The 2021 Tokyo Olympic games have begun and the Paralympics are less than a month away!
To celebrate the wins the Australian team have already brought home, we're highlighting the incredible efforts of our Saxton Olympians and Paralympians.
Olympic 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.
View all our Olympic & Paralympic Speakers here >
If you’re looking for a Speaker to share a story of resilience, dedication, and triumph, contact our expert team on 1300 799 823 or enquire here for more information.
Two-time Olympian Peter Bol has captured the hearts and minds of Australia with his courageous spirit.
At 10 years old, Peter Bol stepped off a plane in Toowomba, fleeing the Sudan Civil War with his family.
12 years later, Peter donned the green and gold for the first time 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.
Ambitious and passionate about helping others, Peter is a mentor, coach and educator - with a focus on the importance of consistent actions.
Learn more about Peter>
A true story of triumph over tragedy, Curtis McGrath is a para-canoeist like no other.
On the 23rd of August 2012, young soldier Curtis McGrath’s life changed forever. The decorated Sapper was two months into a tour of Taliban-rife areas of Afghanistan when he stepped on a homemade landmine, otherwise known as an IED (Improvised Explosive Device). The then 24-year-old tragically lost both his legs in the blast.
In February 2017, Curtis became the first Paralympic athlete to be honoured by being named 'Sportsman of the Year' at the World Paddle Awards and Australian Canoeing Paracanoeist of the Year. That same year he was honoured with an Order of Australia Medal.
Having won gold at Rio in 2016, Curtis is training for his second Paralympics in Tokyo.
Luc Longley AM is an iconic Australian and basketball champion.
Luc's inherent curiosity and courage led him to blaze the trail for elite Australian basketballers, becoming the first Australian to play in the NBA. He also represented Australia in three Olympic Teams, including at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, which delivered Australia's best result for the Men's Team.
Luc is a disarmingly authentic and gifted storyteller, and audiences will leave his sessions with renewed insight into iconic moments in history along with valuable lessons and takeaways that translate into their work and personal endeavours.
Cathy Freeman is one of Australia's best-loved and most successful Olympic champions.
Her greatest achievement came in 2000 at the Sydney Olympic Games, when she was beamed into millions of homes worldwide and became the first competing athlete to be invited to light the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony; she then went on to win the gold medal in the 400m, realising a life-long dream. Cathy's journey has been documented in the critically acclaimed ABC documentary Freeman released to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Sydney Olympic Games.
She was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) and the Centenary Medal in 2001 and retired from competitive running in 2003. She now concentrates her time on making a difference to others through the Cathy Freeman Foundation.
Sally Pearson is an Olympic Gold Medallist and Two-Time World Champion for the 100m Hurdles.
At 17, Sally wanted desperately to be Australia’s next track and field champion. Through hard work, dedication, and commitment, at just 20 years old, she had already made her mark by anchoring Australia’s 4 x 100m Relay Team at the World Championships. In the same year, Sally was Australia’s champion at 100m sprints and was the Australian 100m hurdles champion. By 2011 Sally was crowned the 2011 World Champion, 2011 IAAF World’s Best Female Athlete of the Year (she was the first Australian ever to win this award), and in 2012, she became the Olympic Gold Medallist for the 100m hurdles.
Sally is a great role model for young Australians and young people around the World.
Transitioning from being an expert speed skater to an expert speaker has been an interesting ride over the last 10 years.
Steven has presented at over 750 conferences and events in 15 countries and still loves it. He loves the adrenalin before going onstage and loves that his strategies for success in business and life can inspire and help people.
Steven Bradbury's remarkable and unlikely victory at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics was achieved after a spectacular final-lap spill took out his four rivals.
Australia’s first female Winter Olympic Gold Medallist, Alisa Camplin, possesses that rare story-telling ability that inspires, entertains, and transfers knowledge.
As a result, tens of thousands of people have been motivated, laughed and cried, and walked away with a toolkit of practical, implementable skills to create their own success after listening to one of Australia’s premier female speakers.
Jana Pittman’s story is a roller coaster of triumph, defeat, failure, and success.
