9 Top Summer Olympians to Take Keynotes to New Heights

July 31, 2024

While this year’s crop of Olympic athletes vie for the gold at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, there also are many Olympians who can inspire your audience to pursue their own version of excellence.

Top Olympic athletes know what it means to pursue excellence — and some have parlayed their own journeys into inspiring keynote addresses that can motivate almost any audience to reach new heights of their own. Some of the top Olympians who now share their lessons in perseverance, teamwork and overcoming obstacles as keynote speakers include:

U.S. Olympic gymnast extraordinaire Simone Biles

Simone Biles. Your audience may just flip over Biles, the most-accomplished Olympic gymnast of all time, who once again led the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team to a Gold Medal at this year’s Summer Games. She has spoken on a variety of topics, including overcoming adversity, setting goals and achieving success. She has also been vocal about the importance of mental health, particularly for athletes, and has shared her own experiences with anxiety and depression.
Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps. The U.S. swimmer, who also happens to have collected the most medals — 23 — of any Olympian, shares his lessons in dedication and perseverance, along with his work with raising awareness of mental health issues.
Shannon Miller. The former U.S. gymnast star now dedicates her time to advocate for health and wellness and is eager to share her message and platform to inspire others on their wellness journeys.
Greg Louganis. Another well-known U.S. Olympian, this multiple gold-medal diving champion also is a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and HIV awareness.
Amy Van Dyken. This six-time Olympic Gold-Medal swimming star also became an advocate for people with disabilities. She took up swimming after being diagnosed with three kinds of asthma that left her with severely diminished lung capacity and overcame those odds, then she suffered a devastating ATV accident that paralyzed her from the waist down — only to defy expectations and walk just months later, using braces and a walker. Her mantra is, “Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?”
Allison Schmitt. This swimming star athlete has won a total of eight Olympic medals and set an Olympic record with her gold-medal performance in the 200-meter freestyle. Her topics include health, empowerment and personal growth.
Kerri Walsh Jennings

Kerri Walsh Jennings. This beach volleyball star won three gold medals with her partner Misty May-Treanor in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Games. She now headlines corporate and private events and presents motivational keynotes.
Meb Keflezighi. This U.S. Olympian, an American long-distance runner who came to the U.S. as one of a 10-child family of refugees from Eritrea, is now a brand ambassador for brands including Sketchers, Sony and Oakley Inc. His inspirational story of achieving the American dream makes for a very rousing and motivational keynote address.
Edwin Moses

Edwin Moses. Another U.S. track and field Olympic athlete, Moses also received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts for his work in using sports as a tool for social change. He specializes in providing motivational keynotes and speeches.