43 new world records and 132 new Olympic records were set at the 2008 Olympics which took place in Beijing from August 8th to the 24th.
Becoming the 22nd nation to host the Olympic Games, China achieved a resounding majority vote and the major international sporting event saw a total of 11,028 athletes taking part.
Within the Chinese culture the number 8 is associated with confidence and prosperity and to mark this belief the official opening ceremony took place at 8pm on August 8th, 2008.
With 204 National Olympic Committees competing in 28 sports and 302 events this was a record year for China with their athletes winning the most gold medals overall.
In fact, an unprecedented 86 countries won at least one medal during the Games.
For the British team, these games saw particular achievements from both Chris Hoy and Katherine Grainger who between them won 1 Silver, and 3 Gold Medals.
In the men’s team sprint, men’s sprint and men’s keirin Sir Chris Hoy took home an astounding 3 Gold Medals making him four times Olympic champion.
After his success at Beijing he was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2008 and is a confident motivational and dinner speaker on topics such as teamwork, motivation and not surprisingly, achieving outstanding results.
With a degree in Applied Sports Science and 2 Honorary Doctorates, Chris has a great deal of knowledge and experience within this field and is passionate about inspiring others to achieve their dreams.
When delivering presentations and motivational talks, Chris draws on his experiences from an early age which saw him competing in various sports from just 7 years old. Having been a member of the Great Britain Squad since 1996 and his recent knighthood in 2009 Chris makes for a powerful and engaging speaker on a wealth of subjects.
Teammate Katherine Grainger also had a triumphant year at the 2008 Olympics, winning a Silver Medal for rowing in the quadruple sculls.
Known as Britain’s most successful female rower and 6 times World Champion, Katherine also boasts an impressive repertoire of motivational presentations and after dinner speeches.
Katherine’s international rowing career really took off in 1997 when she won the gold medal at the world under 23 rowing championships and she went on to compete in that year’s world championships.
It was whilst studying for a law degree at Edinburgh University however that Katherine first took up rowing and realized her talent. Being passionate about her education, Katherine continued to study for a Masters in medical law and is currently studying for a PhD in law at King’s College London.
With 4 world championships titles and Olympic silver medals from Sydney, Athens and Beijing in her collection Katherine is Britain’s most successful female rower and has an MBE for her services to rowing.
When delivering speeches at corporate events, Katherine can cover a variety of topics from peak performance and winning to combining academia with sporting success.