Danny Crates

T46 arm amputee, 2004 Paralympic Champion, European Champion, World Champion and Paralympic World Cup winner... Danny Crates is one of the world’s most inspirational Paralympic athletes.

Since retiring from international athletics in 2009, Danny has continued to build on his reputation as a leading  motivational  and keynote speaker, delivering presentations around the world.

His talks are built around his ‘5 Key Elements to Success’ and are guaranteed to leave his audience inspired to achieve, both personally and within the business.

Now TV presenter and events host, Danny’s experience in live events and storytelling makes him an ideal speaker to both host your ceremony or share his inspirational story.

In 1994, Danny’s promising rugby career was cut short when he lost his right arm in a horrific accident while travelling in Australia at the age of 21.

Undeterred, he returned to rugby, becoming the only known arm amputee playing club rugby in the country and receiving worldwide media attention.He soon moved into Paralympic sport where, as a natural speedster, he began to dominate and compete with the best in the world in the 400m T46 arm amputee class.

Danny made his international debut in the 1998 World Championships, reaching the 400m final and winning a silver medal in the 4 x 400m relay with a new European record time. By 2000, Danny was becoming established as an international athlete and was narrowly beaten into the bronze medal position in the 400m at the Sydney Paralympics.

He went on to capture the European 400m title in 2001, before making the career-defining decision to turn his attention to the 800m – a move which bore instant results as he captured both the World indoor and European outdoor titles in 2003.

In 2004, he famously won gold in the men’s 800 metres T46 final at the Athens Paralympic Games and, in the same year, set a new world record.

It was the highlight of a glittering career that saw Danny win every major title in the sport including the World Championships, European Championships and Paralympic World Cup.

His athletics career continued to flourish, and Danny was looking forward to defending his title in Beijing 2008. He was given the honour of carrying the British flag at the opening ceremony, but was unable to compete after sustaining an injury.

Danny has always maintained a positive outlook on life since his accident, including returning to Australia with a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship to study diving for the disabled. Here, he qualified as the world’s only one-armed scuba diving instructor, which in turn led to a job sharing a tank with 20 sharks four times a day while working at the Great Yarmouth Sea Life Centre.

In 2011, he completed the gruelling Deloitte Ride Across Britain (960 miles in 9 days on a bike), and the following year he ran the London marathon.

Danny has become a leading media personality, most notably when he played a lead presenting role during Channel 4’s BAFTA-winning coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

He has hosted his own widely acclaimed BBC radio show and as well as Channel 4’s coverage of the 2013 World Athletics in Lyon. Alongside his glittering media career, he has also found time to publish his motivational autobiography.Simply put, Danny is one of

Simply put, Danny is one of life’s natural characters and will speak openly and from the heart. He shares his experiences readily with others, engaging audiences with his easy-going nature and indefatigable optimism.