Pull in their coaches. Ask more about training. Ask more about rivalries. Don't let an athlete get away with "Yeah I had a slight sniffle 2 months ago so my whole season is ruined."
Every major sport has better interviewers than I've seen in T&F. It's just the standard "How did you feel and how's training?" followed by "Training is good and I felt good."
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Sports are Real Housewives for men. This is of course a bit of a generalization, but you get the point. People want drama and gossip. Louis Hamilton and Max Verstappen definitely respect each other, but neither of them will hesitate to make a snide remark, and the fans love it. I dislike both of them on a personal level, wouldn't want to hang with either of them, but I sure want to them wheel to wheel. F1 producers zoomed in on Toto Wolff as Hamilton got lapped by Max recently, he looked like he was about to cry. Do you think that felt good for Toto? Nope. Was it good for the sport? Yes, people loved it. It's not going around being an abject bully, but it's showcasing the trials and tribulations of sport, which is, ya know, what people want to see.