Yip Pin Xiu is a “born and bred city girl’, having grown up in Singapore with her close-knit family flying kites, playing in the sand pool, and at five, getting in the with her brothers. Swimming started as a family activity. Fast forward to 2008, and Pin Xiu became Singapore’s
Sam Mewis grew up flipping over rocks in the woods of Massachusetts hunting for salamanders, while Lynn Williams grew up on a pecan farm
Noelle Lambert played in the dirt and on the field with her older brothers, watching the Pats, Bruins, Celtics, and Red Sox. She was always active, keeping up with the boys. Flash forward to college at UMass Lowell where Noelle is playing Division 1 lacrosse, and she’s in an accident
Join us for a feary conversation with Camila Pirelli at Flamebearers Podcast
The last time we heard from USA Sitting Volleyball star, Nicky Nieves, she was gearing up for the Tokyo Paralympics, hot after winning gold in Rio. We focused on her identity as an Afro Latina and Black Lives Matter (BLM). I asked her if we have made any progress since
Masomah Alizada is the first female Olympic cyclist from Afghanistan, and getting to the Olympics hasn’t just been a battle against her own skills and competitors but also against the Taliban. In this episode, Masomah discusses her departure from Afghanistan, journey to Tokyo as part of the International Olympic Committee
Masomah is the first woman Olympic cyclist from Afghanistan. Her fight to compete and to the podium hasn’t just been against her own records and competitors, but with the Taliban. Tune in next Wednesday for Masomah’s full episode, in which we discuss her rise to Tokyo as part of the Olympic
Victoria considers herself a proud “Puerto Rican American.” Having grown up in the Houston, Texas area, she “was considered a Latina,” but then when she went to Puerto Rico, she “was seen as American.” According to Victoria, for some, her personal identity falls in a bit of a “gray area.”
Ritah lost her hand when machete and hammer-wielding thieves broke into her Grandma’s house in 2005. Today, Ritah is the African Para Badminton Champion and was one of only four Ugandan Paralympians who participated in the Tokyo Paralympics. Today she opens up about losing her hand, and how she’s moved
Sneak peek of our upcoming episode with Ugandan Para Badminton Champ, Ritah Asiimwe. Ritah was one of 4 Ugandan Paralympians who participated in the Tokyo Paralympics. In her episode, she shares about defending her family against thieves who broke into her grandma’s home, losing her arm to these thieves who
23-year old Qatari track star Kenza Sossé, qualified for Tokyo, and then days before her flight to Japan, tested positive for COVID-19. After years training for the Olympics, she had watch from a room in Morocco. Her response? She “went back to training harder than ever.” In today’s conversation, Kenza
Sneak peek of our upcoming episode with 23 year old Qatari track and field star, Kenza Sossé. Kenza shares about her experience qualifying for the Games and then testing positive for COVID-19 the week of her departure for Tokyo…In Kenza’s full episode, she discusses her bounce back after missing the
Manasi Joshi is India’s current Para-badminton World Champion and BBC India’s Sportswoman of the year. One day on her way to work, a truck ran into Manasi; hours dragged on before she received treatment, and her leg eventually needed to be amputated. In this episode, Manasi talks about losing her
We heard from quite a few of you that you liked our sneek peaks of upcoming episodes, so given our bi-weekly publishing schedule, we’ll drop trailers for who is next in the off weeks. Next week we spotlight Chinese snowboarding phenom, Liu Jiayu. Here’s just a bit of what you
We met Alejandra Aybar when she did a Flame Bearers social media takeover in the lead up to the Tokyo Paralympics, showing us a day in her life. Alejandra now shares her more including how she went from not knowing how to swim to Paralympian in 7 years. “In 2015
We want to honor Alejandra’s story to the best of our abilities, so because of the holidays and New Year, we will publish her episode next Wednesday, 1/4. That said, here’s a bit of what you can expect. Tune in next week for her full story!
Dr. Seun Adigun is the first African to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. She spearheaded the first female bobsled team from her country, and track and field runner but that’s not all, she’s also a biomechanist, chiropractor and founder. According to Dr. Adigun, “You have to pave
Every 4th episode this season, we’ll circle back with an athlete we’ve previously worked with to update you on her life and what we previously discussed. In Season 1, Deja focused on her ongoing battles with mental health and her attempted suicide. In this new episode, we discuss Deja’s life
We want to honor Deja’s story to the best of our abilities, so because this week is Thanksgiving in the United States, we will publish her episode next Wednesday, 11/30. That said, here’s a bit of what you can expect. Tune in next week for her full story!
Vaulting Over The Critics Alexa is a 2x Olympian (Tokyo and Rio) and the first Mexican woman to win a World Championship Medal. She’s one of the 100 most powerful women in Mexico (via Forbes Magazine), yet according to her manager, Frida Martinez, “She doesn’t know she’s a role model.
