshing to listen to and you're like, wow, okay, I need to take some pressure off myself, because if the best of the best are able to separate it, I should be able to separate it in my everyday life, so I actually learned a lot from them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's great because it does get back to. Like you know, usually the most satisfying accomplishments or runs that you've done are the ones that you've, you know, left it all out there and just done your best. And I think that has been the focus of some of these people who have been quite vocal about what you were talking about. Absolutely Just as long as I put it out there, that's the critical thing, yeah, and not being like, oh you know, I got first, second or third or whatever it might be 100%, no, I agree, and it's like it doesn't take away, yeah, and it doesn't take away from the tenacity in which you attack what you want.
Speaker 2:It's like, at the end of the day, you still want to be the best. But it's just this. I think it's this more grounded, holistic approach of yeah, I'm still a good person, though. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly, and I love that. I think it's a great way to yeah, and it's obviously helping, like it's obviously helping, like it's helping alleviate some of that pressure. So it's good it was really interesting.
Speaker 1:Well, it's good messages for the youngsters.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:If we could just go back from Paris to you getting your you know full accreditation, being a legend in the media and all that sort of thing. Now, your Insta page is at Straight At it, that's the one. And your podcast is Straight At it Yep. How did all at straight at it? And your podcast is straight at it Yep. How did all this start? Tell me how it all began and really interested in you know just the little pathway.
Speaker 2:Yeah, great question. Yeah, I've told the story a bit, but not a lot. So basically, geez, I don't know how far back you want me to go, but I did athletics in my younger years, probably all the way through until I was about 23, um, and I was over in the ncaa system, came home and then, yeah, just like anyone, got really burnt out what university I was at a school called wake forest um, which was in north carolina, so I was in the south for three years, yeah.
Speaker 1:And why burnt out? Why were you burnt out?
Speaker 2:I was just really I don't know. I mean, I think I, similar to a lot of people from 16 to 18, was like seeing a lot of really great results and, to be honest, probably not treating it as professionally as I should. But I guess at 16 you're not really. You have to be a very specific type of person to be golden at that age. So I take my hat off to anyone that can and you should, but it's okay if you're not, and so I was one of them. I was like, working really hard on the track, everything outside. I was like, ah, she'll be right. So, anyway, I got you know into the NCAA and that's all I ever wanted. I was like God, I just want to get into college, I want to go overseas, I want to be this big shot, and I thought it would just happen like I'd be NCAA champion, I'd be making money, it's the best thing ever.
Speaker 2:Didn't really think of the work ethic that needed to go into it and so just spent the majority of the three years injured, couldn't really get running, didn't really know myself. I was really caught in this uh complex of wanting to fit in and please everybody, but then also wanting to be a good athlete and it felt like when I would try to be a good athlete, my mates would be like you're not coming out as much anymore. You know you're in that conversation and then I'd go out too much. And then another part of my teammates would be like you're here on a scholarship, why are you going out so much? So I was sort of I didn't have the mental maturity to deal with it and so I think all of that compiling together and then in the end I didn't finish. They were like look, it's not working out, I think it's best to go home. Like I had some drinking incidents, I had some partying incidents and, yeah, I just came home.
Speaker 1:So no good guidance around you at that age.
Speaker 2:No, I think I had good people around me, but I don't know if I necessarily listened to the right people. Yeah, okay, like it's hard because at that age you're not listening to your parents and so my parents were, you know, hard on me, but probably for all the right reasons, and at the time I didn't say it that way.
Speaker 2:I was like, oh, they're just you know, trying to get in my space and rah, rah, rah, and you know, to a degree they were, and I think that's something that we reflect on, but then also, I just didn't want to listen, I just wanted to have fun, and not that I think that's a bad thing, but if you can do it in a more controlled way, that's probably better.
Speaker 2:So I just I came home and I was like I wanted to keep running, but purely because that was my whole identity, like I didn't have anything outside of that that I'd probably built up. So it was like coming home running and then get injured again and I was just sick of it. I was like I've been running since I was six. I had little little acts and I just need to get away from it.
Speaker 1:So, yes, this is an important point, though, going back to what you said about jemima montag and having good balance at that age of 18, and that it starts then the guidance around you and having that balance of like you know we're study, work, relationships, family, um, and then you know your sporting pursuits. Yeah, that's exactly what she's talking about absolutely yeah, and that's what you're describing, that you didn't have.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, straight up and this is so poorly um, I think, seen and managed with, you know, parental guidance, the coaching that goes on with the youngsters, yeah, I think that, like so, I co-run a recruiting business now as well for the NCAA, and what I try and tell kids is that you know, reputation of a successful program can work for some people. It doesn't work for everybody. Like, what you need is a good coach. If you have a good coach in your life and a good mentor in your life, you can achieve anything. It doesn't matter how much they've got from other athletes before. If it works for you, that's the most important thing. So I kind of wish I maybe did that when I was younger, but then, at the same token, like it was the first time myself, my parents, the people around me were dealing with what that looks like. So I think for a while I held this resentment of like I wish someone looked out for me more when I was younger. But you know, I could have had the greatest influence in my life over my shoulder and I wouldn't have listened. So it didn't like you have to be willing to take on advice that you don't necessarily want to hear, and I didn't learn that till I was about 25. I'm 28 now, but I probably didn't learn that lesson too late.
Speaker 2:Um, so, yeah, I stepped away at 23. No, no idea what I was doing. I was like god, I don't have a degree, I'm a college dropout on paper, I didn't really maximize my potential, so I'm lost. So I was lost like the. The best way I could put it was I was lost and I was doing this job and you know that ended in marketing. And then my old man was a trainee and he was like do you want to? You know, start an apprenticeship? And he could see that I was. I think he could see that I was a bit lost, yeah, and that my parents wanted me to go to uni. You know, do the traditional route. I went to a private school. This stuff, you invest all this money. It's your expectation is go to uni and do these things. And I was pretty strong and like uni's not for me. I'm not a studier, I'm not a learner in that way. I need to be hands-on, yeah. And so he was like, clearly I didn't say it at the time, but he was clearly throwing me a lifeline he was like just come, do this apprenticeship, get, get your shit together. Basically, yeah, come and do this apprenticeship.
Speaker 2:No, did the apprenticeship not without its hiccups, like dad and I had a bit of a rocky relationship. During the time I was still partying a lot and doing that, doing that stuff that you're doing is your mid-20s and yeah, yeah, I think it was hard for my parents to process because they always saw me as being this elite athlete and that's what they wanted for me. And then I rejected that. Now I'm partying and working and they're like, what the hell is this kid doing? And so, yeah, I did that. And then I quit that after two years, went sold cars at mazda for about five months, uh, got the sack and then dad took me back and he was like, all right, you can come back and do your apprenticeship, yeah. And then, mate, it was all the while I was, I always wanted to be in the media, like that was my dream always my dream.
Speaker 2:You probably pick up on it. I'm a talker, I'm like, I love being around people.
Speaker 1:And you're a writer. You're a writer as well. Yeah, I used to write yeah.
Speaker 2:And so I was like, how the hell do I do this like I don't have a degree, I'm on paper, I look shit house and my mom always said that she's like you know, you present so poorly on paper. And I was like, yeah, but get me in a room and I reckon I can talk my way into it. Like, yeah, just get me in the room and I reckon I can do it, so great example of creating your pathway, mitch, exactly right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's, it's so, don't need to be a hot shot along the little journey, just found yourself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, just took a bit of time, that's exactly what happened.
