News Story Date : 14 January, 2010

World Champion canoeist Anna Hemmings awarded MBE

Anna Hemmings, six times World Champion and Britain’s greatest ever female marathon canoeist, has been awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the 2010 New Year’s honours list, for her services to sport.

During her canoeing career, Anna, who was sponsored by print and electronic media company Pindar AlphaGraphics, for over 7 years, won a staggering 11 World and European Championship medals, nine of them gold. She also represented Great Britain in two Olympic Games, adapting from the marathon discipline to the 500m sprint. In 2009, Anna announced her retirement from the sport, following a career spanning 12 years.

A thrilled Anna said, ‘To be awarded an MBE from Her Majesty the Queen is a tremendous honour and a fantastic ending to the year in which I announced my retirement from professional sport. It is amazing to see my name alongside so many sporting greats and that my achievements in a lesser known sport have been recognised. I can’t wait to receive the MBE from Buckingham Palace later this year.’

Anna grew up in Shepperton, Surrey and showed signs of sporting excellence at an early age. She had an active childhood pursuing a variety of sports including athletics, hockey, judo and ice skating, but it was in flatwater canoeing that she was to make her name.

Based at the Elmbridge Canoe Club in Weybridge, Anna first broke into the top flight of flatwater canoeing at the age of 16, when she won the Junior World Cup. In 1997, she won her first European senior title, which she successfully defended in 1999 before going on to win her first senior World title - becoming the youngest ever competitor to do so. In the same year, Anna became the first ever British female canoeist to win both European and World titles.

In 2001, she became only the second person in the history of the sport to win both the K1 (singles) and K2 (double) World Marathon titles - a remarkable feat especially given that the events were held on consecutive days over a 36km course.

In 2003, following 7 years at the top of her sport and in the build up to the Athens Olympics, Anna was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and was told by doctor’s that she might never race again. After two years battling the illness, Anna was introduced by an associate at AlphaGraphics to an innovative treatment called ‘reverse therapy’, which allowed her to make an incredible return to the sport, including three further world titles.

Chairman of the Pindar Group, Andrew Pindar commented, ‘We are delighted to hear of Anna’s MBE, an honour she truly deserves. Anna has enjoyed tremendous success during her canoeing career, which is not only due to her talent, but an incredible dedication and determination – key values which are recognised and reflected within the Pindar Group.”

As well as pursuing a career in sports broadcasting, Anna has recently launched a company called ‘Beyond the Barriers’, dedicated to improving the health and performance of corporate employees.

Find out more about Anna and how to book her as an Inspirational Speaker here