The Sam Oldham Podcast

🥇 In 2026, we’re launching a brand‑new monthly gymnastics show on The Sam Oldham Podcast. Each month, we’ll explore the biggest names, emerging storylines, and major championship build‑ups in artistic gymnastics — plus post‑competition debriefs with some of the sport’s most passionate experts and analysts.
In this week’s episode, Lewis Thomson — the young, talented athlete turned independent gymnastics journalist — joins us to discuss the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup circuit. We’re also joined by Kensley Behel, the brilliant mind behind Neutral Deductions, who breaks down the conclusion of the NCAA Championships season.
We explore the world‑class field that attended the Osijek World Cup in April, reviewing key routines and standout performances. In Japan, Daiki Hashimoto captured his sixth consecutive National Title at the All‑Japan Championships in Takasaki, narrowly edging out reigning Olympic all‑around champion Oka Shinnosuke. Over in the U.S., Stanford University claimed the 2026 NCAA men’s gymnastics title, holding off Oklahoma, while Fred Richard continued his impressive start to the season, taking the all‑around crown.
This year, our mission remains the same — to share the stories behind the finest athletes in the sport of gymnastics. Thank you to our listeners, sponsors, and supporters for being part of the journey.
Welcome to Episode 4 of The Gymnastics Show 🎙️

At the 2017 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Montreal, Bram Verhofstad delivered a standout performance, qualifying for the floor exercise final and finishing fourth. He trailed a podium of elite competitors: Kenzo Shirai, Artem Dolgopyat, and Yul Moldauer—a lineup that reflected the sport’s rapidly rising technical standard.
But Bram’s story goes beyond rankings. While competing at the highest level, he began documenting his journey on YouTube, giving audiences a behind-the-scenes look at elite gymnastics. That decision helped him build a strong following and positioned him at the forefront of a shift in how athletes connect with fans.
Men’s artistic gymnastics itself has evolved significantly over the past decade. Changes to the Code of Points—including a roughly 20% reduction in the number of required skills per routine—have altered how gymnasts construct performances, placing more emphasis on execution and maximising difficulty. At the same time, the rise of short-form video platforms has opened new doors, allowing gymnasts to showcase skills, training methods, and personality in ways that weren’t possible before. 
After retiring in the wake of the pandemic, Bram transitioned into a new creative chapter. He now collaborates with circus performers, exploring how gymnastics-based movement can blend with performance art—pushing the boundaries of what the discipline can look like outside traditional competition.
It’s a path that reflects both where the sport has been and where it’s going: from rigid routines on the competition floor to expressive, cross-disciplinary movement shared with a global audience.
And this is his story.

Kacper Garnczarek has already built an impressive résumé in the world of artistic gymnastics. At the 2025 European Championships, he qualified for the men’s all-around final and made history as part of Poland’s first-ever mixed team final.
Awarded a full scholarship to Pennsylvania State University, Kacper has balanced elite sport with academics, representing Penn State’s gymnastics team while studying business. On the international stage, he has competed at the highest level, including the World Gymnastics Championships, proudly representing Poland.
Most recently, he concluded his NCAA Championships journey with Penn State, closing an important chapter in his career. But his ambitions stretch far beyond—his sights are firmly set on the LA 2028 Olympic Games.
Remarkably, at just 23 years old, Kacper has also become a published author. His book, “Today’s Pleasure to Tomorrow’s Success,” offers insight into his journey, mindset, and experiences in the demanding world of gymnastics.
This is his story.

In December 2025 Victor Yeo made his mixed martial arts professional debut winning by unanimous decision against Zanyar Kamaran. Victor had previously been a very successful British male gymnast out of Devon winning multiple junior National titles and medals for Great Britain on the international stage. He was tipped by many to be a superstar in the sport and was coached by professional stuntman and former Commonwealth Games silver medalist in artistic gymnastics Steve Jehu. Throughout the pandemic Victor struggled to transition into senior gymnastics battling with injuries and his physical stature having grown significantly to 180cm. In 2022 Victor made the decision to change course and he entered the world of mixed martial arts. Most recently Victor Yeo, AKA 'The Vanilla Gorilla' performed impressively at the Cage Warriors 203 event winning again by unanimous decision. And this is his story.

In 2024 at the Paris Olympic Games. Hiroaki Sato lead the Japanese men's artistic gymnastics team to victory as the head coach in the men's team final winning gold for Japan. In 2017 Hiroaki was asked by his childhood friend Kohei Uchimura to play the role of his personal coach in the final chapter of his gymnastics career as he prepared for the Tokyo Olympic Games. He spent four years working alongside arguably the greatest male gymnast of all time in Kohei Uchimura. His achievements include two all around Olympic titles and six back to back world championships gold medals which made him the most dominant athlete in the sport for a decade. Preceding the time he spent with Uchimura, Hiroaki coached the great Naoya Tsukahara the Athens 2004 Olympic champion with team Japan. Since Paris he is now working in Australia as the high performance head coach of the men's gymnastics team with the 2032 Olympic Games being held in Brisbane. Hiroaki sits on the FIG commission and is passionate about coach education. Remarkably as s a young gymnast he was coached by Nikoli Andrianov a fifteen times Olympic medalist, was mentored by Vitaly Scherbo's coach in his early coaching career and then went on to work alongside the legendary Kohei Uchimura. This conversation was a real highlight for me personally and I'd like to thank Hiroaki for giving us his time. And this is his story.