Speaker 2:But created your pathway, Exactly what happened. I started to reflect a lot more, and I don't think young men talk about this enough and we should, but like in full transparency. I don't tell this story often, but I remember I was in my peak drinking party boy era and I was just drinking. You know, maybe you've gone through it you get to the point where you're drinking.
Speaker 1:it's not even fun anymore.
Speaker 2:You're just drinking because you're trying to, you know, not deal with whatever it is you have going on in your life. Not everyone does that, but that's definitely what I was doing for a period of time heavy binge drinking during covid, still drinking all this sort of stuff, and I was doing my apprenticeship at the time, didn't have a car, uh. So I was catching public transport, job sites and stuff and mate, this is a 23. Like seriously, get your shit together anyway. Um, I was in the back of this uber and I remember having this. I've never, ever, had this thought before, never had it again. But I was like thinking, oh, mate, what would it really matter if the car flipped or someone hit the car, like, and this was at the rock bottom.
Speaker 2:And I was very lucky because I had that instant moment where I was like, holy shit, I've never had that thought before.
Speaker 2:That's not that I shouldn't be thinking that way, and I knew that drinking was the reason I was thinking that way, but I could never give it up. I was always trying to do 30 days sober and I get to the weekend I'll be like, oh, I could go for a beer, and so, yeah, okay, I was like I need a change and I did 100 days sober, so that was my big thing. I was like I'm doing 100 days no drinking and I want to see what that's like. And man, I did 100 days and it was the best thing that's ever happened to me. Um, the first 25 were hard, but my mates supported me, my family supported me and like I just got this clarity where I thought life's gonna pass me by real quick I could still be, you know doing the same, drinking with the same mates in the same city, in the same place, or I could just have a crack, and it didn't happen instantly.
Speaker 2:I was. I didn't wake up one day and that just happened. It was slowly, over time. So from there so this is I'm 24 now. From there I started reaching out to people. I hit up the vaffa, the amateur football league, being like do you need commentators for the weekend? I was like we actually do. Yeah, so first box ticked. It's like shit, why didn't I do that ages ago? I was just holding myself back from doing it because I was scared of what that would look like if they said no and what that would do to me. But yeah, I was like all right, cool.
Speaker 2:First box ticked and then I hit up a guy called locky rainer, who I attribute as like starting my career I always will about athletics exclusive. And he was like mate, come sit in the booth, you can do some special comments. And then from there it's like you can commentate. And then from there it was like I did both those commentary for free. So I was like just giving up my time to go and do it on the side of still working. And then that led to the next one. And then Athletics Victoria was like we heard you commentating Do you want to come and do this? So I was like I do so, then started doing that, so it just started to positive, things started to happen. And I was like, okay, this is what I need to be doing. And I realized doing. And I realized. Then I was like if I'm gonna do this full time, it's gonna take a while because I don't have a degree, I don't have any of that stuff.
Speaker 2:So, chipped away at that for a year and a bit started reaching out to more people. Man, I would have there could not have been a media job in australia. I did not apply for, yeah, I was going ham, got nothing, just no replies. No, nothing. People hit me. Thanks so much for inquiring, yeah, so you know, I'm two years of doing that and I thought, shit, I need to, I need to step it up.
Speaker 2:And so I found this radio course like australian radio school, sean craig murphy. If you're ever interested to do radio, hit up sean, because he's a legend. And I didn't. I mean, I had piss, all money. And my parents like, look, we'll, we'll support it, we'll fund it. Um, we just want to see you do something with it, and I was like all right. So I did that for like eight weeks and that was huge. That was just like learning what the industry was like. And again I applied for a stack of jobs and nothing came from it. And so I was like all right, mate, the first time I probably got rejected and I thought that's not a waste of time, though, like Like that was a good use of my time. It'll come back Like that will help me somewhere. Somewhere that's going to help me, sure, yeah. So I had to kind of just be like swallow my ego again and be like all right, maybe I'm not hot shit, I need to keep chipping away.
Speaker 2:So anyway, I got to. I'm not even kidding, I would have been three months away from finishing my apprenticeship. My old man's my boss. He's grinded with me to get through this thing. He's like, yeah, we're nearly. He's like he's out of my head, thank God. Like he's got three months left and go build houses.
Speaker 2:And I remember I was sitting in a pub with my mates and I was telling them about how I had this idea. This is 2022 to go to the world champs and, uh, you know, interview the athletes and do exactly what I'm doing with, straight at it. But I wanted to do it with athletics, australia or someone anyway. No one wanted to do it. They were like, great idea, we don't have the funds, or, uh, and I was complaining you know, no one wants to use me and I've got this great idea. My mates were just sick of it and they were like why don't you just go do it? Like stop talking about it, why don't you just actually go do it and just see what happens? What are you going to lose? And I was like, and look, I'd had. I probably had two drinks at that point and I was like that's a great idea.
Speaker 2:So I went home and I booked the flight, I was like I'm going to where? To which world? To eugene? So over to the states, yeah. So I was like I'm going, I don't care, I'm going. Uh, this was probably about seven weeks out from the world champs and I was like you know, yeah. And then I thought, shit, I'm gonna have to tell my dad I'm leaving the job, and three months before finishing my apprenticeship, so I'm pooing my pants, I'm like I'm not telling him, didn't tell him till like three weeks later and obviously not impressed. My whole family not impressed. They're like what the hell are you even going to do over there? And I'm trying to explain to them, I'm going to document it and they're like do you have accreditation?
Speaker 2:I was like no, do you have tickets? I was like no, they're like you're an idiot. So basically they were like don't do it. I was like, look, I have a really strong feeling. I have a really strong feeling about this. I need to go and do it. I'm 26 at this point, mind you, so probably people are like why are we doing this shit together?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But I just had this really strong feeling and I was like I've got to go over. So anyway, I went over. You know, I leave my job with two months to go on my apprenticeship. Jesus. But I had this. I don't know what it was, I just felt confident. I was shooting my pants, You're following your passion, isn't it? That's the thing Absolutely, and you've created a pathway from the radio course to this.
Speaker 1:I think this is the message to pass on is you can create your pathway. You didn't have the university background or anything like that.
Speaker 2:You've gone out and followed.
Speaker 2:You had a vision and you just followed and created your own passion, which is amazing, which is such the message here, absolutely, and then yeah, just and then you ended up at eugene at the most unbelievable meet I know, like in world champs, sitting there and like I was on social media, being like anyone got tickets and like I bought some. My parents had bought me some, so they did support Like I don't want to make it like they didn't support me, they did in their own way, but they were just filthy on what I was doing, naturally as a parent. And so anyway, mate, I'm sitting over there and I'm doing my thing and I'm interviewing athletes randomly in a backyard of this house, I'm staying in and hanging over the fence and hanging over the fence, and I didn't talk to any of them really, and it was just an experience thing, and so, anyway, I still had mates in america. So I'm in california after the games.
Speaker 2:I'm in uh shit, where am I? Santa clara, california, in front of my mates, and I get this email from a radio station in south australia and they were like, hey, we sort of saw what you were doing, but you know, sean, craig murphy has pumped you up. Would you be keen to um work?
Speaker 1:in full circle moment. Full circle moment.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll sit there and I'm thinking like, oh mate, like I've been applying for these jobs for years and I haven't heard anything. And now, like someone wants me to work with them I'm not begging them someone wants me to work with them. So I'm like, yep, did the interview. They're like, yep, let let's lock and load. So I'm like this is amazing. All the while on this trip I've got like pretty much a one-way ticket. I'm like I'm not coming home, I'm going to go to Europe, I'm going to work as a barista. I'm going to find myself, I'm going to do this stuff. So now I'm like, yeah, I come home. I ask them if I can start it a couple months later so I can finish my apprenticeship to make my old man happy. And they're like yep, no worries, oh, cool, anyway, mate, go through the process. I'm pumped. I'm pumped, I'm moving to South Australia. And then, two weeks before, I get an email from News Corp and they're like hey, someone just pulled out of a job in Queensland. You're the next resume up. Do you want to interview to be a sports journalist? And I was like you're joking, like, again, I'm applying for these jobs and anyway.