She will take you on a journey through the peaks and troughs that helped shape her career and build her into who she is today.
Two times World Champion, Four times Commonwealth Champion, in the sport of athletics, Jana Pittman personifies resilience and determination. When continued injuries hampered her athletic career could have signalled retirement, she swapped the track for the ice. Jana joined the Australian Women’s bobsleigh team, to become the first women to represent Australia in both the Summer and Winter Olympic games.
Kurt Fearnley is a three-time Paralympic gold medallist (Athens, 2004 and Beijing, 2008) and two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist (Delhi, 2010 and Gold Coast, 2018).
He has won over 30 marathons, including 10 marathons in 2007 and three straight New York marathon titles, in a career spanning more than 20 years. In total, Kurt has Thirteen Paralympic medals spanning across 5 games. He's also a 6 times world champion from 800m to the marathon. Kurt was able to finish a 20-year representative career with a dominant Gold Medal performance at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games whilst also receiving the honour of carrying the Australian flag into the Closing Ceremony.
Libby Trickett (nee Lenton) is one of the brightest stars of the Australian Women's Olympic swim team.
She is the current holder of five world records and former holder (with teammates Alice Mills, Petria Thomas, and Jodie Henry) of the world record in the women's 4x100m relay.
At the 2004 Australian Olympic Swimming Selection Trials, Libby blitzed the field with a World Record in the 100m freestyle, set the second-fastest Australian time ever in the 100m butterfly, and broke the Australian Record in the 50m freestyle to qualify for her first Olympic Games.
Giaan Rooney, OAM is an Australian Olympic swimmer and television personality.
As a former darling of Australian Swimming, Giaan Rooney holds medals at every level of competition, including an Olympic Gold. In 2006, Giaan retired from swimming to forge a successful career as an Australian TV presenter.
Nova Peris OAM OLY MAICD was Australia's first Aboriginal woman elected to Federal Parliament and the first Aboriginal Australian and Northern Territorian to win an Olympic Gold Medal.
She is one of a very few athletes who have represented their country in two different sports; hockey and athletics in separate Olympic Games. She is the only person in the entire world to make back-to-back Summer Olympic Games finals in two different sports.
Andrew Bogut is an internationally recognized Australian Basketballer.
He was the first-ever Australian to be selected first in the NBA Draft in 2005 when he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks. In 2012 he was traded to the Golden State Warriors, where he enjoyed tremendous success, including winning an NBA Championship in 2015. He’s represented Australia as part of the National Team, the Boomers, at 3 Olympics games. In 2018 Andrew returned home to Australia to play in the NBL; that same year, he won the NBL MVP award.
Karni Liddell’s journey to becoming one of Australia’s most successful Paralympians began a lot differently than most elite athletes, as she was born with a neuromuscular wasting disease and her parents were told that their first-born child wouldn’t walk, crawl or live past her teenage years.
Karni Liddell is one of Australia’s most successful, well-respected and highly awarded Paralympic swimmers of our time breaking her first World Record at the age of 14 before going on to medal at every Paralympics she competed in since. She regards being captain of the Number 1 team at the Sydney 2000 Games her greatest achievement.
Stephane Rice is a triple Olympic gold medallist, winning three gold medals in swimming at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, all in world-record time.
Since leaving the pool, Stephanie has been involved in several business ventures, including an online mentoring program, consulting to Indian swimming academies, and launching RACERiCE, her social enterprise company that gives a child in a developing country a swimming lesson with every swimsuit sold. She is passionate about helping others to be the best they can be and live the life of their dreams.
A Paralympic Gold Medallist, international motivational speaker, attorney, brand ambassador, board director, TV reporter, and sports commentator, Annabelle Williams is a leading voice on diversity and inclusion and is creating a movement to change people's perceptions about their own limitations.
Annabelle captained the Australian Paralympic Swim Team and managed to balance her sporting career with a highly successful and demanding corporate career as an attorney. Annabelle competed in two Paralympic Games, broke five world records, and won numerous medals for Australia, including gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
