Not by the Playbook

• Out of the box

  We like to think of ourselves as a bit maverick here on Not by the Playbook. Nothing too outrageous, but we like to think outside of the box... and so we present to you a show dedicated to those athletes whose decision to think out side of the box has served them well. People who have gone against the grain, challenged the established thinking and come out on topOlivia Reeves has literally done the heavy lifting in making her sport more accessible to those who want to try, but were too intimidated to do so. From her home in Chattanooga in the US state of Tennessee, she has been telling us about how she became Olympic weightlifting champion, on developing a winning mind set and becoming the first American to win Weightlifting gold in 24 years, and how her life has changed since.Yana Daniels has taken the concept of out of the box thinking and made it real. No ideas or theories... Yana Daniels literally makes boxes! A top tier footballer and Belgium international she was hoping to play a part in the country's recent Women's Euro campaign, but sadly wasn't picked in the final squad. But that didn't stop Yana from being a really important part of the competition. In fact despite Belgium not making out of the group stages they were represented in the final and indeed every single game, through Yana! She explains allWhen people hit a certain age some look back on what they have achieved and wonder if it's enough.. and what could the future hold? The stereotype is the man buying a fast car, or a leather jacket... Peter Wright went in a different direction. Aged 40 and over weight, Peter's "out of the box" moment saw him change his life completely. He got FIT and set off on achieving some of the world's most difficult feat's of athletic ability. He recently wrote about his adventures a book called "A Mid-Life Less Ordinary - From Ultramarathon Insanity to Rowing the Atlantic at Fifty" and told me about some of the "hairier" moments of the past 10 years or so!Whilst most of our guests used their "out of the box thinking" for good, our next story shows sometime it's used for villainous reasons! Join us at the finishing line of the Boston Marathon in 1980. Men's champion Bill Rodgers was very much expected to be there first, and he was. What was much less anticipated was the presence of the unheard of Cuban runner Rosie Ruiz, who was duly crowned the women's winner. But all was not quite what it seemed.Photo: Olivia Reeves of Team United States performs a clean and jerk during the Weightlifting Women's 71kg on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at South Paris Arena (CREDIT: Lars Baron/Getty Images)

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• Survival

  Katie Smith presents a show all about survival and Dutch triathlete Els Visser knows exactly what it takes to survive against the odds. In 2014, Visser was a medical student travelling in Indonesia when the boat she was on started to sink. She made the decision to swim eight hours to a deserted island where she was finally rescued by a passing boat the next day. This not only saved her life, but it also set her on a career path that she never once imagined would be possible. She shares her story and how surviving a shipwreck led to her becoming a successful triathlete.Danny Rensch has helped change the way chess is played, but his own path to chess mastery is one of trauma, isolation and resilience to the point he says chess saved him. He shares how chess was his tormentor but also his mentor with this talent for the game taken advantage of when he was younger and growing up in what he describes as a cult. He now says chess has helped provide solace through how he’s now helping others enjoy the game.Eric Murangwa Eugene explains how football saved his life during the Rwandan genocide. At the time, he was an 18-year-old goalkeeper for one of Rwanda’s top football clubs. He tells Jake Warren why his life was saved when gunmen recognised him as a footballer.Not by the Playbook also catches up with Kate Hwang – a former Kansas City police officer injured in the line of duty – after her medal success at the World Para Athletics Championships.Image: Els Visser of The Netherlands celebrates winning the pro women's race during IRONMAN Maastricht-Limburg on August 5, 2018 in Maastricht, Netherlands. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images for IRONMAN)Listen to Not by the Playbook on the BBC World Service every Saturday at 0900 GMT, or find it as a podcast wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Get in touch with us via email and use the hashtag #NBTP on social media.

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• Transatlantic tales

  On the weekend where the USA and Europe go head-to-head at golf's Ryder Cup, Not by the Playbook’s Katie Smith is bringing you inspirational sporting stories from both sides of the Atlantic.Kate Hwang was living her dream in 2003 as a Kansas City police officer but then a routine traffic stop changed her life forever. She sustained a traumatic brain injury in the line of duty. She’s representing the USA at the World Para Athletics Championships for the first time and she tells her story ahead of competing in the women’s shot put and 100m in New Delhi.Brooke Johnson has become the first woman to skateboard across the US. She recently completed the feat after skateboarding over 5,000 kilometres from California to Virginia Beach. She shares her 119-day journey and why she decided to do this in memory of her stepfather, Roger.From one history-maker to another, Kumru Say is the first horse rider to compete for Turkey at a senior eventing championships. She had never evented until five years ago and her story is one of making sacrifices to pursue her dream having moved to Germany at the age of 14.How did the Ryder Cup get its name? We hear the story of Samuel Ryder, the English businessman who the famous golf competition is named after, and how his influence led to its inception almost 100 years ago.Listen to Not by the Playbook on the BBC World Service every Saturday at 0900 GMT, or find it as a podcast wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Get in touch with us via email and use the hashtag #NBTP on social media. A detailed view of the Ryder Cup trophy is seen in the press conference center on Thursday practice round prior to the Ryder Cup 2025 at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 25, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Mateo Villalba/Getty Images)

