In our year-long look back at the Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 Winter Olympics, we head to the cross-country skiing stadium (built with filming in mind) where we're in the early years of the Hakulinen-Jernberg Era. Finland's Veikko Hakulinen and Sweden's Sixten Jergberg were the dominant forces in cross-country skiing, and their performances at Cortina 1956 were no exception!

However, the Soviet Union wanted to make a statement during its first appearance at a Winter Olympics, and its athletes found the podium time and time again, ending a Scandinavian hold on the sport in both the men's and women's competitions.

Find out who won, who lost, what the press said about the female competitors (it's not pretty, unlike their lipstick), and who was blinded by the light. Plus, we have a report from the snack table!

For a transcript and complete list of sources used in this episode, visit: https://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons via Picryl

Keep the Flame Alive: Games History Moment with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown is released monthly. In 2026, these episodes explore the 7th Winter Olympic Games at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy in 1956. Look for our regular episodes every week, with daily editions during the Olympics and Paralympics.

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Merch: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

X: http://www.twitter.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at https://mailchi.mp/ee507102fbf7/flamealivepod

VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348

It's another installment of our People Who Throw Things series! This time we're talking javelin with 4x Olympian Kara Winger. Kara spent 15 years as a professional athlete, and in that time she competed at Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 (where she was also elected for Closing Ceremony flagbearer). She stays involved with the throws community as a coach, official and ambassador for the sport.

We talk with Kara about how javelin works. Kara breaks down the makeup (and cost) of a javelin, the physics involved with the event, the approach, the throw and follow-through. Plus, we get some insight on her Olympic experiences and what she's up to today!

Everything you want to know about javelin is right here!

Follow Kara on social: @karathrowsjav and check out her website for more.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

***

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe

VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348

We're traveling back in time to the Cortina 1956 Winter Olympics to hear all about the bobsled (or bobsleigh) competition. These Games saw some big changes: New rules about weight and new types of sleds. Cortina 1956 was the first Olympics for Italian Eugenio Monti, whose results put him on the road to becoming a local hero and one of the best bobsled drivers of all time.

Bobsled also featured some sibling rivalry, royalty and the last American medal before a decades-long dry spell. Weather impacted the bobsledders in a bad way. Did Mother Nature have something against the Swiss? Come along on a wild ride through the icy bobsled track of Cortina.

Thank you to our ongoing contributors and patrons! This show thrives because of our listeners. Want to give back? Learn more here.

For a transcript and complete list of sources used in this episode, visit: https://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Games History Moment with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown is released monthly. In 2026, these episodes explore the 7th Winter Olympic Games at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy in 1956. Look for our regular episodes every week, with daily editions during the Olympics and Paralympics.

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Merch: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

X: http://www.twitter.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at https://mailchi.mp/ee507102fbf7/flamealivepod

VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348