Richard Whitehead
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Paralympic gold medalist and World Champion athlete
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Gold medalist in the London 2012 Paralympic Games in the T42 200m
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Was the first leg amputee to break the three hour mark for a marathon
It's not easy to define Richard Whitehead... he's a World Record holder in full and half marathons, but he's also one of the world's best sprinters – and the current Paralympic and World Champion in the T42 200m. Many people say Richard is an inspiration. Richard says that he's simply an athlete, who has been given the opportunity to run.
As a double leg amputee, life is full of challenges, but that's never got in Richard Whitehead's way… Since that first marathon in 2004, Richard has run more than twenty marathons, not to mention competing at the 2006 Winter Paralympic Games in sledge hockey.
In 2009, he became the first leg amputee (single or double) to break the three hour mark for a marathon, a world record he has now lowered to 2 hours, 42.54 minutes. He also broke the half marathon world record with an incredible run of 1 hour, 14.14 minutes.
Most recently, Richard won Gold in the London 2012 Paralympic Games in the T42 200m, he was second last after the first 100m, but then surged through the field to become the Paralympic Champion with an incredible burst of speed.
But aspirations are bigger than just winning races. Richard Whitehead wants to make a difference. To prove that even though he has a disability, he has overcome barriers that have been put in front of him. He does this again and again on some of the world's biggest stages.
Richard lives in Nottingham and is coached by Olympic marathon runner Liz Yelling and Keith Antoine. He worked for Nottingham City Council as an Inclusive Multi-skill Officer, developing and mentoring teachers and students in the fundamentals of multi-skill activities prior to becoming a full time athlete at the start of 2011.
Through his numerous world records and medals, Richard Whitehead has cemented his stature as one of the most versatile and outstanding Paralympic athletes in the world. His challenge for the future is to keep proving to the world that whatever life's challenges are, nothing is impossible, he appears to be on track.
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I just wanted to thank you for your inspirational contribution to our strategic planning conference last week. Your input was pitched perfectly. Colleagues appreciated and empathised with your story and your message on a very personal level.
We've had many elite performers over the years we have been running our conference, but it was fantastic how you were able to connect your message so well with our mission and the conference theme.
Richard's talk was expertly tailored to our event, with clear takeaways that applied across the many different disciplines represented by our delegates.
Richard was generous with his time, happy to answer questions, pose for photographs and engage with our wider social activity.
We would recommend Richard as a keynote speaker for organisations seeking to deliver an engaging and impactful event.
How to book Richard Whitehead for your event
To book Richard Whitehead, please submit an online enquiry to booking.agent@nmp.co.uk or contact one of our booking agents on +44 (0)20 3822 0003.
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