Anne Dickins MBE
Paralympic canoe gold medallist
Anne is a gold medal-winning sprint canoe Paralympian and also a physiotherapist. Anne first sat in a canoe in 2012, aged 45, but went on to win gold for Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Since starting to compete for Great Britain in 2013, she now holds the world record for 200m flat water sprint and has won two World Championship and three European Championship gold medals.
Prior to taking up para-canoeing, she was an able-bodied ultra-endurance mountain biker, which she only took up aged 36 to get fit. Before this, sport was not part of her life and she even admits that she didn't like sport at school!
Her story of getting into sport, her life changing injury, which prevented her from riding a bike, and how she turned her life around to become Paralympic gold medallist in Rio in just four years is an incredible tale. Anne's journey from a complete novice to Paralympic champion is inspirational and has relevance to people of all ages and from all sectors.
Anne encourages audiences to write their own story, and speaks compellingly about growth mindset, resilience and tenacity, and why change is always possible no matter what challenges are faced.
