- Inspirational athlete who, after having both his legs and several fingers amputated, won a Paralympic gold medal in wheelchair rugby
- Set out to become the first person to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in a wheelchair unaided and, when his wheelchair failed, made it to the summit trekking on his hands and knees
- Uses his powerful personal story to spread messages of hope and resilience, and empower people to make the impossible possible
- Regarded among the 100 most influential people in the UK with a disability
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About Aaron Phipps
Download ProfileAaron Phipps, MBE, is a Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby athlete and gold medal winning Paralympian. At 15 Phipps had both of his legs and most of his fingers amputated due to blood poisoning from meningitis. After a 10km fundraising wheelchair race for the Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF), Phipps’ sporting journey began. Starting with wheelchair racing, Phipps competed in two London Marathons, including 2009 where he came fourth, finishing in under two hours. Phipps joined the GB Wheelchair Rugby squad and was selected for the 2012 London Paralympic Games where he scored over half of his team’s points.
In 2016 Phipps decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for both MRF and Shaw Trust, with a specially adapted off-road wheelchair. However, when the wheelchair wasn’t working on the terrain Phipps refused to be carried and reached the summit after four days of trekking on his hands and knees. It’s the first time an amputee has reached the top of Kilimanjaro without any assistance. The story made national headlines and has been the subject of a Channel 5 documentary.
Phipps returned to Wheelchair Rugby in 2017. Against all the odds his team went from being 5th in the world, to the best on the planet — in the middle of a global pandemic! It was the first European team to win a medal in wheelchair rugby and Paralympics GB’s first ever gold medal in a team sport.
In his keynotes, Phipps reflects upon his remarkable path to an unprecedented gold medal to share meaningful messages on the power of purpose and resilience, and how to consistently perform at your best — even when it seems like everything is working against you.
He has been voted in the top 100 most influential people in the UK with a disability.
Video Gallery
Paralympian Aaron Phipps Climbs Kilimanjaro in a Wheelchair
Aaron Phipps MBE Professional Speaking Showreel
Paralympian Aaron Phipps Climbs Kilimanjaro in a Wheelchair
Aaron Phipps MBE Professional Speaking Showreel
Speech Topics
Download TopicsBlood, Sweat, and Wheelchairs. In this powerful keynote, Paralympic champion Aaron Phipps brings audiences along as he reflects upon his incredible journey from having his legs and most of his fingers amputated, to leading his team to gold medal glory in the Paralympics. Prepare to laugh, cry, and be moved as Phipps shares meaningful messages on purpose, resilience, and never giving up — no matter how daunting the challenges you face may seem.
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. Paralympic champion and adventurer Aaron Phipps never let the odds deter him from achieving his goals. He set out to become the first person to climb Mount Kilimanjaro unaided in a wheelchair, but two days into the trek, it was clear the wheelchair couldn’t cope. Still, Phipps refused to be carried and crawled for four days on his hand and knees to reach the summit. Phipps shares this story to demonstrate the power of human endeavor, and to empower people to face adversity head-on and embrace the idea of adapting in order to find success.
The Path to Gold. In this session, which can take the form of a keynote or a workshop (ranging from two hours to half a day), Paralympic champion Aaron Phipps is joined alongside his performance coach Jon Cooper to share hard-won strategies for how anyone can overcome their self-limiting beliefs to perform at the highest level and find success. As part of the session (which is suitable for senior management, as well as specific teams), Phipps shares his expectation-defying journey, as well as the winning strategies from his elite partnership with his performance coach, which led to an unprecedented Paralympic gold medal.
Related Links
Paralympics star, Aaron Phipps, inspires pupils at Robert Sandilands School with his stories of perseverance and courage
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Paralympian Aaron Phipps opens £4.9million hub for students with special needs at Brockenhurst College
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Aaron Phipps MBE opened Longdown Activity Farm's inclusive play area
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How crawling up Kilimanjaro equipped Aaron Phipps for wheelchair rugby's mission impossible
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Aaron Phipps: Paralympian climbs Mount Kilimanjaro 'on hands and knees'
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