Paralympic athlete, Sam Ruddock knowns no bounds. Despite being born with a physical disability, Sam has gone on to compete across three disciplines, cycling, sprinting and shotput, on an international level, a testament to his dedication. Having overcome his physical limitations, Sam acts as an inspiration to others, in defying their own odds to achieve their dreams. At events, Sam discusses his impressive career, future ambitions and the mindset that has seen him become an inspiration in sports and beyond.
Making his Paralympic debut at the 2012 London Games, Sam went from amateur to world class athlete in the space of six months thanks to his unwavering dedication. Representing his country as a sprinter and securing a world ranking of 8th would have been the peak of most sportsmen’s careers, but Sam has continued to push boundaries to gain an impressive international reputation. From sprinting to shotput, Sam switched disciplines in 2014 with great success, again competing at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, securing sixth place overall. Sam has proven equally high achieving at European Championships and World Championships.
Born with spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy, Sam’s condition has affected the lower half of his body throughout his life. Impacting his flexibility, balance and co-ordination, Sam’s passion for sports outweighed the limitations of his disability, and as a schoolboy he took part in basketball and American football. After being spotted and coached whilst studying at Loughborough University, Sam was classified by the International Paralympic committee as a T35 athlete, thus beginning his world class career.
Most recently, Sam has taken to cycling, and is intensively training for the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics with the British Cycling Foundation Programme. Much of his time is also dedicated to inspiring the next generation through his role as a School Sport Officer for Inspire Plus, where he mentors and provides workshops for school children in a bid to empower them in achieving their dreams. Additionally, Sam has been an Athlete Mentor for the Youth Sport Trust since 2012. Through the programme, Sam uses his experiences to promote better attendance, self-confidence and engagement in schools. As a speaker, Sam supports a range of audiences with motivating talks inspired by his global career.
In January of 2021, we sat down with Sam and discussed all things motivation, mental and physical health and Tokyo 2021. Read our exclusive interview with Sam Ruddock now.
How to hire Sam Ruddock
Contact the Champions Speakers agency to provisionally enquire about Sam Ruddock for your event today. Simply call a booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
FEEDBACK FROM VIRTUAL EVENTS & WEBINARS:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sam attended many virtual events, booked as the exciting guest speaker. Read the feedback he has received below.
"What an amazing guy Sam is. Everyone is messaging me with comments and compliments; words such as genuine, determined, brilliant, friendly, amazing, the list goes on. The speech was very inspirational talking about resilience and determination as well as his amazing sporting story. Please pass on our thanks to Sam, he was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We will all be cheering him on in Tokyo from our sofas." - Denise, HRBS
FEEDBACK FROM IN-PERSON EVENTS:
Sam is regularly booked to engage audiences at in-person events, read his latest feedback below.
"I just wanted to drop you a line to say what an absolute pleasure it was to have you attend our Annual Achievement Evening. Your inspirational story and the way that you engaged with our audience – particularly in the heat and with the delays – was fantastic! I wish you well in your future career, and preparations for Tokyo! On behalf of everyone here at Harlington School, thank you for giving up your time and making our Achievement Evening such a special event."- Ms E A Horrigan, Harlington School
"I was looking for a speaker to close our Greater Manchester West Scouts Leaders Conference, The Buzz Live, and as an end to our day cascading our National Strategy 2018-23 to 150+ hardworking volunteers and the amazing work they do. Volunteers showcased their programme ideas in a marketplace which Sam was pleased to look round talking enthusiastically to our leaders and young people. I had asked him to deliver an inspiring message to the volunteers at the end of the day to send them away ready to engage the County with what they had seen. Sam blew them away. He put such energy and humour into his talk, moving round telling his story in a very physical and a very engaging way. Hearing the audience respond to his amusing journey, brimming with self-awareness and gently introducing some of the messages we had discussed, I knew he was going to be a hit and he was. The volunteers loved his message based around what he called the 3 C’s - Make a Choice/Choose, to Give yourself a Chance and Take on the Challenge and I would not hesitate to invite Sam along again." - Daniele, Greater Manchester West Scouts
"Thank you so much. Sam himself was lovely and extremely engaging with the students. His Powerpoint and his messages were excellent, he managed to tie his talk neatly in to working hard at school which was just perfect!!! I couldn't thank him enough. Thank you so much for organising for us and we would happily use you guys again in the future." – Laura, Longhill High School
"Sam was really fantastic and we have had nothing but positive feedback from all that attended. His story was inspiring and he was someone that everyone in the audience could relate to. During the ceremony, he knew how to engage with the young people, including those that were anxious about coming on to the stage to collect their awards. He was generous with his time and stayed back after the event to chat with the young people and guests. We would definitely recommend him to others looking for a motivational speaker." - Clare, Norfolk Virtual School
"Sam was able to provide a light-hearted, engaging talk to our university students, describing his journey right through from birth to competing on the world's biggest stage, the Paralympics, up until his current endeavour of winning a medal in track cycling. Sam is down to earth and was extremely relatable to our students. He informed them of what it is like to live with a disability and how being made to feel welcome by the American Football team at his university was monumental to forming friendships and building up his confidence. Our students were able to take away loads of key messages such as the importance of being approachable and adaptable to meet different people's needs." – Hannah, University of Leicester
