Steve Backley OBE

summary

After 7 Gold medals, a world record, two Olympic silver medals and one bronze, Steve Backley finally hung up his javelin at the Olympic Games in Athens this summer, showing he is still one of the world’s best by placing 4th in the final. Steve has been one of Britain’s most consistent and popular athletes for over a decade now as well as being firmly established as one of the all time greats of the sport having been ranked in the world top ten for javelin every year between 1989 and 2002. Off track, Steve was delighted to be awarded with an OBE in 2002 following the MBE he received in 1995.

biography

After 7 Gold medals, 3 world records, two Olympic silver medals and one bronze, Steve Backley finally hung up his javelin at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, showing he is still one of the world’s best by placing 4th in the final.

Firmly established as one of the all time greats of his sport Steve was ranked in the world top ten for javelin every year between 1989 and 2002. A constant fixture in the national athletics team, standing on podiums and setting world records, Steve is the only British track and field competitor to win medals at three different Olympic Games – Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney.

Steve’s career took off back in 1990 when he became the first British male to set a World Record in a throws event when he threw 89.58m out in Sweden. He broke this record himself later that year when he threw 90.98m at Crystal Palace, with a rough tailed Nemeth model. When this was outlawed at the end of 1991, Steve’s 89.58m was reinstated, until he improved it by throwing 91.46m in New Zealand in 1992, which stood until a year later when his record was broken by his long time nemesis the Czech athlete, Jan Zelezney.

His affable, laid back nature and ability to communicate with politicians and children alike has made him both a great ambassador for sport and an excellent role model in the country’s battle to get sport back on the agenda. With this in mind, retirement from Athletics has not meant a break with the sport that he loves and Steve has now taken on a key role with BBC Radio 5Live and their athletics commentary, and was covering the 2008 Olympics out in Beijing for them.

Steve also has an integral part in the UK Athletics organisation and he has now been signed up by UK Athletics Performance Director, Dave Collins, to take on a high-profile role as a UKA mentor, working in a support role with senior athletes. As well as an obvious interest in athletics Steve is a keen and accomplished golfer. So much so that last year he was signed up by Sky Sports to present their coverage of the PGA EuroPro Tour. Steve anchored the Sky Sports program, syndicated throughout the world over the summer of 2007.

Since his retirement, Steve has found it hard satisfying his competitive side, and so with this in mind Steve took on a new challenge at the start of 2008 by competing in ITV’s Dancing on Ice. Steve, having never skated before and being six foot five and 16 stone (not the typical measurements of the archetypical figure skater), put up a fantastic fight, at one stage coming back 3 weeks in a row to win the skate-off. Throughout the competition he enjoyed the loud vocal support of the ringside crowd demonstrating that he hasn’t still lost his popularity with the British public. 

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