The 2022 Commonwealth Games are less than 10 days away!
With the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games fast approaching we took a deep dive into exploring our champion sporty speakers and their Commonwealth Games achievements. Held between 28 JULY - 08 AUGUST England will host up to 72 Countries with over +4500 and 283 medals up for grabs the next Games is sure to be an entertaining one. From Wheelchair Racing to Swimming to Boxing and Basketball we have seen many Saxton Speakers star in their sports over the years.
Olympic and Commonwealth Games speakers epitomize resilience and dedication, showcasing how envisioning a goal, developing a plan and putting in the hard work leads to triumph. Saxton works with a range of Olympians and Paralympians guaranteed to motivate and inspire your team.
This year some of our great speakers are competing including Emma Mckeon OAM, Kaylee Mckeown, Ariarne Titmus, Matthew Levy OAM, Madison De Rozario, Peter Bol, and the list goes on.
If you’re looking for a Sports Star Speaker to share a story of resilience, dedication, and triumph, contact our expert team on 1300 799 823 or enquire here for more information.
"TRUST YOURSELF A LITTLE BIT MORE, IT’S NOT EASY BUT WE WILL GET THERE" Peter Bol
Some like two-time Olympian Peter Bol are competing at the Comm Games for the very first time.
Bol is set to debut in Birmingham competing in the Men's 800m, and is aiming to become the first Australian to win it since Peter Bourke in Brisbane in 1982.
Peter was born in Sudan, and his family fled the civil war, spending four years in Egypt. At the age of 10 he stepped off a plane in Toowoomba; an experience that Peter describes as indescribable and comparable only to qualifying for the Olympic Games.
In 2016, Peter wore our national colours - the green and gold as he faced the immensely difficult task of competing at his first Olympic Games in Rio.
In 2021, Peter looked to add to his Olympic story and became the first Australian in 53 years to qualify for the Men’s 800m Final on the track.
A well-accomplished public speaker talking to corporates and schools, Peter covers topics including goal setting, overcoming adversity, teamwork, balance, and peak performance.
“BELIEVE IN THE IMPOSSIBLE" Matthew Levy
Matt Levy has faced extreme hardship and adversity head-on, yet still, continues to bring home the Gold!
Matthew Levy OAM was born at 25 weeks with multiple disabilities, Matthew Levy was not meant to make it past day 1. Matthew has had 50 odd operations and is legally blind with cerebral palsy. His story is one of courage, overcoming obstacles, and facing adversity head-on.
With 5 Paralympics, multiple World Records, 3 Gold Medals, and an OAM, his is a truly remarkable story.
Matt is also a two-time author of "Keeping Your Head Above Water" which details how his perceived shortcomings led him to discover his unique strengths, and "Brandon Dreams Big" which includes 7 easy steps to get to where you want and reach your goals!
“Be the best you can be” Ariarne Titmus
At the young age of 21 Ariarne has already set 2 World Records and 2 Games Records!
Making her Dolphins’ debut in 2016, Tasmanian-born Ariarne Titmus has no doubt made her presence felt on swimming’s world stage.
Representing Australia at the 2017 World Championships - Titmus claimed a bronze medal in the Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay and placed fourth in the Women’s 400m Freestyle. The following year in 2018 - and at just 18 years of age - she smashed her 400m freestyle PB and in the process, broke the world record at the World Short Course Championships. In the same year, she also claimed three gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.
The 400m Freestyle World Champion, Titmus has three Commonwealth Records and a World Record to her name, earning her the nickname, ‘The Terminator’.
At her first Olympic outing, Titmus remarkably took home two individual gold medals in the 200m and 400m freestyle, placing her among Australia's most successful swimmers.
In 2022 Ariarne was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her service to sport as a gold medallist at the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020.
One of the youngest and most promising athletes on the Australian Paralympic Team
After a series of stunning gold medal performances in 2018, Madison de Rozario continues to prove why she is one of the most promising young athletes in wheelchair racing. At her Commonwealth Games debut on the Gold Coast, she put the world on notice in the women’s 1500m T54 final, launching a decisive attack with 300m to go to win gold, before pushing to a 13-second lead in the women’s marathon T54 to make it two from two.
Over the following six weeks, Madison became the first Australian to win the elite women’s wheelchair race at the London Marathon and collected a hat-trick of gold medals at the World Para-athletics Grand Prix in Nottwil, Switzerland, where she equaled the women’s 1500m T53/54 world record set by Tatyana McFadden (USA).
Madison, who was first encouraged to begin wheelchair racing by Australian Paralympics Hall of Fame inductee Frank Ponta, made her Paralympic debut more than 10 years ago as the youngest athlete on the Australian Paralympic Team.
In 2018 Madison was awarded Cosmopolitan Sportswoman of the Year, Outstanding Sporting Achievement for UnioSport Australia, and Athletics Australia Female Para-Athlete of the Year. With three Paralympic appearances and three Paralympic silver medals now under her belt, and as the reigning world champion in the women’s 5000m T53, Madison has never been more ready to contest gold at the Paralympic Games.
In 2022 Madison was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her service to sport as a gold medallist at the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020.
And some like Emma Mckeon OAM are eight-time Commonwealth Games gold medallists
One of the most decorated athletes in Australian Olympic & Commonwealth Games history and the only female swimmer in the world to win 7 medals at one Olympics.
After securing 4 Olympic medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Emma added a further 7 in Tokyo 2020 to cement her name in history. In 2022 she was made a Member of the Order of Australia for her significant service to swimming as a Gold medallist at the Tokyo Olympics.
With swimming in her veins, Mckeon took to the pool from an early age. 2010 saw Emma's international breakthrough at the Junior Pan Pacific Championship, Youth Olympics, and World Short Course Championships, collecting one gold and multiple silver and bronze medals across several events. Emma then cemented her spot in the Australian team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, winning four golds and two bronze medals putting herself in the Australian sporting spotlight.
After narrowly missing out on the 2012 London Olympics, come the 2016 Rio Olympics and she qualified to join her brother David in competing for Australia. Rio is where Emma was a part of Australia's all-conquering 4x100m Freestyle relay team that won gold and set a new world record. Swimming in two more relays, she secured a further two silver medals and claimed her first individual medal in the 200m freestyle - a bronze - and finished as Australia's most successful Olympian at the Rio Games.
Emma then went on to perform exceptionally well at her home Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018, with three individual medals to accompany her three relay golds.
Backstroke specialist & triple Olympic Gold Medallist
Kaylee McKeown OAM returned from the Tokyo Olympic Games a triple Olympic gold medallist with a staggering haul of three gold and one bronze medal from her debut Games.
McKeown’s rapid rise consolidates her standing as one of the undisputed superstars of international swimming. Kaylee was the only Australian or US Olympic swim team member to break a world record at the Olympic trials, with a blistering 57.45s in the 100m backstroke.
Kaylee also became the second-fastest 100m backstroke swimmer of all time, smashing the Australian record at the Medal Shots Long Course Preparation Meet in Brisbane in November 2020. In the 200m backstroke, Kaylee became the first Aussie woman to break 2:05.00 swimming a blistering time to set a new Australian and Commonwealth record.
Kaylee’s debut for the Dolphins came as a 15-year-old at the 2017 FINA World Championships, where she finished 4th in the 200m backstroke, setting a new Junior World Record. Her first international medal at the senior level came in 2019 at the FINA World Championships, winning silver in the 200m backstroke and 4x100m medley.
With the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and 2022 FINA World Championship in Fukuoka, Japan fast approaching, there will be plenty more Kaylee McKeown-magic to come.
In 2022 Kaylee was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her service to sport as a gold medallist at the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020.