Speaker 2:So I made a decision. I was like look, I'm not very good at writing. That's not my strong suit, um, and my theory was, if someone's going to pay me to be better at writing and I get in the media, that's probably smarter than going to radio and doing something that I think I'm already better at. So it was a bit of a weird choice, but I was like I'm going to go there. So then I moved to Mackay, drove my car straight up to Mackay from Melbourne and didn't have a place to live until about two hours before getting there. So I was driving blind and, yeah, spent 10 months in Mackay, which was amazing, and it was, again, probably one of the best things I ever did, because I got out of melbourne, I got out of my comfort zone again. I got out of that environment.
Speaker 2:10 months there, had the same feeling. 10 months doing what, though? For news corp? So sports journalism. But when you start at news corp, you do like beat reporting. So I'm covering, like, hospital news, yeah, car incidents, fatals, all this stuff. So I'm like shit, what the hell am I doing? Not a great writer, like, literally. You could go and ask my editors. They're like yeah, this guy was pretty raw.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but the presentation skills of doing that, the voxies on the street, yeah, oh, yeah, you put yourself out there.
Speaker 2:It was a huge leverage, oh yeah. And so I was like, yeah, love Mackay, I was probably ready to come home. I was like, all right, I've done my 10 months here, like I'm ready to either move to the Goldie I've always wanted to live there or like come home and anyway, they started making people redundant and I again mate. I just had this gut feeling. I was like I need to go overseas, I need, like. The editors were like, one day you'll take over the track and field here at News Corp, like it's obviously a passion.
Speaker 2:They got me to write these major articles for it. They were like, yeah, we love what you do, you'll take over one day. And I remember thinking like how long is one day? And they were like, oh you know, when the other guy retires, you'll take his spot. Like he's not retiring for at least 15, 20 years. Like I can't wait that long. And everyone's in my ear, you've got to bide your time, you've got to do your thing, yeah, yeah. I was like, yeah, I get that, but this is an untapped market, no one does this. So I was like you know what, screw it, I'd quit my job again. And I was like I'm going overseas. So I spent, then went and a half months in europe uh, self-funded, like I, I did make like a, an account where people could chip in, like I think people chipped in a bit of money to help me get around.
Speaker 2:But okay, yeah, mate, found my way into diamond leagues and then got into.
Speaker 1:This is just like last year, then this is last year, so this is only 18 months ago, not even like 16 months ago.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and, mate, the way that this is a very long story, I apologize, but the way that, uh, this started was I was man, I went to oslo bizlet games, one of the best track meets in the world and I'm walking and I've got this media accreditation and I'm like, yeah, I mean I'm, I'm thinking there's no way, it's real. I'm starting to think that I've been like hat on and I'm, and I get to the end. They're like, yeah, bitch, die, like you Dyer, like you know media. I was like, holy shit, all right. So I'm like, all right, got the media stash on.
Speaker 2:I'm like yeah, this is the best ever I'm at the Diamond League. I can't believe it. I'm walking around the stadium.
Speaker 1:Oh shit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm like, look at me, I'm loving myself sick and then I'm looking around post on I haven't even made anything. I'm like I'm just gonna sit here like an idiot and have nothing to show for it. So I'm thinking, shit, I need to make something here. Sure, and literally I'm sitting in the media zone in oslo and I was like I'm gonna make an instagram, that's how I'm gonna do it, that's how I'm gonna get to people's instagram. Everyone wants to wake up and see stuff. Yeah, and no one's doing it. So, yeah, I literally sat there and I was. This is so corny. I was looking down the straight of oslo and I was like, oh, straight out, that makes sense.
Speaker 1:So that's how it started beautiful, I love it.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, and then you know, I think I caught a lot of the athletes by surprise and this is my first time interviewing people as well. So, yeah, kind of a baptism of fire I was. You know that nervousness. You get where you're like I don't want to approach someone, but I do, but I don't, but what if it sounds shit? And what if I? What if I ask a dumb question? I'm in my head, man, I'm like paying rent, big money rent in my head. And I was like I'll just ask him. And then horry lewis, who's now the australian record holder. She was the first ever interview I did and she was running in the national 200, not even in the diamond league, the national 200. Yeah, I was like, oh, I'll grab tori. And then it just like I was like tori, do you have time for a chat? She's like what the hell is an australian doing in in, uh, norway? And that was it, mate.
Speaker 2:I just started doing that. And then I had no real skills in graphic design. Um, I was just teaching myself how to do it and looking at other pages and being like, how do they make their stuff more? Yeah, um, professional and presentable. And then I'm in canva. I should go back and look like how do they make their stuff more professional and presentable? And then I mean Canva, I should go back and look at the first ones. They're shit ass and I'm like posting them up. People are like spelling mistakes.
Speaker 1:It takes a bit of time. I mean like you're talking to someone who's got no? Idea, no interest, by the way too. Yeah, yeah, I feel like I'm well past it, but you're in there. This is your generation's like vehicle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this is the thing. And it's like oh mate, I couldn't tell you the amount of times I'm stressing about, like how quickly I get stuff out, or what does it look like, what do people think of it, what have I like? I'm a very relaxed guy on the surface, but internally I'm always thinking, yeah, I'm going to get this. I'm always thinking, yeah, I'm going to get this this, this, this done.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's good though. That's being creative though, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. That's the creative process and I've just been learning over time. It takes time, but that's how it's built up. It's literally just built up over me, putting myself in positions and then meeting people, and then people helping and the community helping and the athletes just being excited that there's an Australian there, and then forming these connections with the athletes and like becoming friends with them, not just media with them. Yeah, it's a pretty crazy journey.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for God's sake, just don't ask the same questions, whatever you do.
Speaker 2:I know, I know that's the thing you just know what's coming.
Speaker 1:you know when you watch like I'm watching the Olympics I just know what's coming.
Speaker 2:It's predictable. Yeah, it's predictable, I know. Let me in a little bit somehow.
Speaker 1:Find the little tangent there somewhere.
Speaker 2:I love that.
Speaker 1:I mean, look, I woke up this morning and the first thing I saw was your post about the pole vault last night.
Speaker 1:Yeah, under the canopy in the streets there. It was fantastic. Yeah, pretty cool. This has obviously been a huge vehicle for you the Insta pages of Straight At it and there's so much great video and content there. So have you, like you were just saying initially it was, like you know, really shitty, and then I got better at it and doing Canva and whatever it is you have to get, you know, likeced up with. Are you now enjoying that part of it?
Speaker 2:yeah, oh yeah, I love it. That's the thing it's like, and I hate it again.
Speaker 1:It's so cliche, it's like when you have what you do, it won't feel like work.
Speaker 2:Yeah it like it does, like it does like. I hate when people say that because when you're in it it feels like work, but I think more what it is. It's like you're willing to do the work. It's you're not, like I'm never dragging my feet, now being like I think back to being a tradie and I always draw back to this and I'm like monday morning, wake up, it's raining, it's five degrees in melbourne. You've got to go on a job site. You're putting up external cladding, you're hitting your hand with the hammer. I'm like that's hard, that was really hard. Like to get up and do that. And I shout out every person that works in trades that gets up for years and years and years and does that and just grinds Like that is hard work.
