Quick Facts
Biography
Marc Woods is a former British swimmer, who competed at five Paralympic Games, winning 12 medals.
Early life
A swimmer at county-level, Marc developed cancer as a teenager. Aged 17, he had his left leg amputated as a result of the cancer and did not know how long he could live. The day after having his stitches removed, he returned to the pool as part of his rehabilitation. Within a year, he was swimming faster times with one leg than he previously had with two, and just 18 months after he finished his chemotherapy he was selected to represent Great Britain.
Career
Woods subsequently competed at European & World Championships and Paralympic Games. In his 17 years of competition he won 12 Paralympic medals from five Paralympic Games held in Seoul, Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and Athens, and four of those medals being gold. Woods also won a further 21 medals from European and World Championships. After he retired from international swimming in 2004, he went on to commentate for BBC Sports in Beijing and simultaneously developed a successful consultancy business and writing book called "Personal Best." He also embarked on a series of new challenges such as developing mountaineering skills by trekking on Nepal, Ecuador and Peru. He also climbed the world's highest volcano Cotopaxi in Ecuador, Mont Pelvoux part of the Massif des Ecrins in France and the 22,200 ft Mera Peak in Nepal. Woods currently works for many organizations such as the RBS, Barclays, IBM, Adidas, GSK, John Lewis Partnership, BBC, Ceridian, etc. He travels to the world and works as a motivational speaker.
Personal life
Woods is married and has a daughter.
Accomplishments
- An ambassador for London 2012 Olympics
- Member of the British Paralympic Advisory Panel for London 2012 Games
- Trustee of Teenage Cancer Trust
- Board Member of Youth Sports Trust
- Ambassador for CANSA (South Africa’s Cancer Charity)
- Patron of the Bone Cancer Research Trust
- BBC TV Commentator
- Awarded honorary Doctorate by Middlesex University
- Made a Freeman of the City of London
- Honorary Citizen of Pensacola – Florida
- Founding member of the British Athletes Council
Publications
- "Personal Best: 10 life lessons to help you discover the real you", 2005
- "Personal Best: How to Achieve your Full Potential (2nd Edition)", 2011