Ollie Cook spent nine years training full-time to reach the Olympics. When Tokyo ended in a heartbreaking fourth-place finish, he faced a difficult decision: return for another Games or build a different future.

In this episode, host Anne-Marie Kruk talks with Ollie about his journey into rowing, spending three years as a reserve, and discovering that working harder wasn’t the same as having the tools to improve.

They explore how studying the physical, psychological and philosophical sides of performance changed his approach, and how mentoring through the True Athlete Project helped him navigate uncertainty. Ollie also speaks openly about Olympic disappointment, the difficulty of leaving sport, and finding new opportunities at Oxford.

That next chapter included helping create a programme bringing local schoolchildren into the university through sport and learning. He shares how it grew, why removing financial barriers matters, and his belief that we have a responsibility to leave things better for future generations.

In this conversation, you’ll hear:

• How Ollie found his way into rowing and the British national team

• What changed after three years as a reserve, injury and setbacks

• Why performance involves more than physical training

• How mentoring and a sense of purpose helped him through uncertainty

• What it meant to leave rowing without the Olympic ending he wanted

• How sport can open doors to education and opportunity

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