Speaker 2:So when I sometimes get bogged down. I'm like this is so consuming and it is in different ways. I think like, wow, but this is like I'm traveling the world.
Speaker 1:I'm traveling australia covering something I love, with people in the circus and chasing the dream, and it's like, damn, I will take really amazing.
Speaker 2:Uh, I'll take the anxiety of having this created than the anxiety of wondering what would happen, and that's been a big thing for me. So like, yeah, the work is tough at times, but I'm always willing to do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think the thing you've also spoken of. It takes time, and then when you are in a position of being familiar to many, you're often the first thought of.
Speaker 2:Yeah, true, no, that's a great point.
Speaker 1:I mean, you mentioned to me that you'd listened to Tamsin's episode on this podcast. Yeah, but like you know, I switch on and I listen to Dave Colbert, who's just amazing, and then, thankfully, we had Tamsin there Commentating on the fact yeah, I love Tamsin I just was so thankful she was there, because I don't think it would have been great.
Speaker 1:No, she's so brilliant, but it's interesting, isn't it? So over time, these things sort of generate a little bit of familiarity, and then you're pulled in for this job, or can we get Mitch to do that or Jason to do this? Do you know what I mean? Once you're in there and sort of you know part of the scene and also shown that you're a really good communicator, I think it'll work. You know? Just even more. So it's just a bit of a snowball, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Oh, 100%. And it's so true that, like I remember, a guy went to school and this isn't his quote, but he works in fashion and he was. I remember he put up a story years ago and he was like my overnight success took 10 years and I remember that's right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a great quote to live by, because it's the snap. It's the things you don't see and the things that people are doing behind the same as the athletes are the things you don't see. That get them these opportunities. And, um, I think my parents always told me that my, if my parents listen to this, they'll be like. I've been telling you that since you're a kid that it's not an like overnight success doesn't just happen. It's no, that's it worked out for a long time it's persistence.
Speaker 1:That's the thing yeah, like we were talking about with the athletes, that desperation to like I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do this, yeah, and and patience it's.
Speaker 2:For me. It was really hard to absorb because I'm a I want it now guy. I am, I'm always there's a generation of that, though with this.
Speaker 1:I know my children like are at this age and it's like, oh, I'm not going to do that forever and it's like you haven't even started yeah, that's a great point that's the thing, mate.
Speaker 2:It's like even with this now, I I only now think of myself at the start line. I feel like before this, for sure I was. I was training to get to the race, all the things I did and I try and draw back on. You know I wasn't a high level athlete, but I was.
Speaker 2:I was competitive and I'm like I draw back on some of the things I learned as a kid that I didn't even realize I was learning yeah and I was like all right, all the, the body of work I've done now to get here and to be able to work on this full time for the first time and, you know, seemingly run a business. It's like, now I'm at the start line. This is where it actually starts, because now it's like you've got something. I didn't have something until now. So it's like rather than and this was my problem in college I got to college and thought that was it. I was like I've made it. Now, okay, everything will take care of itself, and that's probably a learning I take into this business, where I'm like no, now I'm, now I'm at the start line. This is where I now need to start doubling down and well, it is the start.
Speaker 1:I think you just mentioned it's 16 months yeah 16 you've done the diamond league oh yeah, from eugene, it's like two but the journey. Before that is what you were saying. Yeah, that's exactly right. Yeah, yeah, good message.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I just think it takes, and not to be cliche, but yeah, it does take time and it's okay to get frustrated with time as well. It's okay to like. I don't know, I feel like I'm getting really philosophical. That's good, yeah, you know, I just feel like, at least for me. Yeah, as a kid, I felt like I was always taught that you always have to be in life to be productive, you have to be up, you have to be happy. Like chasing happiness is the most important thing. And I feel like I did a lot of work with my psych, anthony Clarico, who I love. He's one of my favorite people in the world. I would always recommend people seeing a psych. Even if you're up, it's always good to talk through your feelings. But you know, yeah, he was just like it's a I can't even remember what train of thought I was on there.
Speaker 1:Um, one thing I thought of just then was, like you know, having support around you and you mentioned anthony was, like you know, even if you're up, I mean having that support is um. Often we forget this that there doesn't have to be too many problems going on or simmering, but it's about making yourself better yeah, a hundred percent, it's just pursuing, you know, your ideal or, like we said, that pathway of what you want to do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely, and it is a time-based thing. Yeah, it's frustrating. Oh, that was right. Yeah, it's like it's not. I just realised, I think, over time, that it's okay. It needs to be normalised. It's okay to be down, frustrated, annoyed, like that's a part of life, like I just try to think of it now as a roller coaster, like sometimes I'm up and I'm having the time of my life and kicking my feet. Being like this is the best shit ever Other times.
Speaker 2:then I'm on the downslope, I'm scared of what's happening. I don't know what's coming next. I don't know what that next turn of the roller? Am I doing a loop-de-loop or am I going up or is it stopped? But that's okay because it's, it's a part of it and eventually you're going to go back up, eventually you're going to feel that high again and I think I'm trying to teach myself to just be more comfortable with, uh, with not being hot shit all the time, like yeah, yeah, yeah, not flying all the time, and that normalizes things for me and probably takes some pressure off a little bit um, so you sound like to I'm.
Speaker 1:We're going to talk about you here just for a second.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sure, messages here you have.
Speaker 1:Let me in here today.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you've let me in here, yeah.
Speaker 1:And you sound like you've zoomed out and you now have good perspective. But there's been some real issues there, oh, massively, and I want to know you've let me in here a little bit about. There's been some real issues there, oh, massively, and I want to know you've let me in here a little bit about. There's been a background there that's been really difficult, yeah, and you've grown from that, which is the important message. But what I want to know is now, on reflection, after Paris, which is where we started, yeah, and you now see, there's this huge journey for everyone to aspire to be better, because I think that's what we see with the Olympics, which you've covered is this ideal of striving for excellence. That's what is conveyed from events like the Olympics, and can you now see this huge I suppose that's what is conveyed from events like the Olympics and can you now see this huge, I suppose, difference between the issues you've had and then now you're in the media covering the most extraordinary people in their fields?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, it is. I can and I can't Like I can see it on. Maybe it'll take more time. Yeah, it's like I can and I can't Like I can see it on. Maybe it'll take more time. Yeah, it's like I can see it on paper. Once you come out of the post-depression, yeah because if I were to write it down, I'd probably look at it and be like, oh, that's pretty crazy, like shit yeah yeah, if I looked at it on someone else.
Speaker 2:Right, if I saw it on someone else I'd be like, damn, that's a hell of a rise. But when I reflect on myself, I'm not. I don't give myself a lot of praise and I don't think I probably give myself enough um, positive reinforcement at time. So I think, uh, I'm trying to do that now. I'm trying to be like, wow, that's pretty crazy, what just happened. I mean, the other thing as well is like it is hard coming off the olympics and I said this to another creative last week. It was like one day on sunday, I'm at the, the women's marathon, you know, watching safan hassan and watching our women dominate. On tuesday morning I'm getting a coffee in melbourne. The olympics is done and you're no longer in that spotlight, and then you just shipped, and I can't imagine what it's like for athletes, because then you shipped it back and you know we're gonna speak about that, for sure, yeah, um and the exciting part, I guess, for australians now is that we do have paralympics coming up next week.
