Etienne Stott

Etienne, 33, will present the key moments and turning points in his amazing journey towards winning gold with partner Tim Baillie in the slalom canoe C-2 event. These include a serious shoulder injury which jeopardised his Olympic chances just fifteen months before the Games began.

He said: “I’m excited about doing TEDx Salford and think it will be a great experience for me. I hope people enjoy hearing about my journey to Olympic gold and can relate to it in a useful way.”

Etienne was born in Manchester and has family in Saddleworth. He was brought up in Bedford and the town honoured him last month when it renamed its white water arena in his honour.

The Olympic champion is currently taking a well-deserved break before training for the 2013 season begins. When asked about Rio 2016 he said: “We will have to sit down and decide that in good time, it’s an important decision and not to be rushed into. One thing for sure is that I will carry on canoeing even if I’m not competing - I love what I do.”

TEDx brings together remarkable people from around the world to share their passion in fields spanning science, technology, art, media, sport and academia. The University of Salford became a TEDx partner because of its commitment to the sharing of knowledge and education for all.

Other speakers include Peter Hook, co-founder and bass player of Joy Division and New Order; Sir Ian Wilmut, OBE, the cloning expert who created Dolly the sheep; Professor of Physics at the University of California and spokesperson for the Higgs-Boson experiment, Joe Incandela; and “most dangerous man in the world” Ken Shamrock, American martial arts expert and international wrestler.

Tickets are £45 or £27 for students. Half day tickets are available for £29 or £19 respectively. Book through www.tedxsalford.com

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TEDx Salford, The Lowry Theatre, Salford Quays, Sunday 21 October.