Derek Redmond

Derek Redmond was part of the British team who beat the formidable American side in 1991 to win Gold in the 4X400 metres, a testament to his winning mindset. However, only a year later in 1992, tragedy struck when he suffered a career-ending injury. Derek now discusses the resilience and determination that spurred him to hobble over the finish line, a valuable takeaway for audiences.

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Motivational speaker and Gold medal-winning athlete, Derek Redmond, was forced to retire from sports after injuries plagued his career. Derek was rising through the ranks of athletics, having broken the British record for the 400 metres sprint and won numerous international medals, including Gold at the 1991 World Championships, before tearing his hamstring at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

Though at the time Derek was visibly heartbroken, this was the moment that shaped him as a motivational speaker. As thousands of audience members stood from their seats and cheered Derek on, he limped across the finish line in the arms of his father. The image has become a symbol of sportsmanship, determination and perseverance.

Following the defining moment, the Olympic Committee labelled Derek as "did not finish". They were right, he had only just started. Since this moment, he has been praised by former President Barack Obama, was featured in the International Olympic Committee's "Celebrate Humanity" video and has become an inspiring motivational speaker. Derek uses his story to teach a powerful lesson to audiences: hard work and perseverance are worth their weight in gold.

Bursting onto the athletics scene, Derek quickly broke the 400-metre British record in 1985. Though the time was later broken, he took the title back in 1987. In 1991, Derek firmly secured himself as an athletics legend, when, as part of the British 4x400 metres relay team, he defeated the notorious American side. Alongside Roger Black, Kriss Akabusi and John Regis, Derek ran one of the fastest 4x400 metres relay in history.

From diversity and inclusion to high-performance teams, Derek's passion makes him the ideal speaker on multiple topics. He teaches audiences how to manage change in their personal and professional lives, to therefore build resilience. Having worked as a Group Performance Director with Thomas International and Director of Development for UK Athletics, Derek’s understanding of personal development is vital for audiences.

FEEDBACK FROM VIRTUAL EVENTS:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Derek attended many virtual events, booked as the exciting guest speaker. Read the feedback he has received below.

"Derek – on behalf of everyone at Spirit Energy thank you very much for a really engaging and inspirational talk today, it was an honour to have you share your experiences and insights with us in such a relevant way. We have already had many positive comments – I think it really hit the spot for what we were looking to achieve."

- Nick, Spirit Energy

"We worked with Derek for an online event this year, and he was absolutely fantastic. Extremely professional and really easy to work with. His talk, even though it had to be done online due to the pandemic, was very interesting and all the feedback we received from our guests was positive. Very happy to recommend him for any event."

- Clint, Casual Business

FEEDBACK FROM IN-PERSON EVENTS:

Derek is regularly booked to engage audiences at in-person events, read his latest feedback below.

"I would like to thank you very sincerely for your contribution to our KAM Summit, Dubai. It was really uplifting, enlightening and inspiring. This was truly one of the key highlights of our event.

"Not only your ambition, passion and determination is commendable, but your true spirit of “inspiring people and changing mindsets: From world-class to worlds best is highly regarded and appreciated, once again, thank you so much for your remarkable contribution"

- Khaled, Johnson & Johnson

"Derek was an inspiration over the 3 days, I have never seen so many people in one room engaged when Derek was speaking. Everyone who attended the conference are still talking about him today. The speech was a great climax to the conference, please pass on our thanks.

"We would recommend Derek to any organisation looking for a motivational speaker, even after watching him every day for 3 days, I still enjoyed the speech as much each time."

- Carol, Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

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If you need any advice or guidance, or if you have a question about Derek Redmond or any of the leadership and teamwork speakers on our website, don’t hesitate to give a member of the management team a call on 0207 078 78 76 or send us a message via agents@championsukplc.com.

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