大象传媒

Former three-time Olympic gymnastics medallist - Danell Leyva - revealed his sexuality on National Coming Out Day in the United States earlier this month. The 29-year-old tells us his mum is the only member of his family he is out to and he feels he is 鈥渁lmost cheating鈥� by talking to us, because most of his family can鈥檛 speak English. He recalls things family members have said, not knowing his sexuality, that have had an impact on him. He also tells us people have reached out to him on social media to tell him that his story has helped them. Leyva 鈥� who represented Team USA during his athletic career 鈥� has now moved into acting. He鈥檚 not keen to put a label on his sexuality and adds he would like to create a television show where a bisexual male is the main character as he feels historically bisexuals have not been taken seriously.

One year on from South Africa鈥檚 men winning the Rugby World Cup we speak to Nolusindiso Booi, who is captain of the women鈥檚 team. She reflects on the men鈥檚 achievement and tells us about her involvement in a campaign to raise the profile of the women鈥檚 game. Booi wants girls to take up the sport in primary school and says it would be a dream to see a women鈥檚 professional league in the country. Booi is targeting playing in a third World Cup in 2021 and says the whole of South Africa will be screaming if they can emulate the men鈥檚 achievement in New Zealand.

Staying with rugby union and Murray Kinsella from the 42.ie gives us his thoughts and explains the permutations ahead of Super Saturday in the men鈥檚 Six Nations.

Photographer Kelly Gavin joins us to reflect on covering baseball鈥檚 World Series. The LA Dodgers ended a 32-year wait for the title and Gavin was there to capture the historic moment, which she describes as 鈥渘erve wracking鈥� but also a dream come true. One of her images was used for the front cover of Sports Illustrated. Gavin also describes the moment she was hit on the skull by a ball travelling 96 miles an hour in 2016. She now wears a helmet when covering baseball.

Natasha Jonas tells us all about a week that saw her and her brother provide free boxing lessons and food parcels to children in need over the October school holidays in England. Jonas 鈥� who boxed at an Olympic Games and is chasing a world title in the professional ranks 鈥� says she relied on things like free school meals when she was growing up in Liverpool.

In Sporting Witness we tell the story of the Polish table-tennis player Natalia Partyka, who in Sydney 20 years ago became the youngest athlete in the history of the Paralympics when she competed at just 11 years of age.

And 鈥� the football journalist and broadcaster Vaishali Bhardwaj joins us to look ahead to Manchester City鈥檚 game at Sheffield United in the Premier League.

(Photo: Silver medalist Danell Leyva of the United States celebrates at the medal ceremony for the Horizontal Bar, Rio 2016 Olympic Games, in Brazil. Credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)