Speaker 2:We have world juniors for track and field um, we've got some major marathons and stuff like that yep, in peru, one of our best teams, if not our best team ever, assembled for that. And so I did go through that initial phase of being like, oh man, the olympics is done, like I guess we've got a lot of time. And then I quickly pivoted to like, wow, we got one of our best ever paralympic and world junior teams about to embark on their own journey. And it's like now I kind of went straight back into that mode of like how do I best do that? And like I do put a lot of pressure on myself to tell these stories and be like to nail it. But uh, sometimes you just can't and that's okay. But but I feel pretty confident now.
Speaker 2:I've got a photographer on the ground at the Paralympics, big Benny Lightknife, if you're looking for photos. He's sensational. And we've got a couple of the young guys are sending me back videos from Peru and documenting that experience. And so, yeah, I'm ambitious on that, I'm bullish on that and I'm pumped to pump that up. But yeah, mate, coming off the back of the Olympics, it is a little bit of an adjustment and you're like all right now back to work and back to regular proceedings.
Speaker 1:Okay, so hit me with highlights of Paris.
Speaker 2:That's a really hard one, I would say. I mean from like a global perspective, or Australian perspective yeah, global, to start with. Okay, I would say. I mean, watching Mondo is always an experience. This is Mondo de Plantis pole vaulter. Yeah, mondo de Plantis the pole vaulter Cleared 625, I think, didn't he break the world record.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 625, broke the world record last attempt at it. And mate, mate, it's like the whole state 80 000 strong, all eyes on one man, one. It was literally the man in the arena, um, and he's, he's. I don't know what it is like, he's just a showman. And it's like you're watching a snapshot of history and you don't like I don't see those markers being beaten, other than mondo doing it himself for a long, long, long time. So you're sort of like, damn, I'm watching a real piece of history here, and to see him celebrate with his partner and like you know all that sort of stuff, it was really cool. So that was awesome to watch. I mean, I think the men's 1500 as a former middle distance runner was highly entertaining. Watching Cole Hawker come over the top of you know both Ingebrigtsen and Kerr and Yaron Agus and I was staying with a bunch of Americans so they were rowdy as all hell for it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was pretty cool Amazing race.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the men's 400-meter hurdles like became close with Alisson de Santos over the summer and really wanted him to do well to get a bronze. And then you know, know, carson and Rye Benjamin, like Rye's been injured for so many years now to come and win gold was pretty awesome. So internationally, like those were awesome to see from an Australian perspective. I mean it's like the women.
Speaker 1:You mentioned three guys, three men. I'll give you, I'll give you the women.
Speaker 2:So I would say the women's. I mean, you probably get split now, but Faith Kipiagon winning three 1500 medal titles is crazy. Something again that God like when is that?
Speaker 1:That's never happened before.
Speaker 2:I don't know when that's really ever going to happen again. Women's 100, julian Alford wins the first ever medal for St Lucia and it's a gold medal. And then to come back and I think she was silver in the 200 as well yeah, the rise of her story based on that. Netflix sprint didn't get a lot of screen time, yeah, and you know, now she comes out and she's the Olympic gold medalist, and Netflix script writers are probably like, holy shit, all right, now we've got to get a follow-up on this one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm sure they will in the second series too. Oh, 100%. I've got to say you know complete ignorance with the sprinting. It's like the f1 um series. Everyone's so psyched on f1, you know, with from drive to survive.
Speaker 2:I watched sprint and now I have this invested interest I think they timed it well right, like right before the games, um. But yeah, I mean I'm trying to. I'm trying to think of other um specific. I mean the javelin was really cool to see the Japanese athlete win the first ever field medal for Japan. Obviously he was watching it for Mackenzie and Kath Mitchell, but to see that I was like that's pretty awesome. Any time you can do something historic for your country is really really special. But I mean our women in Australia absolutely dominated and continually dominate 100, 200, four hurdles.
Speaker 1:They're all semi-finaled.
Speaker 2:Yeah, all semi-finaled 800,. Semi-finaled 1500,.
Speaker 1:Jess second Georgia semi-finaled. Yeah, one thing about talking about the women's 1500 is Jess Hull. The only person that's beaten her is the best runner we've ever seen.
Speaker 2:Yeah in faith.
Speaker 1:It's taken her, with her timing to be beaten by the best middle distance runner we've ever seen.
Speaker 2:Any other year you keep that in perspective in the times that Jess Hull has run.
Speaker 1:It's like mind-blowing.
Speaker 2:I mean, what she's done this year is crazy. I mean she's the best we've ever seen in Australian middle distance running like by a fair margin now, first ever 1500 Meta Medalist in Australian history for the women, fifth fastest all time World record holder over the 2k um all within. And that all happened in five weeks, yeah so you could not outside of beating the goat in faith. You couldn't get a better exactly five week period and um yeah, yeah, I mean it's.
Speaker 2:I've been really lucky. I don't know how and this is just serendipitous. I feel like it's one of those universal things. But I've just about been at every race Jess has run in the last two years, interviewing and on the ground, and we've built a really great relationship outside of media and her husband, daniel, is one of the funniest blokes ever, and so to see her do that was really cool and really special. And like to see her after the race and just see the emotion, how much it meant to her and just how like she left her coach. She came back and trained with her dad. She brought her two training partners with her to travel around Europe. They're just two guys from Australia. Like it's this Australian story where you're like God. That makes no sense that they've done so well, outside of the pure fact that Jess is just one of the most tenacious women you've ever met. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:But don't you think they've actually known? They've learnt and known how to do it.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, they've known. Okay, we are taking these guys away with it.
Speaker 1:We're not just going away on our own. We're having a whole system here. They've learnt what to do, absolutely, and grown into it and shout, shout out to them. Yeah, shout out to them.
Speaker 2:She brought them to every Diamond League man that was in the crowds. Oh yeah, there you go. She's such a community person as well, jess, and it's funny because I reckon, from the limited, although be it time spent off the track, you take her off the track you'd have no idea that she's a 1,500-metre superstar. Like, she doesn't talk about it, she just does her thing, and I think that's a really important part as well. So to watch that and to hunt, like to watch her harness the moment because it was the first time she'd gone into a champs people expected her to medal. Yeah, it wasn't like, oh my god, if she medals, that'd be amazing.
Speaker 2:It's like, yeah, no yeah, no, we did yeah totally and she harnessed that so well so, so that was really awesome to see. I mean Nina's gold, Like any time you see an Olympic gold medal.
Speaker 1:See, I think, nina, seriously, I think that is as big as accomplishment as any other gold medal we've seen. Oh my God, I think so.
Speaker 2:And it was cool because I watched it back and I'm sure this is what you were watching, but Steve Hooker calling the gold medal Like what a moment that is Footage of Steve Hooker and Dave Colbert was crazy yeah so great and it's like, yeah, it's just so significant and it's awesome to happen. It could not happen to a better person than Nina.
Speaker 1:One other thing that is not often spoken about, Mitch, sorry to cut in there.
Speaker 2:No, please.
Speaker 1:Talking about the Australian women, if we think about Lauren Ryan in the 10K, jess Stenson, genevieve Gregson in the marathon, one of the things I loved about those runners was they found themselves at the front of the Olympic 10K. Lauren found herself at the front of the field leading the women's final of the 10,000 metres. Jess Stenson and Genevieve made their way to the front of the pack in the marathon and they ran with it. They had the guts not to just like you know, to really follow through, not just fall back and sort of get put off by the situation. Or you know, should I be here, am I doing the right thing? Because I've seen that in many other athletes in the past. But they found themselves there.
