Sally is truly the first lady of British sport. Throughout her long and illustrious career she held all four major Gold medals at once as well as holding a World Record in the 400 metres hurdles.
SPORTS BIO
Gunnell started out in athletics with the Essex Ladies club as an accomplished long jumper and pentathlete before turing to the sprints and hurdling. She had a winning pedigree making her name at the Commonwealth Games winning the 100m hurldes gold medal in 1986. Her coach though persuaded her that her strength and stamina would be better suited to the 400m hurdles.
And so it proved when Gunnell - after beginning her new career with a 59.9sec debut in 1987 - finished fifth in the Seoul Olympic final with a personal best of 54.03sec. At the 1990 Commonwealth Games Gunnell had truly grasped her new event and returned to Britain with a gold medal around her neck. In the following year's World Championships she again shattered her personal best with a time of 53.16sec to win silver.
At the Barcelona Olympics Gunnell was simply electrifying. With a nail biting finish, Sally held on with great confidence and style to become Olympic 400m hurdles champion.
Sally holds a place in the hearts of the nation as the most popular female sportswomen of our times, and our most successful. She is the only woman to hold four titles concurrently - Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth. Sally’s unwavering motivation, dedication and self-belief that ensured her on-track success now inspires audiences everywhere.
SPECIALIST AREAS
Sally is a confident and established speaker. She moves freely around the stage with a relaxed yet focused approach. Her natural, unassuming manner draws her audiences in so they immediately identify with her and make for a warm and truly inspirational presentation
Sally’s standard presentation concentrates on her drive for success and how she adapted her training regime and life as a whole to ensure her ultimate goal of Olympic Gold was achieved. The specific techniques she absorbed to ensure her body was finely tuned at exactly the right moment for the ultimate competition. The inevitable low points and the mental power to overcome failure and use it to your advantage are the signs of a true winner.
Sally believes winning is 70% mental and 30% physical and offers insight into the techniques she absorbed to ensure she won and won again. She relates all her experiences to the non-sporting world offering tips to improve everyday performance. Sally also relates her experiences to her post competitive career and current goals. Sally’s experience allows her to tailor her presentation to incorporate specific corporate messages.
She has provided dedicated sessions on coaching and working with the team around you, work-life balance and maintaining excellence. She can work closely to a brief bringing her competitive experience into a concise corporate message. Her natural and relaxed demeanour also ensures she is an effective awards host.
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