Top 5 Olympic Speakers
- By Declan McManus
- Oct 28, 2021
Though the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games have passed, and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games seem ages away, an Olympian is always a good bet for the keynote speaker at your next event. Stories of resilience, hard work, and love of country are not hard to come by with an Olympic speaker, and on Engage, we have the best selection of Olympic Speakers you will find anywhere. Take a look at the Top 5 Olympic Speakers on Engage: 5. Skylar Diggins-Smith Skylar Diggins-Smith is a women’s basketball legend. Diggins-Smith is a five-time team USA gold medalist, a two-time WNBA All Star starter, and a four-time collegiate All-American. Currently, Diggins-Smith is the starting guard for the Phoenix Mercury. During her college years, Diggins-Smith played at the University of Notre Dame, where she is the only player both male or female to register 2,000 points, 500 rounds, 500 assists and 300 steals in her career. In Division I women’s basketball, she is one of only six players to reach each of those marks. Off of the court, Diggins-Smith is passionate about empowering women and inspiring young girls to achieve their goals. Diggins-Smith serves on the GenYouth Board of Directors and hosts “Shoot 4 The Sky” camps across the world for boys and girls ages two to twelve. In 2019, Diggins-Smith became a mother, and aims to inspire all women and show them they can do it all. Diggins-Smith is sure to be a hit at your next event. 4. Ato Boldon Ato Boldon is the lead track and field analyst for NBC Sports Group and a four-time Olympic medalist. Starting at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and until the 2004 Athens Olympics, Boldon represented Trinidad and Tobago. At the Atlanta Games in 1996, Boldon won bronze medals in both the 100m and 200m events. At the Sydney Games in 2000, Boldon won a silver medal in the 100m and a bronze in the 200m. At the very end of his Olympic career, in 2004, Boldon helped lead his country to their first ever 4x100m relay final. With experience on both the athlete and media side of the Olympics, Boldon has the stories and the insight to bring an Olympic perspective to your event, whatever your subject matter may be! 3. Roderick Sewell Roderick Sewell is a swimmer on Team USA, and his story is sure to inspire all who hear it. Before his second birthday, Sewell had both legs amputated due to deformities that prevented him from walking. Because his mother could not pay for prosthetics, she had to quit her job in order to receive adequate help, and this led Sewell and his mother to become homeless. When Sewell was approached by the Challenged Athletes Foundation, he learned that he could find a home in sports. Rudy Garcia-Tolson, a bilateral above-knee amputee just like Sewell, helped mentor him through the challenge of learning to compete at a high level with his physical challenges. Now that Sewell has grown into the successful athlete that he is, he gives back to his community through an outreach swim program at his local YMCA in San Diego. Sewell is a perfect example of the power of sport to change lives, and the ability it has to make us a part of something that is much greater than ourselves. 2. Marquise Goodwin Marquise Goodwin is not your average Olympic athlete. Goodwin is currently an NFL wide receiver and kick returner for the Chicago Bears. Before being drafted in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, Goodwin played his college football at the University of Texas. Goodwin kept quite busy during his time as a Longhorn, training off the gridiron as a track and field athlete. Goodwin represented the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where he competed in the long jump. In 2015, Goodwin won the silver medal in the long jump at the Pan American Games. Anyone who has interacted with Goodwin or watched him on the field knows he is an entertainer through and through, and the popular YouTube channel that he runs with his wife Morgan is evidence of that. Not only does Goodwin have Olympic experiences to share with your audience, he has an exciting collegiate football and NFL career to speak about, making him appealing to all in attendance. 1. April Ross April Ross is an American Olympic beach volleyball player. A California girl at heart, Ross has been a part of the volleyball scene since beginning her career in high school at Newport Harbor High. As a three sport athlete, with her best sport being indoor volleyball, Ross won the Gatorade National Player of the Year Award. In college, Ross took her talents to USC, where she led the Trojans to back-to-back NCAA Championships. Her personal collegiate accolades include the Honda Award and the PAC-10 Player of the Year in 2003. After her college success, Ross took her talents to the pros, playing overseas. In 2006, Ross decided to give beach volleyball a try and found that she was just as talented in the sand, winning the AVP Rookie of the Year. Ross has a bronze, silver and a gold medal, with her gold coming from the most recent Tokyo Olympic Games. Described as easy going, authentic, and engaging, Ross will be the perfect speaker for your next event. Should I book a speaker for my event? In today’s age, our attention span is dwindling. A technological era in which we can get rushes of dopamine to our brain in a couple seconds by scrolling on a variety of social media platforms has created an atmosphere where we quickly become uninterested by something if we are not immediately curious to hear more. In an event, this means being able to grab your audience’s attention immediately and pull them in, wanting to hear more. This is where hiring a speaker for an event comes into play. The speakers that are on Engage’s website are some of the most high-class, interesting stories you will ever hear. Engage has the stories and speakers that will hold your audience captive with interest. To learn more about Engage, its talent, and how to book your next speaker contact us at info@letsengage.com or visit https://www.letsengage.com/
