7-Part Multiplatform Podcast Series Begins This Wednesday, June 12 & Debuts New Episodes on Wednesdays Leading Up to Olympics & Paralympics
12-Time Olympic Medal-Winning Swimmer Natalie Coughlin & NBC Sports Bay Area’s Zena Keita Serve as Hosts
Click Here to Listen to the Trailer & Follow
NEW YORK – (June 10, 2024) – NBCUniversal Local’s NBC-owned stations and NBC Sports Regional Networks will present a new season of the award-winning multiplatform podcast My New Favorite Olympian profiling Team USA’s most-inspiring athletes leading up to Paris 2024. The seven-part audio and video series, which begins this Wednesday, June 12, is led by 12-time Olympic medalist swimmer Natalie Coughlin and Zena Keita, an NBC Sports Bay Area reporter, host and analyst.
My New Favorite Olympian provides in-depth narratives profiling established and emerging American stars who have overcome adversity, broken barriers, and committed to helping others as they pursue Olympic or Paralympic glory. Each 15 to 20-minute episode focuses on different Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls and includes interviews with the athlete, experts, and those closest to them.
My New Favorite Olympian will release new episodes on Wednesdays through July 17 leading up to the Olympic Games, which begin July 26. The series will return as My New Favorite Paralympian with new editions on Aug. 14 and Aug. 21 before the Paralympic Games – which will be held Aug. 28 to Sept. 8 – to spotlight Paralympians for the first time in the franchise’s history. Nissan is a supporter of NBCUniversal Local’s coverage of Paris 2024, including My New Favorite Olympian.
Coughlin is a three-time Olympian who captured 12 Olympic medals (three gold, four silver, and five bronze) over the course of her decorated career, which ties her with two athletes as the most decorated American female Olympian in history. The most decorated female athlete of the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the California native concluded her stellar Olympic career at the London 2012 Games. Coughlin, who won the World Swimmer of the Year Award in 2002 and American Swimmer of the Year Award in 2001, 2002 and 2008, won sixty total medals in major international competitions and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2022.
“Athletes that earn the honor of representing their country in the Olympic Games have impressive talent, but it also takes tremendous dedication, resilience and fortitude for them to achieve their greatest potential and perform at the highest levels,” said Coughlin. “I feel fortunate to be a part of My New Favorite Olympian and proud to help share the unique personal stories of these inspiring athletes, and highlight the passions that drive them as individuals, competitors, and community members.”
Keita is a host and analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area’s Golden State Warriors postgame show Dubs Talk Live. She is also a host and contributor to The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show, part of The Athletic Podcast Network. A native of Paris and raised in North Carolina, Keita has also worked as a sideline reporter and analyst for NBA G-League’s Santa Cruz Warriors on NBC Sports Bay Area and hosted other basketball shows for the network. She has also contributed to various podcasts across The Athletic Podcast Network and co-hosted several episodes of Peacock’s Brother From Another.
“The stories of these athletes and how they have achieved so much in their respective sports, overcome so many challenges, while also giving back to impact others is truly remarkable,” said Keita. “They embody the spirit of the Olympics and represent Team USA so very well and in so many ways. It’s a true pleasure to highlight these seven remarkable individuals and share the lesser-known details of their lives and backgrounds as they prepare to astonish us at the world stage this summer.”
My New Favorite Olympian is the fifth season of a franchise that launched in June 2021. The last two seasons, titled My New Favorite Futbolista, showcased international soccer stars competing in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup. The first season, which included five episodes covering Tokyo 2020, was hosted by Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad. A seven-episode second season featured Olympic legend Apolo Ohno as co-host preceding Beijing 2022.
The My New Favorite franchise’s first four seasons have earned several awards and accolades. My New Favorite Futbolista covering the FIFA Women’s World Cup recently earned a Digiday Video & TV Award for ‘best video podcast’ and won ‘best spoken word series’ at the 2024 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards. The season on the FIFA Men’s World Cup was named ‘best spoken word series’ at the 2023 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards, earned bronze for ‘best limited sports series’ at the Signal Awards and was a finalist for ‘Best Soccer Podcast’ at the 2023 Sports Podcast Awards.
In 2022, My New Favorite Olympian won Signal Awards for ‘best limited sports series’ and ‘best LGBTQ+ episode’ for its season covering the 2022 Winter Olympics. The first season of the series was also named ’best podcast series’ as part of the 2022 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards.
Where to Listen & Watch:
- My New Favorite Olympian will be available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple, Spotify, TuneIn and iHeart
- Video versions of each episode will be presented on NBC-owned stations’ television, streaming and digital platforms, including the 24/7 local news streaming channels
- Content will also be featured on NBC Sports Regional Networks’ platforms
- Listeners can follow to the series here
My New Favorite Olympian episodes:
Episode 1 – June 12 – Lydia Jacoby: My battle with post-Olympic depression
- Lydia Jacoby, who unexpectedly became an Olympic champion as a 17-year-old swimmer from Alaska, opens up about her battle with post-Olympic depression.
Episode 2 – June 18 – Jordan Chiles: Brown girls can excel at gymnastics
- Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles explains how the landscape has changed for women of color since she first started doing gymnastics — and what she’s doing to help
Episode 3 – June 26 – Kelly Cheng: Beach volleyball’s mental health champion
- Kelly Cheng, who has been open about her mental health challenges, started a mentorship program to help the next generation of beach volleyball players prioritize their mental health
Episode 4 – July 10 – Jesse Grupper: Helping climbers with disabilities reach new heights
- Jesse Grupper, a climber who studied engineering at Tufts and Harvard, designs devices to help children with disabilities participate in climbing.
Episode 5 – July 17 – Jennifer Lozano: What life in a border town is really like
- Jennifer Lozano, nicknamed ‘The Troublemaker,’ started boxing after experiencing bullying, racism and cartel violence splitting her time between Mexico and Laredo, Texas.
Episode 6 – Aug. 14 – Nick Mayhugh: Losing my best friends, my grandparents
- Paralympic sprinter Nick Mayhugh shares the lessons he learned from his grandfather Bill Mayhugh, a popular radio host, and his grandmother Shirley Culpeper Mayhugh, a performer who was signed by the same agency that represented Marilyn Monroe.
Episode 7 – Aug. 21 – Sarah Adam: ‘Murderball’ is for women, too
- Sarah Adam, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, is attempting to become the first woman to ever represent Team USA at a Paralympics in wheelchair rugby, a sport so violent it is nicknamed ‘murderball.’
About NBCUniversal Local
NBCUniversal Local, part of NBCUniversal News Group, is comprised of more than 50 media properties, including local TV stations and regional sports networks that deliver English and Spanish-speaking audiences in 30 U.S. markets and Puerto Rico comprehensive news, weather, consumer and investigative reporting, lifestyle and entertainment content and live sports coverage across television, streaming and digital platforms. NBCUniversal Local consists of three individual media groups – NBC Owned Television Stations, NBC Sports Regional Networks and Telemundo Station Group – plus multicast networks COZI TV and TeleXitos, regional cable news network NECN, and 16 free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels – including 11 NBC local news, four Telemundo regional news channels and NBC LX Home. NBCUniversal Local also features NBC Spot On, an advanced CTV and OTT advertising platform; LXTV Productions; marketing and promotions company Skycastle; out-of-home business NBC Everywhere; and The Arthouse, a graphic design group.
###
MEDIA CONTACT
Brian Potter