Speaker 1:I mean, lauren was a classic, I think. She found herself at the front of the field and she just ran on with it and she kept the pace on. She didn't fall back waiting for someone else to take control. You know the things that I saw in those girls in taking that initiative was okay and particularly say, lauren, there's a lot that comes out of those moments of like yep, you know what? There's a bit of maturity there, there's a bit of determination and they're just going to get better and better, because there's an attitude that we saw of not falling back. There's an attitude of like, yeah, I'm running with this and that's, they're the. That's the, those moments I think have overlooked significantly. If I was coaching a group of people, I'd get them to pull those videos up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I think it's a great point Show, some balls, yeah. And it's getting out there and doing it Like in particular excuse me, that women's marathon. It was like you're halfway through and then I remember watching it and I was like, because you're in the media zone and I'm watching the TV, and I'm like, oh shit, they're getting a fair bit of media time, like the camera's following them for ages. And then all the reporters were like, oh, they're in the front. And you're like like, what the hell? And it's funny because jess talked about it and she was like well, what's the point of slowing down? If I slow down, they're all faster than me, time wise, so I may as well pull and go.
Speaker 2:And I was like that's right, yes, that's what I love and that's why I love jess, because she's just. That's just her and jen to roll with her as well, and they share the lead and they're chopping it up and they're do you want to take it?
Speaker 1:It's like yeah, yeah, yeah. But I think she said I just felt so light and I felt so good. At that point. It was like I'm going with it. I love that attitude.
Speaker 2:So significant in terms of you know showing people as well what you can do.
Speaker 1:And obviously, like, like you know, they didn't win, but that's okay like it's, and they weren't expected to win.
Speaker 2:So my theory again like armchair expert, my theory is always like 13th, yep, 13th and 26 yeah yeah, you're right, and my theory is like, well, you may as well go out crack I know it's the olympics, but good on them for having a crack.
Speaker 1:Yeah, one thing that Jess Hull has exhibited and you know, any young athlete listening to this has to go back and watch is that she has not been afraid to blow up. Yeah, no, she has like extended herself, and that's how you get better. So these are the things that have to be passed on to young athletes. That's a great point. You've got to have a go.
Speaker 2:She did say that when she nearly beat Bates she was like, oh, I wasn't going to die wondering today.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's right I blow up, I blow up whatever. But I've got to prove to myself, I've got to see if I can go with it and then obviously it worked out. But yeah, don me be like just go out and run. He's like if you go out and try and win, the time will probably come. And then, second to that, if you keep showing up and you keep running, and shit man, I was a front runner the whole way so people would dust me all the time, but he was like one day they won't get you. You keep walking up and you keep getting to the front and you keep getting stronger and you keep putting yourself in a position to win, eventually they won't catch you. And that did. And I literally ran like that from about 12 all the way till I was 19. Only at 16 17 did that start working for me.
Speaker 2:And even then it didn't work all the time, but that's five years of getting your teeth kicked in, yeah and uh. Jess does it all the time, you're right like she literally goes into these races and she did it at world indoors. She just finished fourth. She's done. In a previous olympics she finished sixth and or seventh and now she's got to this olympics finally, and that's the breakthrough. And without those moments of testing yourself and not failing failing is the wrong word testing yourself and not quite being there have led you to now test yourself and be there, and she embodies that.
Speaker 1:So much it's extending the limits. You know, die a fighter. Just to go back talking about Jess Hull and others you've been on the track with recently and we spoke about a few things about, you know, fierceness and composure and maturity and spirit and all those things. The other thing I saw with Jess and many of the athletes and you would have been right, you know in the face of this is the immense relief, and it's not this, I mean, sometimes you see this ecstatic sort of celebration, but most of the time we see this relief and it's God, it's so deep, it's really hard to understand.
Speaker 1:Unless you've been, I think it's really hard to understand. But, man, that is deep and it's just like talk about like so emotional in the living room, like over and over again. But what's it like talk about like so emotional in the living room, like over and over again. But what's it like being there, like you're at the Paris Games and you would have seen this countless times.
Speaker 2:No, absolutely. It is a relief and it's like this again. It's like, oh, the weight's off your shoulders. But I think it's more than that. I think it's like I don't know it's.
Speaker 2:The build-up to the games is something different. It's everything you want to achieve, right, as an athlete. It's like that's, I want to be an olympian, that's my thing, even when you're a kid, if you think about it, if you ran or you jumped or you threw as a kid, often if you won state medals and national medals, it'd be like, one day you'll be at the Olympics and you don't even realise it. But from a young age you've got this idea of, like, what the Olympics will mean to me and what the Olympics will do for me, and I think you carry that for such a long time. And then you get there and then it changes to like, oh, now you've got to perform at the Olympics. So now it shifts from like I realized my dream to I better make the most of it. And so when these athletes are finishing, it's like this oh, my god, darn it, I'm an olympian, I've competed, I've, you know, done myself proud, I've done my family proud.
Speaker 2:The amount of athletes that maybe didn't perform, and this was always heartbreaking for me to watch sometimes was that the athletes that maybe didn't perform to their best. One of their most immediate reactions is often like I hope I didn't let the country down, I didn't let my coaches down, and it that's the other side of it. Like you might think that these athletes are just representing themselves, but it's so much deeper than that. We're a big sporting nation and you feel that pressure. And so to watch that happen and the positive side of it, watch the relief I didn't be like, ah, I've done it.
Speaker 2:Like Bryn Mast is such a great example Like I'm an Olympic semifinalist. I always wanted that to happen but I didn't know if it would and to watch that relief, I mean that's pathetic to watch. Yeah, absolutely Vice versa. To watch the athletes like there was obviously that big part about Olly Hoare and yeah, unfortunately he got like targeted on social media and had to delete his social media. I was going to delete onto that in a sec. Yeah, yeah and like and Ollie and I are good mates. So to watch that from a friend's side was really difficult.
Speaker 1:Can I just clarify? So Ollie Hoare is Commonwealth Games winner. Probably you could argue he's our leading 1,500-metre runner. Didn't perform too well, and I think the same can be said for Stewie McSwain. Did Stewie receive as much online sort of commentary as what Ollie did? Do you know?
Speaker 2:I'm not entirely sure. Look, Stewie didn't mention it. I think they always get comments and even on my page I find myself like trundling through and deleting comments and trying to, and sometimes I call them out because, like other media can't do that. So I'll get on there and be like, hey man, what the hell are you talking about? Which I probably can't do that. So I'll get on there and be like, hey man, what the hell are you talking about? Which I probably shouldn't do.
Speaker 1:Well, no, I saw your commentary walking down the street. Yeah, I saw that. I think you could have went a bit harder actually. Well, it's so fun I was listening to you and I thought no, there's a polite way and there's a diplomatic way of doing things. But I'm sure you could sort of see yourself and go fuck you guys abusing these people at the Olympics just because they didn't show up on the day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a thing.
Speaker 1:You'd want to say that and call them out too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, without a doubt, and like it was really funny I'll touch on it in a sec. But yeah, to watch Ollie, particularly like it's hard as a mate to watch it and then put your media cap on and be like, all right, I need to cover this appropriately as a media, like that's a big thing for me, like learning. I grew up with a lot of these distance guys and girls, so them I know on a really personal level, the rest of the athletes I'm getting to know and forming that relationship. But yeah, ollie and I go a long way back and yeah, to watch that I just my heart broke for him and I was.
Speaker 2:I was there with him in monaco, like we had dinner in monaco together before his race. Like I was there with him in london in a media capacity and then to sort of listen to what he's going through and to the point where he had to deactivate his Instagram and all this sort of stuff. That was hard and I found that difficult to process and obviously I reached out to him and, you know, shared my own message to him and we talked about it a little bit. But I think the difference as well is and Ollie says this, it's like he unfortunately read the messages. He did see them and, and you know, be privy to them, and that's not his fault. He has every right to read whatever sent to him. He shouldn't have to worry about what's happening. Um, but to that point, on stewie, I don't.
