One of Britain’s most successful female sailors and two-times Olympic gold medalist, Sarah Ayton is also known as a dynamic and incredibly motivational after dinner speaker. Reflecting on her journey to Olympic success, Sarah influences audiences across the globe with her admirable story and determination to get to the top. Encouraged to adopt a resilient mindset by her parents from a young age, Ayton developed a no-compromise approach when it came to achieving her goals. By the age of 18, her determination took her to win silver for Team GB at the 1998 ISAF Youth World Championships.
Now a performance coach and personal trainer, Sarah Ayton’s career first gained wide-acclaim when she took the gold medal as part of the infamous “Three Blondes In A Boat” at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics in the Yngling sailing class. She went onto win gold at the 2007 Cascais and the 2008 Miami World Championships before securing first place at the 2008 Blanes European Championships.
She again took Olympic gold at the 2008 Bejing Olympic Games in the Yngling class alongside Pippa Wilson and Sarah Webb. Since her success, Sarah has gone from MBE to OBE status for her dedication to British sailing. She has also decided to put a pause on her Olympic career in order to focus on her two sons but remains tied to the event as she mentored Britain’s first time Olympians in preparation for the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Most recently, Ayton has jumped into the world of Extreme Sailing Series. As the only woman in the series, she won the ISAF Rolex Sailor of the Year award in 2015 which is the highest award a sailor can receive. She has also delved into the world of motivational speaking to influence audiences with her ‘can-do’ mindset. A favourite amongst corporate organisations, Sarah is known to make incredible changes within businesses of all sizes.
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"Sarah Ayton was an outstanding guest speaker at our event series last year. She really engaged with clients, and they left inspired by her story and her determination. She was a joy to work with and we at the Watches of Switzerland Group would certainly recommend her for any type of event where you'd like your guests to leave feeling uplifted and inspired." - Watches of Switzerland
"Just a note to say a great big thank you for your help in organising the session today with Sarah … and also to Sarah for such an engaging session. It was wonderful to hear Sarah’s story and also her key learns, insights and practical tools she shared to help us maintain our levels of resilience. Lots of great links into the world of work which was terrific for us from our wellbeing perspective." - Lorna, Head of HR, Edrington (The Famous Grouse)
"The event was amazing, and Sarah was brilliant!" - Neha, Office Manager, The Petlab Co
How to hire Sarah Ayton
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Sarah Ayton for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official 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.
