MainAthlet International – The Track & Field Podcast

In this episode, we speak with Beatrice Puiu, a Romanian masters heptathlete who continues to compete at an exceptionally high level and is now chasing a major goal in masters track and field: the W40 heptathlon world record. This conversation goes far beyond competition results. It is about performance, identity, motherhood, longevity, recovery, and what it takes to stay strong, focused, and motivated in athletics over the long term.Beatrice Puiu shares how her journey in track and field began in Romania, why the heptathlon became the perfect fit for her personality, and how different coaches influenced her development as a multi-event athlete. One of the strongest themes in this episode is her belief in quality over quantity. Instead of relying on endless training volume, she built her athletic system around high-quality sessions, technical precision, discipline, consistency, and smart recovery. For listeners interested in heptathlon training, masters athletics, women in track and field, high jump, hurdles, strength training, and athletic longevity, this episode offers both inspiration and practical value.The episode also explores the personal side of elite sport. Beatrice speaks openly about becoming a mother at a young age, choosing family over outside pressure, and refusing to let medals or federation expectations define her worth. That mindset still shapes the way she trains and competes today. She is ambitious and highly competitive, but she is equally clear that sport is not her entire identity. One of the most powerful ideas in this conversation is that athletic success means much more when it is built on strong personal foundations.Beatrice also breaks down how she currently trains as a masters athlete in the United States. She explains her weekly structure, why she prefers shorter and more focused sessions, how she approaches lifting, and why recovery has become one of the most important parts of her performance system. She talks about mobility work, active recovery, core training, recovery boots, and red light therapy, giving listeners a detailed look into how she maintains elite-level ability at 40.This episode is ideal for athletes, coaches, and sports fans who care about masters heptathlon, track and field performance, sports mindset, recovery strategies, women in sport, and long-term athletic development. Beatrice Puiu’s story is a reminder that you can chase big goals, stay competitive, and keep growing in sport without losing yourself in the process.If you are looking for a powerful conversation about heptathlon, masters athletics, world-record goals, family, recovery, and mindset, this episode is for you.The podcast cover was produced by Tim Peters in collaboration with Cortexfilm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 15th European Indoor Masters Championships in Torun, Poland – and once again, the city delivered. Over 3,500 athletes from more than 15 countries gathered at one of Europe's fastest indoor tracks for a championship that has become a landmark event on the Masters Athletics calendar. Eight new world records. Nine European records. And a field so large that restaurants, bars and streets overflowed every evening after competition.In this special episode of MainAthlet International, host Jan Boyke Seemann reports directly from Torun – and sits down with Italian multi-event athlete Alessandra de Robertis, competing in the W50 category despite battling a hamstring injury and back problems that had her questioning whether to show up at all.Alessandra shares what it means to compete at the highest international level after years of building toward that first podium finish – her best result so far being fourth at the European Masters Indoor Championships in 2024. She talks about training five to six days a week between the track and the gym, her love for the heptathlon and pentathlon, and why that one international medal feels like the final piece of a long athletic journey.Beyond the personal story, Boyke walks through the medal table, the standout performances and the atmosphere that makes Torun unlike any other Masters venue. Germany leads the medal standings with 210 medals, including 85 gold. Poland follows in second on home soil. Italy punches well above its weight with 50 medals, including 14 gold – from the 60m hurdles to the 400m and the triple jump.Notable performances covered in this episode include Lionel Martinez burning a 6.96 in the 60m sprint, Anita Westlund dominating the 60m hurdles in the W85 category, and Iris Holder setting two new world bests in the long jump and triple jump. German athletes Andy Dittmar and Olaf Schumann added world records in the field events, while Marty Hermann claimed the pentathlon title with a lead of over 400 points.This is Masters Athletics at its best – competitive, international, and full of stories that go far beyond the scoreboard. Whether you're a Masters athlete yourself, a fan of track and field, or simply someone who believes that sport has no expiration date, this episode is for you.Topics covered: Masters European Indoor Championships 2026 · Torun athletics · Alessandra de Robertis interview · W50 pentathlon · Masters world records · Italian athletics team · Germany Masters Athletics · indoor track and fieldThe podcast cover was produced by Tim Peters in collaboration with Cortexfilm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to build a career that peaks at 8.21 metres, lands you in an Olympic final alongside Carl Lewis — and then, two decades later, leads to Masters world records? In this episode of the MainAthlet Podcast, host Boyke sits down with Swedish long jump legend Mattias Sunneborn for a wide-ranging, candid conversation about elite athletics, the realities of ageing as a high-performance athlete, and the mental frameworks that have driven him from a small island in the Baltic Sea all the way to the Olympic final in Atlanta.Mattias grew up on the island of Gotland in Sweden — a place with no indoor track, limited resources, and tough winters. At