Speaker 1:I just genuinely think stewie doesn't read them yeah, well, it's a smart thing to do, probably. Yeah, I think he just stayed out.
Speaker 2:Um, but on point, I made this point in my story, so I did that story and I was like you guys need to be more mindful of what this can do to athletes. And I got a message from John Stephenson, who I've done some work with, yeah, and John messaged me and goes Talk about that, yeah, and he goes.
Speaker 2:You've come a long way since you used to berate me Twitter as a kid. That's right, yes, and I was like shit, I forgot about that. I literally tweeted John Stephens when I was like 16, being like I think it was at the time of London Olympics and Steve Solomon got picked instead of him and he went on about like how he thought it was unfair and I think I was tweeting him like come on, john, like your time's done, rah, rah, rah.
Speaker 2:And anyway, I was like I very quickly was like I was the problem, like that was actually what the kids most likely kids are doing was what I used to do, and so it was this real moment where I was like Ah, full circle moment right and I was like, rather than shy away from that and be like, oh yeah, but mine was different.
Speaker 2:It's a hate when reporters do that and they're like, oh, but this is why it happened, I was like I need to really own up to that and that's why I did the other one.
Speaker 1:Well, you were. You were so open about it.
Speaker 2:I was like I did it. I know when you're young you don't think about it, but then I even thought deeper than that. I was like, if John took offense to that, you know, 12, 12 years ago now I probably you had a lot of balls it didn't bother me, like let's get a beer, but just as equally that could go the other way. So yeah, it's a lesson, I guess, to young people as well. I sound old saying that.
Speaker 1:No, but it's true though. Like you know if you don to bring something to the table. You better know. Oh yeah, you know what you're on about and you better know the background.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so that part the opposite's going to happen.
Speaker 2:It's going to come back at you from somebody it'll get, and that's what these people don't know, and it won't be straight away somewhere too, yeah probably has hit me somewhere and I and I haven't even been privy to it, um, but yeah, ollie was hard, but he's a tough guy, like he's a beautiful man. He's very in touch with his emotions, ollie, and he'll be okay, but it was just. It was a hard thing to, I guess, see at the time um and look he'll be.
Speaker 1:He'll be the first to admit like he wanted more, like that's the other thing I'm learning like I can't always also be like happy, sprinkled us, like oh, this is what it is like sometimes it is just like hey, he didn't perform the way he wanted to and no one knows the story like whether he was injured like maddie clark was sick, yeah I mean the steeple you know um so disappointing, but no one knows hamstring.
Speaker 2:Yeah, linden hall did a calf beforehand. So it's like when you watch it on face value, you're like, oh, I thought that'd be better than that. And then, when you watch it on face value, you're like, oh, I thought that'd be better than that. And then you get into the mig zone and they're like, oh yeah, by the way, I've torn my calf. I was like that help.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, you don't know these things until you know, and you shouldn't assume, but that's I wish I could tell my younger self. That'd be like stop being a little shithead, um, but yeah it, yeah it's. It's this relief of I've done my job and I'm proud of myself, and then it's an eventual relief, I think, for those athletes that maybe didn't do as well as they want, where they're like no, I'm still an Olympian and I still gave it everything I had and that's the most important thing you can take away from it. But then it's like that's their process, like, as well, I'm not, I well, we're in the media zone that I can't just come in and be like because I was doing this at the start and I'd be like you must be still so proud of what you've achieved, and they're like well, not really like, I need time and I quickly pivoted to being like I can't talk at them and tell them to be proud like that.
Speaker 2:I need to honor how they're feeling and not not be like yeah, but you've, you know that they'll think of that in their own time. So I actually stopped asking a lot of questions. I would just sort of show up. I would try and show up for every athlete and allow them to have someone to talk to at least and like yeah, it was a different experience for me, but a learning one. But I know I'm still learning how to ask good questions and I'm still learning how to separate being a friend versus being a media person and what that balance looks like.
Speaker 1:And but, like I said at the start of this chat, is, like you know, I think what you have brought that sort of real grassroots sort of grounded sort of feel to it, yeah, sort of brought it into our living area, you know, a bit more relatable, which is really nice and straight up, like the commentary walking down the street. You know about the online stuff.
Speaker 2:I love it. I do that a lot. It's good. I didn't think people liked it. People were like you need to do more of it because it's just random stuff that breaks up. Yeah, exactly, yeah.
Speaker 1:Now on that note also, you have been travelling with a photographer.
Speaker 2:I have Jacob. Is that right? Yes, yes, little legend.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so he's. Yeah, some of the images are amazing, Mate this kid, I'm going to lose him.
Speaker 2:He's so talented.
Speaker 2:Yeah so his and my relationship purely started. I watched him shoot Melbourne Marathon last year. He's 21. And he was shooting for someone else and I messaged them. I'm like are you going to use this kid? They and he was shooting for someone else. And I messaged them I'm like are you going to use this kid? They're like oh no, not really. And I was like, well, can I hire him or can I use him for an event? They're like sure. So I just DM'd him and was like mate, do you want to shoot on track nights last year and he was like yeah, came down, shot it. I was like this kid's amazing.
Speaker 2:And anyway, how our relationship started. It's just both of us being like do you want to do something together? Then he shot the whole domestic season for me. Um, and we learned that together.
Speaker 2:And then I was like I'm going to europe and shout out to jacob because I was like I probably can't, I can't afford to pay you like that's why I'm not inviting you to europe and stuff. And he was asking me about my journey and I told him the story of the year before, where I was like I I sort of paid my own way and did that. And he was like, all right, I'm going to come for six weeks and I'm going to pay my own way and go and do it. And so I was like, wow, that's sick.
Speaker 2:And then, yeah, to give him that opportunity to shoot the Olympics. I told him when I found out so we'd both planned on staying through Paris. We had no way into the game, so we booked our flights at the end of Paris, just hoping that we'd get in somehow. So it was very validating, Like I didn't waste Jacob's time and you know to go through that process together as well. Like he's so incredibly talented at what he does and at 21 to walk into your first major as an Olympics. And then also he was shooting for sidious, which is the us company. He shot for them through the diamond leagues, he shot for them at the olympics, like, and he made money that way, which was great that I could like maybe facilitate him to make some money.
Speaker 2:Yeah, fantastic mate he's just a star, and it's like. I always tell him I'm like, mate, if you get a better job, please take it. I don't want to limit you. I offer him no creative direction. I just go, mate, do what you do like. What the hell am I going to tell you about taking damn photos like?
Speaker 1:but it's a great team. You, you know the two of you together.
Speaker 2:The imagery is amazing and I'd be lost without him but for straight at it.
Speaker 1:It's like it's working for you while it and while it is. It's incredible that's it.
Speaker 2:So, mate, the plan is to keep him shooting, um, keep him busy and, uh, yeah, involve him more in in the other side of things, like pitching to companies and, and you know, getting this content and allowing him to have some form of creative influence over it.
Speaker 2:And, yeah, um, I just I remember a hundred percent and I know what it's like to, you know, want something and people not really give you the opportunity of what you think you can do. And I and like it's a. I feel like I, just because someone like, for example, just because I had to grind in a different way to get here, doesn't mean I have to put jacob or other people through the same grind like you don't have to be like well, it took me five years to get here, so pay your dues, it's like no, if I can, it took me five years to get here, so pay your dues.
