Kurt Fearnley joins the Have a Go Podcast!

Explicit content warning

07/29/21 • 29 min

Kurt Fearnley is Australia's pre-eminent Good Strong Bloke (GSB).

Over a 25-year career, he's amassed three Paralympic Gold medals, two Olympic silver medals and seven world titles. He's also crawled the Kokoda Trail, crewed the winning yacht in the Sydney to Hobart, and jagged an OAM.

We hear what it's like to be an 18-year-old competing in front of 118,000 people at Sydney 2000, to winning Gold in Athens 2004 (despite busting a tyre 5km from the finish line). We discuss the pressure of perfection at the elite level - including Simone Biles' exit from Tokyo 2020 - and the 'feast or famine' nature of life after sport for many Olympians.

We also get the low down on which Australians to look out for in the upcoming Paralympics, which kick off August 24.

Audio production thanks to Tim 'T-Dog' Eldridge, with graphic design by Julia Edwards.

Any questions/comments/grievances, hit us up at [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kurt Fearnley is Australia's pre-eminent Good Strong Bloke (GSB).

We also get the low down on which Australians to look out for in the upcoming Paralympics, which kick off August 24.

Audio production thanks to Tim 'T-Dog' Eldridge, with graphic design by Julia Edwards.

Any questions/comments/grievances, hit us up at [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Previous Episode

FLASHBACK: The Moment Ian Thorpe Divided Australia

Today we are going back to a defining moment in Australia’s sporting history: The Olympic swimming selection trials of 2004.

The nation held its breath when Ian Thorpe slipped on the blocks in the 400m qualifying heats for Athens 2004, earning an automatic disqualification from the stickler official.

Thorpe claimed a noise caused him to jump. the blocks. What was that noise? Was it the sound of sponsorship dollars going down the drain? Or perhaps the NRL's Phantom Siren diversifying into new sports?

Anyway, his appeal was unsuccessful - and our dreams of back-to-back Gold in the 400m were dashed. That is, until teammate Craig Stevens bowed to public pressure, stepping aside to give his place to Thorpe and pocketing $130k for the "tell all" interview rights.

Was this a Gallipoli-like sacrifice, or just another small step towards the general malaise of Australian society?

Audio production courtesy of Tim ‘T-Dog’ Eldridge. Graphic design courtesy of Julia Edwards.

Praise / critique / submit questions / cyberattack us at: [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Next Episode

Is the Gold Getting Old?

Super Saturday is here and the gold on the water at Tokyo 2020 continues to flow apace.

From Wednesday's "67 minutes of glorious gold" to the extreme dominance in the Rowing, Australia's been unashamedly stockpiling medals for the looming athletics drought.

But is the gold getting old? Is a breaststroke gold really worth the column inches? And are the TV-polished fathers of our winners right to be obdurate and scripted in their reactions?

But for every story of triumph, there’s one of utter national shame. The Opals were trumped by the Chinese (and rightly so... please don’t cyber-attack us), and our rugby Sevens teams are playing off for positions in the double-digits. Still, at least Kyle Chalmers might get a spot in the VFL ressies at half-back flank upon return.

Finally, the Equestrian is here - and that means the nation's expectations shift to the trembling 62-year-old shoulders of Andrew Hoy. Can we bank on this older gentleman for Gold in the Olympics' only gender neutral event?

Audio production courtesy of Tim ‘T-Dog’ Eldridge. Graphic design courtesy of Julia Edwards.

Praise/critique/submit questions/cyber-attack us here: [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.