Nicola Adams
Nicola Adams OBE was the first ever female Olympic boxing champion. She won golds in both the London and Rio Olympics and has now turned professional. In addition to her incredible sporting achievements, Nicola has spoken openly about the challenges she has faced, both personal and professional. Now a household name, she is a highly sought-after conference speaker who enlightens audiences into dedication and focus, as well as the feeling of facing an opponent one-on-one.
About Nicola Adams
Nicola Adams OBE became boxing World Champion in May 2016 and has secured a grand slam of titles. She was the first female boxer in the history of the sport to have won every major title available to her; Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth. In recognition of her services to boxing and unprecedented achievement, Nicola was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year’s Honours list.
Nicola Adams OBE, over the course of the London 2012 games, became an icon of the games after winning Great Britain’s first ever female boxing Gold, having defeated three-time world champion Red Cancan. She instantly became a role model, realising her dream in front of millions, as the nation tuned in to see the world’s best female boxers come toe-to-toe for the first time in the Olympic Games.
Boxing since the tender age of 12, Nicola discovered the sport purely by accident when accompanying her mother to the gym. She appeared in her first bout at 13, but a lack of opponents and the developing nature of the sport meant she had to wait four years for her second fight. She went on to break history and records: In 2014 and 2015 Nicola won gold at both the Commonwealth Games, as well as the first ever female Boxing gold medal at the European Games in Baku. This represents another incredibly proud moment for Nicola as she was also selected for the honour of being Team GB’s flag bearer.
She is a true champion in every sense of the word, having overcome both injury and adversity early in her career; Nicola fought back from a career threatening injury in 2009 to win a silver medal at the 2010 World Championships and gold at the European Amateur Championships, subsequently qualifying for London 2012.
She was the first English woman to be awarded a medal in the 2008 AIBA Women’s World Championships. She also was the first ever English female to earn a medal in a major tournament at the European Championships in 2007 winning silver.
Through several initiatives and organisations (Fight for Peace), Nicola has encouraged people of all ages and abilities to join their local sports clubs, enjoy the benefits this brings whilst promoting living a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle. She has worked with charities and strives to raise awareness of young people and women in sport and boxing.
When struggling for funds to pursue her sport, Nicola worked variously as an extra in some of Britain’s iconic soaps, including Coronation Street and Emmerdale. She even had a cameo appearance in the BBC’s award-winning drama series, Waterloo Road, where she played herself (October 2013). Nicola also worked as a builder before the IOC recognised the sport, allowing funding to be released.
Testimonials
"Fantastic! Nicola was open, honest and inspiring. It went amazingly well and we can’t wait to have her back."
Macquarie Group Services
