In the premiere episode of ‘Spotlight series – The Winners,’ the legendary Anja Pärson recounts the violent crash at the Vancouver Olympics that could have cost her life. The next day, the skier forced herself back onto the downhill slope after fainting while trying to put on her ski boots, ultimately bringing home the bronze medal.
What thoughts went through Pärson’s mind in the long seconds before she crashed? And how does the psyche of a winner work when, battered, they get back up and still take home a medal?
– Taking a moment to focus on a single performance in this way provides a unique insight into the character of these beloved athletes,’ says DN’s sports reporter Emma Lukins, who leads the discussions.
– In victories and medals, it often looks easy—but when I have peeked behind the scenes, it has become clear what incredible conviction and willpower are required to get there. This is a part of the story that rarely fits into quick news reporting.
Several of the stars in the podcast series are gold favorites ahead of this summer’s Olympics in Paris, such as Sarah Sjöström and Henrik von Eckermann. Others, like Charlotte Kalla, have gained distance from their sports careers—allowing her to share new details about her remarkable sprint in the Olympic relay in Sochi 2014.
– We have carefully selected the sports moments. It’s about those instances when all the stars align, when the achievement has been as great as the drama. One could simply say that this is a series about goosebumps,” says Amanda. Schulman.
You can find the series in the ‘Spotlight’ podcast feed, in the DN app, and wherever podcasts are available. The producer is the award-winning documentarian Måns Mosesson.
During the past year, Dagens Nyheter has made a renewed investment in podcasts, with ‘Spotlight,’ micro-documentaries from the news flow, and ‘Beloved Politics,’ where the newspaper’s reporters analyze Swedish politics.
– We see that there is a large group of socially interested Swedes who listen more than they read. With “Spotlight”, “Älskade politik”, and the new series “Vinnarskallarna”, we want to offer our audience more exciting and important audio stories,” says Matilda E. Hanson, Deputy Editor-in-Chief at Dagens Nyheter.
Perfect Day Media is one of Sweden’s leading podcast companies, housing and developing some of Sweden’s most popular podcasts. Their catalog includes shows such as Alex & Sigges podcast, Ursäkta, and When We Were Kings.
– We love developing new podcast formats and capitalizing on ideas. Sometimes, a format works best when it’s placed with the right platform an exclusive publisher. “Vinnarskallarna” is one such format, and Dagens Nyheter, with Måns Mosesson at the helm, is the perfect partner to bring it to life, says Karolina Sandberg, Co-Head och Head of Sales & Operations på Perfect Day.
Facts: Some of the sports moments recounted by the stars themselves in “Spotlight – Vinnarskallarna”:
Sarah Sjöström, Gold in 100m Butterfly, World Championships in Rome 2009
Anja Pärson, Bronze in Super Combined, Winter Olympics in Vancouver 2010
Charlotte Kalla, Gold in 4×5 km relay, Winter Olympics in Sochi 2014
Henrik von Eckermann, Gold in Show Jumping, World Championship in Herning 2022
Contact:
Matilda E Hanson, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, at Dagens Nyheter: +4687382611 matilda.e.hanson@dn.se
Karolina Sandberg, Co-Head och Head of Sales & Operations på Perfect Day:
