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Sally Gunnell OBE DL is one of Britain’s most celebrated athletes, renowned for her remarkable achievements on the track and her successful transition into motivational speaking. As the only woman in history to hold the Olympic, World, European, and Commonwealth 400m hurdles titles simultaneously, Sally is a sporting legend. Since retiring from competitive athletics, she has become a sought-after speaker, particularly in the realm of high performance. With a deep understanding of resilience, goal-setting, and mental fortitude, Sally captivates audiences with her personal journey from the farm in Essex to the pinnacle of global sport.
In her early career, Sally excelled in athletics, initially as a long jumper and heptathlete before specialising in hurdling. Her breakthrough came when she won gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the 400m hurdles. This triumph was followed by setting a world record and winning the World Championships in 1993, marking her as one of the most dominant athletes in the world. Her success was built on overcoming injury setbacks and competing against more naturally talented athletes, which fuels much of her inspirational message today.
After retiring in 1997 due to injury, Sally transitioned into television presenting and developed her career as a high-performance speaker. She authored books on fitness, health, and well-being, reflecting her passion for helping others achieve personal fulfilment. In recent years, she founded Sally Gunnell Health & Wellbeing, where she focuses on corporate well-being and promoting healthy lifestyles. Her work as an ambassador for various initiatives, including Sport England, further cements her reputation as a champion for health and high performance beyond the track.
Sally is frequently hired as a high-performance speaker because of her unique ability to translate the lessons of elite sport into practical insights for business and life. Audiences are drawn to her authentic storytelling, where she discusses resilience, overcoming adversity, and achieving excellence. Her blend of humility, determination, and personal experience makes her an inspirational figure, helping individuals and organisations strive for greatness in all areas of life.
Sally Gunnell is regularly booked to engage audiences at events, read their latest feedback below:
“We received fantastic feedback in relation to Sally’s presentation and her story – she really was brilliant! Sally was so approachable and personable, and the fact that she took the time to network with our colleagues before the conference started was very well received. Sally had us all engaged, and the confident, relatable delivery of her story was very inspiring. I would absolutely recommend her”
“A brilliant presentation. You inspired, captured and motivated the imagination of everyone in the room. You have set a very high standard for future opening speakers”
“Sally was certainly a highlight. Her speech was amazing and everyone in the room was hanging on to her every word. Even the younger attendees who may not have known Sally were totally engaged throughout the speech. I spoke to quite a few people over lunch and all said how inspirational she was. Please pass on our thanks to Sally for an incredible job.”
“Sally was extremely natural and engaging which helped our colleagues and clients immediately settle into the event. There was a feeling of familiarity right from the start with Sally but also something very special having a national sporting icon talk to us directly and honestly. The subjects discussed touched diversity, racism, motivation and determination, mental well-being, the Olympics, coming up in sport. Varied and inclusive for all with some nice overlaps into the corporate world. I obviously loved having a special audience for 5 minutes at the start with a sporting heroine from my sprinting days at Loughborough and curly hair chat!”
“Sally is one of the most inspirational and motivating speakers we’ve ever had join us on our TechWomen programme, one of BT’s key diversity programmes. Throughout the past 12 months, Sally has joined us numerous times on our programme and our TechWomen always love her stories. More recently, Sally created a bespoke session for us around mental fitness which went down a storm. Sally always gets on board with your goals and objectives to make sure your attendees get the most out of their time with her and is an absolute joy to work with!”
The High-Performance Speakers Agency is the UK’s leading bureau for teamwork, leadership, and marginal gains speakers. We hire speakers for corporate conferences and events across the world and cater to both in-person occasions and online webinars. Our roster includes sportspeople, business leaders, adventurers and more, to ensure audiences of all industries receive tailored, impactful advice on optimised performance.
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