Library: Reading for Pleasure: Sports biographies

Overcoming the odds

This month we feature individuals who have overcome adversity to be successful in sport.

Centaur by Declan Murphy
ISBN: 9781784162160

Publication Date: 2018-03-08

A natural on a horse since he was able to walk, and imbued with a pure love of riding, Declan Murphy became one of the most brilliant jockeys of his generation before his world came crashing down at the final hurdle of a race at Haydock Park. His skull shattered in twelve places, he was believed to be dead, the last rites were read and the Racing Post prepared his obituary. Miraculously, and the word is not used lightly, he survived and defied medical thinking in recovering to the extent that eighteen months after his fall, he was able to saddle up for one more race. As usual, he won.
For 23 years, Declan has been unable to tell his story, to bring to words existence on the frontier between life and death, to describe the incredible bond between man and horse. But now, in an extraordinary collaboration with Ami Rao, she has helped him find those words, a way to piece together what happened before, during and after, what it all meant and what it means to us all. It is a story of triumph, fear, love and loss, by turns primal, heartbreaking and inspirational, and ultimately, it is the story of hope, and of life.
Courage to Soar by Simone Biles; Michelle Burford (As told to)
ISBN: 9780310759485

Publication Date: 2018-05-01

Simone Biles’ entrance into the world of gymnastics may have started on a field trip in her hometown of Spring, Texas, but her God-given talent, along with drive to succeed no matter the obstacle, are what brought her to the national spotlight during the Olympic Games and have catapulted her ever since—including 25 World Championship medals. But there is more to Simone than her accomplishments.
In this book Simone shares:
- how she has relied on her faith and family to stay focused and positive
- the ways she’s continued competing at the highest level and having fun doing what she loves
- a behind-the-scenes looks at gymnastics events, including the Olympics
- the events and challenges that carried her from an early childhood in foster care to a coveted spot on the U.S. Olympic team
Along the way, Simone shares the details of her inspiring personal story—one filled with daily acts of courage that led her, and can lead you, to even the most unlikely of dreams.
Kelly Holmes: black, white and gold: my autobiography by Kelly Holmes and Fanny Blake
ISBN: 9780753513170

Publication Date: 2008-07-03

Kelly Holmes made history when she brought home double gold in the 2004 Olympics, becoming a national hero. She won Sports Personality of the Year, was given a Damehood, fully backed London's successful 2012 Olympic bid and became a superstar on the red carpet as well as a much acclaimed and consulted professional in the sporting world.
Now in her staggeringly honest updated autobiography she reveals the times she fought back tears to battle against injury and win gold, plus the emotional decision she made to retire from athletics.
Including details of her unsettled childhood, trials in the army and a struggle with self harm, Kelly's amazing determination carries through to make this inspirational and powerful autobiography a tale of triumph over adversity and a model for readers of all ages and backgrounds.
This is me by Ian Thorpe
ISBN: 9781471101236

Publication Date: 2013-08-01

Ian Thorpe's achievements in the water are nothing short of phenomenal. He has won a record-holding 11 World Championship titles and ten Commonwealth Games gold medals. He has broken 22 world records and won five gold, three silver and one bronze Olympic medals. Having been under the spotlight since he was a young teenager, he retired from competitive swimming in 2006, but after five years he mounted a comeback for London 2012, and intense media attention followed. Thorpe is one of the world's most famous sportsmen, but it is the way he has managed his success and his commitment to helping others that has earned him respect and admiration internationally. This is a man who has had highs and lows away from the pool, who has led an extraordinary life of an elite athlete that most of us will never know, and who had the courage to come back and stake his claim for the ultimate goal once more.
A life without limits by Chrissie Wellington
ISBN: 9781780338712

Publication Date: 2013-03-07

Chrissie Wellington, the world’s No. 1 female Ironman triathlete, is a four-time World Champion, world record holder, and undefeated with 13 Ironman victories. Voted Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year in 2009 and awarded the MBE in 2010, she set multiple world records, including Quelle Roth (2010, 2011) and Ironman South Africa (2011). Her stunning 2007 Kona win was hailed as Ironman’s greatest upset. She defended titles in 2008, 2009, and 2011, cementing her extraordinary career.

Martine Wright

On the morning of 7th July 2005, Martine Wright’s life changed forever. As she boarded an eastbound circle line train at Moorgate station, amid the busy rush-hour, she didn’t pay attention to her fellow passengers. At 8.49am, one of those passengers detonated a suicide bomb that would kill seven people in the carriage, part of a wider attack on London claiming 52 lives that became known as the 7/7 bombings.
Martine was, in fact, the last person to be brought out alive from the atrocities. She lost 80 per cent of her blood, was in a coma for seven days and underwent ten months of surgery. Not only did Martine survive her horrific injuries but, having never played sport seriously before, she took up sitting volleyball as part of her rehabilitation and went on to represent Great Britain at the Paralympics in London 2012. A deeply poignant moment that signified her triumph over tragedy, it marked a journey Martine felt she was destined to make.
Since then Martine has become a national figure: a formidable, powerful, brilliantly funny, hugely engaging heroine who has come back – almost literally – from the dead. In 2012 she was awarded the Helen Rollason award at the Sports Personality of the Year and in 2015 the Independent voted her one of ’50 most powerful women in British Sport’. Beyond her phenomenal sporting achievements, Martine continues to change the lives of those around her as a charity fundraiser and inspirational speaker.

Photo credit: Rod Crothall

Unbroken by Martine Wright
ISBN: 9781471160554

Publication Date: 2017-07-13

Reading for Pleasure: Sports biographies

Sport Biographies

Overcoming the odds

Martine Wright