Speaker 2:It's like no, if I can spare you that five years, mate, come and do it. Like why would I want you to suffer? Just come and do it. So yeah, mate, I'll give anyone a shot. Like I want to give as many people a shot as possible. And like the plan is to keep growing the business and grow it out further, and I'm in the process of doing that now.
Speaker 1:In some of the sports at the Olympics. What's become really evident is, with skateboarding, bmx, the surfers, trying to think of a few others how the Olympics has created a pathway and those athletes in those fields have embraced the Olympics, like the cycling in a way although we have these events all year and probably people will argue whether the tour is bigger or not, but, like Evander Pohl wins the road race and I think he got third of the tour, I mean and then the mountain biking. It's become the pinnacle of these athletes journey and, like the skateboarders, is a classic. Now parents can see that there's a pathway for their kid to hang out in the skate bowl every night after school. And keegan palmer has become this icon of you know, a person striving for excellence and achieving the most ultimate in skateboarding.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm not sure whether you sensed that or whether you could see that. No, I can see it meaning so much more now to so many different sports, even in soccer, and like Novak Djokovic winning the tennis, like how significant that was to him.
Speaker 1:Well, that was really interesting. Actually, the tennis is another one. I forgot about how the four grand slams, but he actually I mean I love Novak as a competitor.
Speaker 2:I really like Novak too. I'm a Novak fan.
Speaker 1:Sort of understand where he's coming from. Outwardly, people have a lot to say, but he is a competitor, and at the Olympics, Djokovic and Alcaraz. If you're going to watch one tennis match this year, just make it that that's the final.
Speaker 1:The standard's insane. I think Yannick Sinner in commentary was saying I've never seen anything like it the standard. And when they finished they were both so emotional in tears and Djokovic went on to say I didn't know it was going to mean this much. It's the only thing I haven't done, but I didn't know what winning the Olympics would be like and he couldn't talk.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and he's usually a talker, yeah.
Speaker 1:And it was just. I think it really highlighted what I was saying about these. Sports have come in and they've created another pathway of excellence, but they're not just another pathway or something else to achieve. It's like the pinnacle. Yeah, no, it's becoming the pinnacle, yeah, the peak of so many sports and I love that, I love that we get to see that and I was interested to know you know that you could see and actually feel that as well.
Speaker 2:No know, you know that you could see and actually feel that as well. No, I completely agree with you. I think it's it's starting the more yeah, the more high quality athletes that come through as well, like the more jokovic's and alcaraz's and everybody that decide to compete legitimizes it so much more. And, uh, it means everything like to be in a like I don't know everyday life.
Speaker 2:If you're like I'm a medalist, people like shit, yeah like keegan palmer, you'd be like I've won 40 x games medals and only people in skateboarding would be like damn, that's pretty lit. And if you're walking down the street he's like I'm a two-time olympic gold medalist. Holy fuck, really, exactly. So I feel like it just carries that weight of like damn, that's pretty impressive, I agree.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's what the Olympics is so amazingly special.
Speaker 2:I agree with you, jason. Big time yeah, well, that was my next question.
Speaker 1:Where to from here? For straight at it More, more, more. I'm going to the Tokyo World Champs next year. You are.
Speaker 2:I'll see you there.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to cover it but obviously there's a bit in between then and now. Absolutely so what's?
Speaker 2:on. Yeah, so we'll do the Paralympics coming up, which will be awesome, so different for me because it will be getting up, you know, early hours in the morning, like everybody else did here for the Olympics and doing it that way, and then also World Juniors, and then I'll head next week to Tassie to host the national cross country, cross country. And then I'm going on a little holiday with my girlfriend and I'll spend a week away and put my phone away and actually, yeah, spend some time disconnected up in Queensland, which would be nice. And then, mate, the plan is we'll do Melbourne Marathon, do some hopefully, jacob will go shoot Sydney Marathon on-track nights, a couple of other things here and there.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, just start to really get over our summer absolutely yeah, just keep on going, touching with brands, try and help in terms of telling the stories of the athletes and like I'm pretty big on the narrative stuff and building out that way, and then make the overall plan is to to get into more sports, like not keep it just in athletics, start to build out. You know, I think cycling is very underutilised in how good Australians are at it. Obviously, swimming is something that's massive, like these Olympic sports people think exist every four years, actually function every year, and so Australians love it. I've learned that from athletics, like Australians love it. If it's there, if it's available, people will love it. And so my thing now is like how do I make more sports available? How do I bring more people for every one of me in athletics, there's one of me in cycling, there's one of me in swimming, there's one of me in skating and rugby, and skating and all these sports.
Speaker 2:So it's like, how do I find and facilitate that and build something bigger than just me and that's something I'm pretty big on. So, look, that's a big undertaking. I yeah and uh, I don't know if my ADHD will commit to nailing it quite the way it needs to be done. But you know if I've learned anything, if I just keep chipping away, things get done well, I think that's the message you've passed on here is the persistence, the passion keep chipping away, you've created a pathway and obviously you know you're making it work, which is amazing for all of us.
Speaker 1:It's great.
Speaker 2:It's incredible, Honestly. I'm nothing without everyone following. I think that's the big thing Like without people actually engaging in the content. I'm just a 28-year-old trying to talk about athletics, yeah, but without even the engagement.
Speaker 1:it's just what you're putting out there is just keeping people up. Oh, thank you. Like you know, waking up this morning and seeing what happened last night, yeah, because I'm sure we're going to hear heaps from you in the future.
Speaker 2:Yes, I will speak to you in Tokyo.
Speaker 1:I know this is the first time we've actually met face-to-face sort of and spoken. You've actually allowed me in to you and your history, which is amazing, so thank you so much for coming on champion within no and um. It doesn't sound like work at all, mate. Yeah, when I see you on the sidelines at paris olympics, I said, yeah, that's not work. Yeah, look at this guy. I think dave colbert actually said that in the booth while he was commentating something. He or maybe he posted something. He goes work. What work?
Speaker 2:yeah, that's exactly it. You're like mate, um, look where I am it's having that like attitude, but no, I, I really appreciate it, jason.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well done, man well done and um, I'll put up all the links about straight at it and uh yeah, see what we can do here, yeah yeah so, and people can, you know, log on and catch up with them. You know media stuff overnight and from all the international events. But, um, also, you know you've got your own, you've got your podcast up and running as well.
Speaker 2:So yeah, yeah, no, we'll double down on that now that I'm home and, um, now that I've got more time, I'm not working multiple jobs. So, yeah, yeah, we'll uh made. It'll just get bigger and bigger, hopefully, if I keep talking to you Full steam ahead, Mitch.
Speaker 1:I love it Full steam ahead.
Speaker 2:That's it Exactly.
Speaker 1:Hey, thanks a million for joining me and having a long chat. Really really amazing Well done, thank you. Thank you for having me on, jason, thanks for joining me and We'll get to meet up in real person.
Speaker 2:Eventually we'll see each other. Yeah, somewhere.
Speaker 1:I'll catch you in Tokyo. Anyway, it's 12 months away. Beautiful. All right, mate, take care. Thanks, jason, appreciate it. Peace to you, mitch. Thanks for joining me, thank you. See you soon. Bye. Anyone who would like to follow Mitch Dyer and Straight At it can find on Instagram at Straight At it. You can find on Instagram at Straight At it and you can also listen to the Straight At it podcast series. You can find more details of this episode in the show notes. Be sure to check this out, as there's plenty of information to follow. You can follow and support this show as well through the show notes. The Champion Within is at the underscore. Champion within on instagram. Thanks for listening. Stay tuned and I'll be with you again soon. You.
