Steve Backley OBE

  • Former world record holder for Javelin and two-time Olympic silver medallist

  • One of Britain's most consistent and popular athletes for over a decade

  • Author of three inspirational books including The Champion in All of Us

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Steve Backley OBE | NMP Live
About

After seven Gold medals, three world records, two Olympic silver medals and one bronze, Steve Backley finally hung up his javelin at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, showing he was still one of the world's best by placing 4th in the final.

For over a decade, Steve was one of Britain's most consistent and popular athletes and established himself as one of the all-time greats of his sport.

A constant member of the British athletics team, standing on podiums and setting world records, Steve is the only British track and field competitor to win medals at three different Olympic Games – Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney.
He was awarded an MBE in 1995 after winning European and Commonwealth Gold the previous summer. In 2002, he was awarded the OBE, after being the first British athlete to successfully win four consecutive European Championship titles.

Since retirement from professional sport, Steve Backley has pursued a number of business activities. He is author of three inspirational books – ‘The Winning Mind', ‘The Little Book of Inspiration' and, most recently, ‘The Champion in All of Us: 12 Rules for Success'.

London 2012 was an amazing accomplishment for Team GB and for all of Britain. Steve was honoured to be in the thick of it as an integral part of the BBC commentary team, as torch bearer and as Team GB Ambassador in our most successful Games ever.

He knows what it is like both sides of the fence and is able to give a fantastic insight into what it is like to compete on the toughest stage of all... The Olympic Games.

In addition to being a successful and sought-after corporate speaker and published author, Steve continues to deliver sports commentary for the BBC and is booked for a range of other media and television appearances.

He also concentrates on the training business he established with fellow Olympian Roger Black – delivering ‘Olympic Performance in the Workplace.' Steve is also involved with several charities including SportsAid, The Burns Club, and BexleySnap in his home borough.

Speech Topics

With more than two decades experience as a corporate speaker, Steve Backley's clients are delighted with his professional but relaxed delivery of inspirational and practical key messages for self and team improvement paired with amusing anecdotes of Olympics tales.

His affable, laid back nature and ability to communicate with politicians and children alike has made him a hit with a huge range of audiences and the feedback he receives is testament to his great skill in connecting with people from all sectors of business.

Videos

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Testimonials

Hi Steve, many thanks for your speech at the conference, I've seen many speakers over the past 20 years or so but I thought yours was the most enjoyable I have seen for years.

AWD Chase de Vere.

Steve Backley was a very professional speaker who kept the audience totally engaged during his presentation. He was very entertaining and inspiring and, as well as giving an interesting insight into his Olympic performances, he made some excellent links between sporting and business performance, which was what we were seeking as our audience was mainly business people.

John McBride, Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Steve attended a City lunch we arranged for 50 people from the Lloyd's of London Insurance Market to promote our support of the 2012 Team GB appeal. The audience was captivated by his address, which highlighted his fantastic achievements and anecdotes of his past sporting experiences. He conveyed his enthusiasm for the 2012 London Olympics to many who had not previously recognised their value. A thoroughly enjoyable occasion, thanks to Steve.

Hugh Price, Chairman, Alwen Hough Johnson Ltd.

Steve was an extremely engaging and inspirational speaker, and a thoroughly polished event host.

Graham Ayres, MD, Iliffe News & Media East.

I just wanted to pass on a huge and grateful thank you for everything yesterday. Our client thought you were absolutely sensational.

Katherine Brown, Senior Producer, Aspect Ltd.

Steve Backley was superb in hosting our sports awards evening. His ability to follow a pre-written script, and bring that to life with his own stories, enthusiasm and humour was first class. He hosted the evening brilliantly, pulling everything together to ensure the other sporting stars in attendance, the local nominees and other guests all had a special evening. The positive feedback we've received from all guests alike is testament to Steve's style and personality.

Mike Evans, Medway City Council.

Steve's presentation at our National Conference was delivered to the brief given perfectly and used his personal sporting experience to draw out some really key messages.

Nigel Walker, National Director, English Institute of Sport

Just wanted to drop you a note to say thank you ever so much for the motivational and inspirational speech which you delivered at the awards last week. It was utterly inspiring to hear your story first hand and despite your career being largely athletics based, I could apply so many of your visions and messages to my experience in banking and I hope to make use of them in my future career.

RMP Awards.

Books and DVDs

Clients often ask about purchasing books for giveaways and delegate packs. Below you’ll find a selection of products by Steve Backley OBE. Click the images to view on Amazon's website. For bulk orders, please speak with your Booking Agent.

How to book Steve Backley OBE for your event

To book Steve Backley OBE, 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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you made the whole process of finding and engaging our speaker very easy.
Julie Smith, Head of HR - Hastoe Group
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