Off The Podium - An Olympics Podcast · Ben Waterworth, Colin Hilding & Jarrod Loobeek

Episode 528 - Chris Lillis Interview

·53 min·5 clips

Chris Lillis declares his team will 'make the whole rest of the world wait to win' another Olympic team gold.

Chris Lillis, a 23-year-old Olympic gold medalist in freestyle aerials, joins host Ben Waterworth to discuss his career and upcoming goals. This episode details Lillis's journey from his family-inspired start in the sport to his historic win at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. Lillis shares insights on training, competition mentality, and his pursuit of individual Olympic success at Milano Cortina. Lillis explains his current training in Brisbane, Australia, at the Sleeman Centre's water ramp facility, which allows him to practice complex jumps safely before transitioning to snow. He recounts learning his first backflip on skis into a pool and typically attempts a new trick about a hundred times in water before trying it on snow. The conversation covers his family's involvement, with his older brother John competing in the 2018 Olympics and his younger brother Mike also being on the development team before passing away seven years ago. Lillis missed the 2018 team after blowing his knee just before qualifying but attended as a spectator to watch his brother. At age 17, Lillis became the youngest-ever World Cup winner in Belarus, a victory he attributes partly to luck and a crash by a top competitor. He describes his mindset entering the Beijing Olympics as solely focused on winning, which was reflected in his training of the quint-twisting triple backflip. Lillis won gold in the debut mixed team aerials event, ending a 12-year medal drought for the USA in the discipline, but he fell on his individual super-final jump and finished sixth. He discovered his Olympic team selection for Beijing via a social media post from Team USA after his coach forgot to call him. Lillis reveals his biggest fear is the Buffalo Bills playing in the Super Bowl during his Olympic competition, as he is a devoted fan and proudly notes quarterback Josh Allen follows him on Instagram. He met Allen briefly by using his gold medal to gain access to the Bills' training camp. The episode has a conversational and candid tone, blending personal anecdotes with technical explanations of the sport. Lillis speaks with energetic passion about his craft, his family, and his competitive drive. This episode will appeal to fans of Olympic sports, especially those interested in the behind-the-scenes realities of high-risk winter disciplines and athlete psychology. Listeners who enjoy personal stories of resilience, family bonds, and sports fandom will find it engaging. Those seeking a highly structured, debate-focused podcast or deep statistical analysis might find the casual, anecdotal style less compelling.

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