fifteen, he made a defining choice: football or athletics. He chose the track. That decision led him to a boarding school in Bäckebo with an indoor arena, a great coach, and lifelong training partners — though the journey began under deeply painful circumstances, with his father passing away just one week before he moved.In this episode, Mattias opens up about the moments that defined his elite career: his first jump over eight metres, the 1995 World Indoor silver medal, the 1996 European Indoor Championship gold won at home in Stockholm — he admits he cried — and the 8.21m jump in Malmö where he beat world record holder Mike Powell. Then, just weeks later, standing in the Olympic final in Atlanta alongside Carl Lewis, Ivan Pedroso, and James Beckford — seven of the ten best long jumpers in history.But the conversation doesn't stop at the glory years. Mattias shares the full arc of a life in athletics: how he transitioned into Masters competition at thirty-five, why competing in multiple events (decathlon, 400m hurdles, triple jump) keeps him motivated, and how he coaches a group of over forty Masters athletes together with his training partner Peter Wallin. Their Sunday Zoom sessions cover training loads, sleep, nutrition, and mental strategies — everything it takes to keep performing at the highest level, regardless of age.You'll also hear about the importance of rest and VO2 max for older athletes, the value of low-volume, high-intensity training (maximum five reps in the weight room), and Mattias's genuine enthusiasm for neuro-athletic training methods — using visual tools to activate muscles that most athletes don't even know they have.Whether you're an elite track and field athlete, a Masters competitor, a coach, or simply someone who believes that sport is a lifelong journey — this episode is packed with insight, honesty, and inspiration. Mattias Sunneborn proves that the drive to compete, to improve, and to find meaning through athletics doesn't have an expiry date.The podcast cover was produced by Tim Peters in collaboration with Cortexfilm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this exciting podcast episode, we welcome Alexis Holmes, the inspiring American professional athlete who transformed from a talented college runner into an Olympic gold medalist within just two years. Alexis shares her incredible journey, offering exclusive insights into her successful transition from collegiate athletics to the professional stage.The episode provides a deep dive into the specific challenges and changes Alexis faced, including significant adjustments in training routines, dietary practices, and mindset. Particularly noteworthy is her remarkable transformation in body composition, resulting in a 30-pound weight loss to compete effectively at the professional level. Alexis discusses her nutritional strategy, highlighting her controlled calorie deficit and high-protein diet.Regarding her training, Alexis reveals her preferred workouts, such as tempo 200s and race-model training, as well as her strategies for injury prevention and optimal recovery. Her mental routines and stress management techniques, especially during major events like the 2024 Olympics and the 2023 World Championships, offer valuable insights for athletes of all levels.Additionally, Alexis shares personal advice, emphasizing the crucial lesson of trusting herself and ignoring external doubts. This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in understanding how elite athletes train, nourish, and mentally prepare themselves for peak performance.The podcast cover was produced by Tim Peters in collaboration with Cortexfilm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From HSI’s legendary sprint group to the Netflix docuseries Sprint, Ato Boldon has seen—and shaped—the sport’s evolution from every angle: Olympic medalist, world champion, and one of track & field’s most influential voices. In this episode, Ato opens up about the training culture that forged champions under coach John Smith, the “iron sharpens iron” reality of daily practice at UCLA, and why starting “late” at 16 may have saved his body and extended his prime.We go deep on the workouts that built his 100/200m speed: high-quality 150s (5×150m with walk-back recovery, chasing 15-low) and the love-hate 300s (and why he still runs them). Ato breaks down the mental game, too—how to stay focused under Olympic-final pressure, why he wishes he’d “enjoyed the journey” more, and the exact conversation that pulled him through his toughest championship (Sydney 2000).Ato also takes us behind the scenes of Sprint (Season 2), where he’s become “almost the voice of the series,” and explains why Paris 2024 felt like a historic high point for the sport. We unpack the sprint landscape ahead: why he’s betting on Julien Alfred to dominate the women’s 100m over the next cycle, what Sha’Carri Richardson must fix in her start, why Noah Lyles remains the man to beat in championship 100s, and how Letsile Tebogo and Kishane Thompson change the equation in the 200m and 100m respectively.Technology matters, but context matters more. Boldon gives a measured take on super-shoes, records, and progress (“every era has its edge”), and shares what truly builds sustainable success: talent ID, the right coach, a real training group, and support systems that let athletes focus on work—not survival. You’ll hear the story that first pulled Ato from soccer to the track (“do you want a sport where you control the outcome?”), plus a Porsche-on-the-Autobahn anecdote from his 19.77 PB in Stuttgart that will make any sprint nerd smile.Whether you’re a sprinter, coach, or fan, you’ll come away with practical takeaways: how to structure quality speed endurance, how to think about training age vs. biological age, how to use group competition without burning out, and how to balance ambition with joy. This is sprint wisdom from someone who’s lived all sides of it—athlete, analyst, and mentor.The podcast cover was produced by Tim Peters in collaboration with Cortexfilm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.