Sue Bird is one of the most iconic athletes in the world: she’s been a professional athlete for 20 years, won 5 gold Olympic medals (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) and has become one of the most outspoken advocates for social change. Further, between her Olympic and FIBA World Cup
Flame Bearers: Keeping the Fire Burning spotlights women Olympians and Paralympians who sought to compete in the Tokyo Summer or Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics. In this season, we discuss what happens AFTER the Games, when the fans and cameras go home. We’re going beyond the glamour to see how
Simidele (Simi) was the first African and black woman to compete in Skeleton at the Olympics, and more recently, the first African to take home gold at an international bobsled competition: “We don’t have the facilities [in Nigeria], and we don’t have the equipment, so to know that I was
In light of Russian war on Ukraine, this special edition episode is different than our normal episodes. In an effort to elevate Ukranian voices and the connection between sports and politics, we speak with three elite Ukrainian athletes: Valentina Molchanets (Professional Triathlete and European Champion, Aquathlon, U23), Vita Oleksiuk (Paralympian,
When Mihaela was 9, she went to a park and saw some kids inline skating. She didn’t realize it was actually for the winter sport of speed skating, but she was curious enough to give it a try herself: “In that moment, I decided my life. Here I am 13
3x Paralympic Gold Medalist, Kendall Gretsch is one of the only athletes who competed in Tokyo this past summer who is also competing in Beijing. Less than 6 months ago Kendall won gold in Paratriathlon, and she’s now one of the Para Nordic favorites in Beijing. In this episode we
Dr. Natalia Siuba-Jarosz is an elite Polish Parasnowboarder and Doctor in Radiology. She has gone by Simba ever since her last name was misspelled in grade school, and the nickname stuck. In this episode we hear how Natalia balances both the world’s of elite snowboarding and being a doctor, as
Valentina or ‘The Lioness’ grew up in Italy as a ‘very competitive child’ with her three sisters and one brother. She describes her heritage as “the perfect mix” of cultures, crediting each of her parents and their respective origins with various parts of who she is today (her Dad is
When Aline was 15 years old, she was in a car accident that paralyzed her from the waist down. That said, she says “sport changed my life, not the accident.” According to Aline sport gave her wings, the ability to travel, and to meet people from all over the world.
Mialitiana (Mia) is the first woman Winter Olympian from Madagascar and her goal is to “inspire all Africans.” While she grew up in France with her adoptive parents, a big part of Mia’s identity is as a Malagasy, and she wants to be living proof that a black African woman
Reigning Olympic gold medalist, Mariama Jamanka never thought the words ‘Olympic Champion’ would apply to her, as a relative newcomer to bobsledding and as a member of the former 2nd German sled. In PyeongChang, Mariama and brakewoman, Lisa Buckwitz shattered all expectations, shocking the world by winning gold. In this
US Olympic bronze medalist and 2X National Champion figure skater, Bradie Tennell has already made a career out of breaking records…and unfortunately her feet. As of Dec. 31 2021, (just after this interview was recorded), Bradie made the tough decision to withdraw from figure skating Nationals due to her chronic
To kick off Season 2, we speak with 2x Russian Paralympian (soon to be 3x), biathlete and wheelchair racer, Akzhana Abdikarmova. She shares what it means to represent the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and sheds light on the invisibility of disability in Russia, how it has evolved, and how it
It’s been a while since the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, but we wanted to amplify and celebrate a voice the world missed in Japan. 2x Olympic gold medalist and 3x World Champion runner, Caster Semenya was barred from competing in her events because of her higher than ‘normal’ testosterone levels.
Kamila started taekwondo when she was 9 years old and was the only girl on the team; years later, she’s still the only woman, this time on Kazakhstan’s Parataekwondo Paralympic team. In this episode, we speak with Kamila and her coach, Sultan, with the help of her friend and colleague,
Jessica Long is one of the most successful athletes in Paralympic Games‘ history, holding 23 medals with 13 of them being gold. As she heads into her fifth Paralympics, Jessica shares that while her gold medals are “super cool”, for her, it’s “really about the journey.” In this episode, this
At the age of four, Ni Nengah Widiasih lost use of her legs at age four due to polio. In Rio she made history, becoming Indonesia’s first Paralympic powerlifting medalist. Ni Negah is a firm believer that ‘You were born to stand out, to be appreciated and loved for who
In this episode, we speak with 4X Pan American Games‘ gold medallist and soon to be 2X Canadian Olympic Jacqueline Simoneau. At home, she’s Jacqueline and in the pool, she goes by Jackie. We hear how her journey to the Olympic pool has been “synchronized” with hard work, a touch
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