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Australian Athletes Who Deliver the Most Powerful Keynote Speeches

Thinking about booking a sports star guest speaker? Through acts of courage, resilience and leadership, elite athletes can be truly inspirational. These names should be high on your list.

Dylan Alcott

He's a three-time Paralympian gold medallist and world number one who is also carving out his career in radio and TV. He knows what it’s like to overcome adversity and to prove the haters wrong. He speaks regularly about sport and disability, here's a taste:

Steven Bradbury

It has gone down as one of Australia's greatest sporting moments - the speed skating field slips, slides and crashes and Steven Bradbury stays upright to claim our first gold medal in Olympic history. As Steve tells his audience, luck was just a small part of this story. He is now a successful keynote speaker telling his story:

Mick Collis

Mick always had a dream to represent Australia .. at something. And in 2009, he and four mates formed the first ever national Sudoku team and represented Australia at the World Sudoku Championships in Goa, India. Despite having never played Sudoku! It's an unbelievable and hilarious story.

Alisa Camplin

Alisa was a champion of many sports before competing in the Winter Olympics. She was a gymnast and won two Australian sailing titles before trying her hand at aerial skiing. She went on to win gold at the Winter Olympics in 2002, before building a global business career. She has also overcome personal tragedy on her journey. Alisa is sought-after as an inspirational speaker, particularly on topics of leadership, motivation and teams.

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Brant Garvey

Having one less limb never stopped Brant Garvey from achieving everything he set out to do. Before he turned to paratriathlon, Garvey was a successful swimmer and wheelchair basketballer, competing for Australia and at state level. He has completed the Ironman triathlon, the first Australian above-knee amputee to complete the event. He now competes in events globally as well as competing at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. Here's an overview of his story:

Anna Meares

Anna Meares is one of Australia’s most accomplished track cyclists, reaching legend status after fighting back to global stage following a broken neck. She’s finished on the podium six times at four consecutive Olympic games, eight times at four Commonwealth Games and has 11 World Championship gold medals, as well as 15 more podium finishes. She has produced a documentary of her story:

Other recommended athlete speakers:

Danny Green, Boxing legend. Danny's "pull no punches" style has made him favourite among all Australian sports fans, he tells it as it is and is particularly influential on topics of men's health.

Lauren Jackson, Australia's greatest female basketballer who has spoken dramatic post-career challenges.

Mark Matthews, one of the world’s best big wave surfers. He shares amazing stories, insights and learnings from taking on the world's biggest waves, near death experiences and shocking injuries. He speaks on overcoming fear and building resilience.

Libby Trickett, one of Australia's greatest swimmers, multiple Olympic gold medal winner and world record holder. She talks about overcoming personal challenges, high performance and making a comeback.

Matthew Pavlich, AFL and Dockers legend. One of the league's greatest ever and premium brands, Pavlich is an expert on the topics of leadership and team dynamics.

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Adam Gilchrist, Australian cricket legend who is recognised for pioneering the modern, attacking brand of cricket, and overcame his fair share of adversity along the way. Gilly is much loved and highly sought-after as a speaker and brand ambassador.

Shane Heal, Australian basketball legend, commentator, former NBA star. Shane was a pioneer for Australian basketball, making a name for himself in the NBA and famously getting in the face of legend Charles Barkley. He then built a significant business which ended up going bust, costing him millions. Shane is a brilliant speaker on many topics, sharing his story, the trials and tribulations.

Damien Oliver, Australia’s best known jockey, multiple Melbourne Cup winner, Hall of Famer. He has a fascinating story of resilience, losing his brother days before the 2002 Melbourne Cup and going on to win it - who could Damien pointing to the sky after claiming victory. He then faced the challenge of a betting scandal, teaching him many valuable lessons which he shares with audiences.

Have you heard an inspirational speech from an athlete? Tell us about it in the comments or on Facebook.

These sports stars are among 700+ elite athletes who are available for speaking and commercial opportunities through Pickstar.

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