Vicki Hansford was October’s North-Hampshire Women In Business Group’s guest speaker, held at The Sherfield School, Sherfield-on-Loddon.

Today Vicki is a renowned sportswoman who has overcome personal adversity to achieve great sporting triumphs that are truly inspiring. Vicki explained that 5 years ago she was diagnosed with cancer and given just six months to live. However, Vicki remarkably recovered and underwent both lung surgery and a below-the-knee amputation a year later.

Always a keen athlete, she threw herself into sport for rehabilitation, learning to run with a prosthetic leg, and began winning medals in the T44 class – open to athletes with below-the-knee amputations.

She won a Gold medal at 100m at the British Open Championships in 2005, setting a new British record in her first ever competitive outing. Vicki then went on to win Gold in the same event at the ‘Wheelchair and Amputee World Games’ in Rio de Janeiro the same year.

This was a fabulous achievement in itself but, never one to rest, Vicki sought ever greater challenges and transferred to rowing the following season. Last year she astounded crowds at the ‘World Rowing Championships’ by not only winning Gold in the ‘Legs, Trunks and Arms mixed coxed fours’, but also by setting a new World Record for the event!

Her efforts did not go unnoticed. Last December, Vicki was awarded the BBC South Hunt Johnston Stokes Disabled Sportswoman of the Year.

Vicki continued to have a successful season this year by stroking the boat to win the first ever world cup regatta in Amsterdam in June and gained a Silver medal with the same crew at the world rowing championships in Munich this September.

Vicki’s next greatest challenge is to compete at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008. She has recently given up her day job to concentrate on her training. Spineworks are sponsoring Vicki in her bid to qualify for the 2008 Para Olympic squad. For more information on how you can help sponsor Vicki please email debs@spine-works.com

Sue Brown, Women In Business Group President, thanked Vicki for her inspiring speech, commenting,

I am never usually at a loss for something to say, but never has such an event proved to be so humbling for the hushed audience who listened in awe at Vicki’s amazing courage. Against all the odds, she has overcome traumatic experiences to achieve great sporting prowess.