Each week we’re giving visitors the chance to Meet a Champion at Liverpool ONE. Celebrating heroes of the sporting world, meet champions from football, boxing, athletics, gymnastics and rugby – with appearances confirmed throughout August.
James was born into a cricketing family and was encouraged to play from an early age. He joined a team aged seven and started to play competitively at nine. Up until the age of fifteen he was part of a hearing team, until his potential was spotted and he was signposted to England Deaf Cricket. As part of the England team, he has been given the honour of being a torch bearer for London 2012 (in Blackpool) and has travelled extensively to represent his country with tours including United Arab Emirates and Australia. James is also a UK Deaf Sport Ambassador, a role which helps him to support grassroots and elite deaf participants to achieve sporting success.
Dan is one of Britain’s most successful men’s artistic gymnasts having won British, Commonwealth, European, World and Olympic medals. A strong all-around gymnast and a regular presence in British teams over the years, Dan played a major role in the historic bronze medal won by Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics. Dan now trains juniors at Southport Gymnastics Club.
Natasha is a professional boxer from Liverpool who became the first GB female to fight in the Olympics in London 2012. She is a great ambassador for female sport and a role model to young kids in her local community. In 2016 Natasha became a mum and is still working in the media and within the boxing community.
Liverpool athlete Anyika Onuora is a British sprint track and field athlete who was part of the triumphant Women’s 4 x 400m relay team that won bronze at this years’ Olympics in Rio along with Christine Ohuruogu, Emily Diamond and Eilidh Doyle. The win helped Team GB surpass London 2012’s medal tally of 65. She was also competing in her third Olympics.
Kelly is a former Great Britain and England sprinter, specialising in 400m events. The Sale Harrier athlete and former British Champion has won medals for England and Great Britain at 9 major championships with the highlight being winning a Bronze medal as part of the 4 x 400m relay team at the 2016 Olympic Games.
Andy Grant is the world’s fastest single leg amputee over 10km. Andy was blown up, five months into his tour to Afghanistan, which resulted in him spending two weeks in an induced coma and eighteen months in and out of hospital before he eventually decided to have his leg amputated for a better quality of life and for control of his future. Since then, Andy has climbed some of the highest mountains in the world, learnt to ski and surf, then become the fastest single leg amputee in the world over 10km; clocking a time of 37:17. As well as his motivational speaking, Andy is also a qualified personal trainer and hosts a podcast called ‘leg it’.
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