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Sporting Witness

Eye-witness accounts from sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped sport through the eyes of the people who were there.

World Service,640 episodes

Episodes

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Surfing the biggest waves in the world
Garrett McNamara broke the world record for biggest wave ever surfed in 2011 at Nazaré
12 Apr 2025,9 mins
Minda Dentler - Ironman World Championship
Minda Dentler was the first female wheelchair athlete in the Ironman World Championship
05 Apr 2025,9 mins
WWE’s youngest female champion
In 2014, rookie wrestler Paige became the WWE's Diva's Champion
29 Mar 2025,9 mins
Why I designed the prosthetic running leg
In 1984, Van Phillips invented the first carbon graphite running leg.
22 Mar 2025,10 mins
Becoming the 60m fastest woman in the world
At 60m, Nelli Cooman is a former indoor world record holder, running 7:00 seconds.
15 Mar 2025,9 mins
Murderball: Inventing wheelchair rugby
In 1976, a group of Canadian friends created a game they initially called 'murderball'
08 Mar 2025,9 mins
When Chelsea took on Tromsø in an Arctic blizzard
In 1997, Chelsea played part-timers Tromsø at home – in the Arctic north of Norway.
01 Mar 2025,9 mins
Exploring the caves of the world's biggest iceberg
In 2000, Jill Heinerth became the first person to dive under the caves of a vast iceberg
22 Feb 2025,9 mins
The woman who sailed solo around the world
In 1978, Naomi James became the first woman to sail solo around the world via Cape Horn
15 Feb 2025,10 mins
The Super Bowl helmet catch
How the New York Giants upset the New England Patriots with an "insult to Einstein"
08 Feb 2025,10 mins
George Best scores a double hat-trick
On 7 February 1970, Manchester United's George Best scored six goals in an FA Cup game
01 Feb 2025,10 mins
How Fanny Blankers-Koen became the 'flying housewife’
Dutch athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen won four gold medals at the 1948 Olympics in London
25 Jan 2025,9 mins
The Ice Mile
In 2009, swimmer Ram Barkai broke the world record for the longest swim in freezing water
18 Jan 2025,9 mins
Ron Grant: First man to run around Australia
In 1983, ultra-runner Ron Grant became the first person to run around Australia
11 Jan 2025,8 mins
The ice hockey team sponsored by Colonel Gaddafi
In 1987, Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi sponsored German ice hockey team ECD Iserlohn
04 Jan 2025,9 mins
Maria Costello: the record-breaking female motorcyclist
In 2005, Maria Costello became the fastest woman ever round the Isle of Man TT course
28 Dec 2024,9 mins
Germany’s first black national footballer
Footballer Erwin Kostedde talks about how racism affected his career
21 Dec 2024,9 mins
Fighting Norway's boxing ban
In 2014, fighter Cecilia Braekhus helped end Norway’s 33 year ban on professional boxing
14 Dec 2024,10 mins
Puerto Rico upsets the USA in Olympic basketball
In 2004, underdogs Puerto Rico beat the USA in one of the biggest upsets in basketball
07 Dec 2024,8 mins
Magnus Carlsen: 'Mozart of chess'
In 2014, Magnus Carlsen achieved the highest official rating of any player in history
30 Nov 2024,9 mins
The Unified Team at the 1992 Olympics
How former Soviet athletes competed for the first and only time as the Unified Team
23 Nov 2024,9 mins
Battle of the Surfaces
Rafael Nadal takes on Roger Federer on a tennis court made of half grass and half clay
16 Nov 2024,9 mins
First international for Netherlands women's football
Dutch footballer Ellen Popeyus was 16 when she played for her country in the first match
09 Nov 2024,8 mins
The football fans who built their own stadium
When Union Berlin had financial problems, their fans volunteered to renovate the stadium
02 Nov 2024,8 mins
Brojen Das: Bangladesh's Channel swimming champ
In 1961, Brojen Das broke the world record for swimming from France to England
26 Oct 2024,9 mins
Agnes Keleti: The world's oldest living Olympian
Hungarian Agnes Keleti is the world's oldest living Olympian at 103
19 Oct 2024,9 mins
The drone that started a riot
How a politically charged match between Serbia and Albania descended into violent chaos
12 Oct 2024,8 mins
The first African Cup of Champions
In 1964, the first ever African Cup of Champions took place in Ghana
05 Oct 2024,9 mins
Brian McKechnie: New Zealand's double international sportsman
Brian McKechnie has been in New Zealand teams for both international rugby and cricket
28 Sep 2024,9 mins
The Iron Ladies
How a Thai men’s volleyball team made up of gay and trans athletes won a championship
21 Sep 2024,9 mins