Harnessing Talent Athlete

Anna Hemmings MBE - 6 x World Champion / 2 x Olympian- Kayaking

Biography:

Anna Hemmings is best known as Britain’s leading female marathon canoeist, a two time Olympian and 6 times World Champion. Anna started canoeing at the age of 8, and represented Great Britain at the Junior World Championships 5 years later, becoming one of the youngest girls ever to make the Junior National team. During her career Anna won a total of eleven World and European Championship medals, confirming her status as Britain’s most successful ever female canoeist. Anna’s achievements were recognised at the Sunday Times Sports Woman of the Year Awards, where she won the 2005 Champions Award and then again in 2007 when she was voted BBC London Sports Personality of the Year.

However, having recently retired from the world of elite sport she is now pursuing her career in the world of broadcasting. TV presenting has been a passion that Anna has wanted to develop for some years and is enjoying the transition from athlete to Sports Presenter.

In addition to this Anna continues to inspire audiences with anecdotes from the World Championship and Olympic Games, hers is really tale of triumph over adversity... In April 2003 Anna was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and she was told by medical experts she might never race again. But despite being told that there was no solution, Anna’s ‘never give up’ attitude enabled her to make a full recovery and  in 2005 she signaled a miraculous return to fitness by regaining her status as the World’s leading marathon canoeist at the Marathon Racing World Championships in Perth, Australia. In 2006 she successfully defended her world title. In 2007 she went on to make it a hat-trick of three World titles in a row.

Click here to see her Competitive Record

Click here to find out about Anna's 'giving back' activities

Click here to visit Anna's Official Website and here to visit Beyond the Barriers.