Amanda Bisk is a former elite pole vaulter who represented Australia at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. After being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome in 2011, she was forced to step away from competitive athletics entirely – and build something new.

What followed was a complete reinvention: yoga instructor, Pilates coach, personal trainer, CrossFit coach, and founder of a fitness app with over 600,000 Instagram followers. Now, at 40, she's back on the runway – jumping 3.85m in Masters pole vault and preparing for the World Masters Championships in Daegu.

In this episode, Boyke and Amanda talk about the identity crisis that comes with retirement, what longevity really means for a former elite athlete, and how coaching masters athletes compares to coaching professionals.

Topics covered: Masters athletics, chronic fatigue & recovery, pole vault technique, longevity training, building a fitness business, competing at 40+, World Masters Championships Daegu 2026.

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Damian Maxwell grew up in a town of 6,000 people in Jamaica.

Today he teaches mathematics at a US college, coaches sprinters,

pursues a PhD – and competes at masters athletics level on three

continents.

In this episode of the MainAthlet International Podcast, Damian

talks about the road from being a parish champion in Jamaica to

winning bronze at the World Masters Games in Taiwan – in the

triple jump, an event he had never seriously trained for.

He breaks down:

– How he walked away from track at 16 because of his faith

and came back a decade later with a fire nobody expected

– His training reality: self-coached, knee injury, PhD deadlines,

and still posting 11.2 in the 100m

– Why sub-11 in the 100m and sub-22 in the 200m are not dreams

but targets he's actively working toward

– How masters athletics became a mental health tool, a global

community, and a second career in content creation

– What he'd tell anyone on the fence about joining the masters

community: go for it

Damian also serves as PR representative for Jamaica Masters and

is building visibility for a sport that most people discover far

too late. His message is simple: your current situation does not

dictate your final destination.

A conversation about faith, discipline, reinvention – and what

it really takes to compete at the world level after 30.

Follow Damian on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d.a_max/

Find all episodes at mainathlet.de

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In this episode, we speak with Beatrice Puiu, a Romanian masters heptathlete who continues to compete at an exceptionally high level and is now chasing a major goal in masters track and field: the W40 heptathlon world record. This conversation goes far beyond competition results. It is about performance, identity, motherhood, longevity, recovery, and what it takes to stay strong, focused, and motivated in athletics over the long term.

Beatrice Puiu shares how her journey in track and field began in Romania, why the heptathlon became the perfect fit for her personality, and how different coaches influenced her development as a multi-event athlete. One of the strongest themes in this episode is her belief in quality over quantity. Instead of relying on endless training volume, she built her athletic system around high-quality sessions, technical precision, discipline, consistency, and smart recovery. For listeners interested in heptathlon training, masters athletics, women in track and field, high jump, hurdles, strength training, and athletic longevity, this episode offers both inspiration and practical value.

The episode also explores the personal side of elite sport. Beatrice speaks openly about becoming a mother at a young age, choosing family over outside pressure, and refusing to let medals or federation expectations define her worth. That mindset still shapes the way she trains and competes today. She is ambitious and highly competitive, but she is equally clear that sport is not her entire identity. One of the most powerful ideas in this conversation is that athletic success means much more when it is built on strong personal foundations.

Beatrice also breaks down how she currently trains as a masters athlete in the United States. She explains her weekly structure, why she prefers shorter and more focused sessions, how she approaches lifting, and why recovery has become one of the most important parts of her performance system. She talks about mobility work, active recovery, core training, recovery boots, and red light therapy, giving listeners a detailed look into how she maintains elite-level ability at 40.

This episode is ideal for athletes, coaches, and sports fans who care about masters heptathlon, track and field performance, sports mindset, recovery strategies, women in sport, and long-term athletic development. Beatrice Puiu’s story is a reminder that you can chase big goals, stay competitive, and keep growing in sport without losing yourself in the process.

If you are looking for a powerful conversation about heptathlon, masters athletics, world-record goals, family, recovery, and mindset, this episode is for you.

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