Heather Fell won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing in the Individual Modern Pentathlon. She is a former Junior World Champion and a former World Number One. Heather’s inspiring story is one of triumph in adversity and sheer perseverance. She is an accomplished and engaging speaker with a natural stage presence. The tale of her path to Olympic success is full of amusing anecdotes and unexpected turns. Audiences will instantly warm to this confident and amiable young sportswoman.
Heather was brought up in rural Devon where she rode horses and swam competitively from a young age. This lead her into the sport of tetrathlon from which she progressed on to modern pentathlon which combines the disciplines of running, swimming, shooting, fencing and show jumping.
Heather read physiotherapy at Brunel University where she combined her studies with a hectic training schedule. She found initial success at junior level winning 2 gold medals and a silver medal at the 2003 World Junior Championships in Athens. Her path to Olympic success, however, was not straight forward. In 2006 after a series of injuries and setbacks, her funding was cut; she was forced to move back in with her parents and contemplated quitting sport all together.
Back home in Devon, Heather overcame her injury and worked three part time jobs to fund her own training. Through sheer determination and perseverance, she returned to form and went on to win bronze at the 2007 World Cup in Moscow and gold and silver at the 2007 European Championships in Riga thus qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
With her funding restored, Heather was able to focus her efforts on training and went on to secure a silver medal in the Women’s Individual Modern Pentathlon at the Beijing Games after a nail-biting day of competition. By the end of 2008, she was ranked world number one and followed this up by winning silver at the European Championships in 2009. She was a silver medalist at the World Cups in both 2011 and 2012.
Heather was brought up in rural Devon where she rode horses and swam competitively from a young age. This lead her into the sport of tetrathlon from which she progressed on to modern pentathlon which combines the disciplines of running, swimming, shooting, fencing and show jumping.
Heather read physiotherapy at Brunel University where she combined her studies with a hectic training schedule. She found initial success at junior level winning 2 gold medals and a silver medal at the 2003 World Junior Championships in Athens. Her path to Olympic success, however, was not straight forward. In 2006 after a series of injuries and setbacks, her funding was cut; she was forced to move back in with her parents and contemplated quitting sport all together.
Back home in Devon, Heather overcame her injury and worked three part time jobs to fund her own training. Through sheer determination and perseverance, she returned to form and went on to win bronze at the 2007 World Cup in Moscow and gold and silver at the 2007 European Championships in Riga thus qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
With her funding restored, Heather was able to focus her efforts on training and went on to secure a silver medal in the Women’s Individual Modern Pentathlon at the Beijing Games after a nail-biting day of competition. By the end of 2008, she was ranked world number one and followed this up by winning silver at the European Championships in 2009. She was a silver medalist at the World Cups in both 2011 and 2012.
What the audience can expect
Since retiring from Modern Pentathlon, Heather has chosen to pursue a career in broadcasting and journalism working with a variety of outlets including the BBC, Sky and various newspapers. Naturally driven, she continues to push herself physically and has recently taken up cycling opting to complete a ride from Lands End to John O’Groats for charity. Heather is a serving member of the British Olympic Association Athlete’s Committee, works as an athlete mentor for a variety of charities and is a passionate champion/spokeswoman for female sport.
Audiences can expect the following topics in a highly versatile presentation which is suitable for any number of events:
Audiences will instantly warm to Heather’s witty, accessible and refreshingly honest style of presenting. Her passion for sport is infectious and the story of her long journey to Olympic success reflects both the highs and lows of competition as an elite athlete in one of the hardest multi discipline sports. Heather is a talented and experienced public speaker whose presentations are delivered with both confidence and humility. Even amongst elite athletes, her story is a remarkable one of triumph in adversity and sheer determination to which everyone can relate. Clients are guaranteed to enjoy an audience with this charming, intelligent and very approachable young woman.
Audiences can expect the following topics in a highly versatile presentation which is suitable for any number of events:
- insight into Heather’s background and journey to Olympic success
- numerous amusing, and often self deprecating, anecdotes about life as a professional athlete
- performance under pressure and coping with adversity
- self motivation and drive
- what it takes to succeed
- Presentation approach
Audiences will instantly warm to Heather’s witty, accessible and refreshingly honest style of presenting. Her passion for sport is infectious and the story of her long journey to Olympic success reflects both the highs and lows of competition as an elite athlete in one of the hardest multi discipline sports. Heather is a talented and experienced public speaker whose presentations are delivered with both confidence and humility. Even amongst elite athletes, her story is a remarkable one of triumph in adversity and sheer determination to which everyone can relate. Clients are guaranteed to enjoy an audience with this charming, intelligent and very approachable young woman.