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• A life of two halves

  Between the Olympics of 1924 and 1948, art was competed for at the Games. Gold medals were awarded in painting, architecture and poetry. It was only removed from the Olympics because the artists were not amateur… but could art return to the Games? We hear from the man who this week has been recognised as the creator of the Olympism art genre. Known as the "Olympic Picasso" Roald Bradstock tells us first about his early life and successful athletic career, reaching two Olympic Games representing Team GB in the javelin. After he stopped throwing he picked up a paint brush and created a genre of art that has been recognised globally with his works being exhibited all over the world. He has been commissioned by the IOC to celebrate recent Games and he has a new exhibition opening this week… He tells us his story and his hope for a return of art to the Olympic Games  David Voboro was drafted last in the 2008 NFL thus earning the title of  "Mr Irrelevant" but against the odds David's football career was a successful one. However what he has achieved since arguably outshines anything he achieved on the field. After retiring he set up a training center for members of the US armed forces and others who had limbs amputated. The resource has allowed many people to regain and retain their fitness and improved the quality of their lives in the process. He also discusses the difficulties NFL players face and the drugs they often uncontrollably take to keep playing and how he finally overcame his addiction to painkillers.Earlier this year The PGA of America named Lewine Mair as the recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism. She was the first woman to be awarded the honour and was the latest in a long line of firsts for a woman who has paved the way for women in the world of sports journalism, particularly golf. Away from the golf course Lewnie also wrote about the decline of her husband's health. Norman Mair, the former Scottish international rugby union and cricket player suffered with Alzheimer's and Lewnie chronicled the difficult journey they all went on before his passing in a book called Tapping Feet. She tells us about the experience including discovering the remarkable effect her piano playing had on lifting his mood. Lewine's book Tapping Feet: A Double-take on Care Homes and Dementia, is available from Amazon.Photo: Roald Bradstock competes in the men's javelin during day six of the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials on July 4, 2008 in Eugene, Oregon. (CREDIT: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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• River Deep, Mountain High

  River...Martin Strel is a swimming marvel. The Slovenian holds multiple world records, and his specialty is swimming the entire length of rivers... Amazon, Thames, Mississippi, Yangtze, Danube, you name it, he's swam it. Except the Nile! So why not?! Martin tells us about his amazing feats of swimming and why the Nile is not on his list of river results.Deep...In 2000, Jill Heinerth was already a renowned diver, known for her exploits mapping vast underground cave networks in Florida. Filming for a National Geographic documentary brought a new and unprecedented challenge; a vast iceberg known as B-15 had broken away from an ice shelf in Antarctica, providing a unique chance to explore its networks of underground caves. Braving sub zero temperatures and the treachery of constantly shifting ice, Jill became the first person to ever enter one of these caves - a historic milestone in diving.Mountain... Joshua Patterson is an ultra-marathon runner who later this month will attempt to become the first man to complete a marathon at over 6,000 metres altitude. Having successfully become the first person to run 76 marathons in the 76 cities in the UK...in 76 days he's pushing himself to the very edge of physical exertion. He tells us about what he fears the most about this latest challenge, and his motivation the passing of his godson Archie and raising money for www.babylossclub.com, charity Archie's parents have set-up.High... The world’s best athletes are back in Tokyo this week for the World Athletics Championships. It’s a return to the city that hosted the delayed Olympics in 2021. But, the high jump competition will have to go a long way to compete with the drama of four years ago, when Italian Gianmarco Tamberi and Qatar’s Mutaz Bar-sham SHARED the gold medal; the first time that’s happened in athletics in over a hundred years. lions around the world… As you Gianmarco is a real character. Before Tokyo he was famous for turning up to competitions having shaved half his beard! That’s right one side of his face hairy, the other clean shaven. What made Gianmarco’s journey to gold even more remarkable was he’d missed the Rio Games due to injury. The cast he had worn on his his ankle, served as inspiration, accompanying him all around the world, including that night at the Olympic stadiumPhoto: Record Breaking Swimmer Martin Strel Emerges From The River Thames In London To Launch A Film About His 3,375 Mile Swim Down The Amazon Entitled 'Big River Man. (CREDIT: John Phillips/UK Press via Getty Images)

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