James Cracknell

James Cracknell, OBE, is a British athlete, six-time rowing world champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist (2000 and 2004). He was also in the winning Cambridge boat team in 2019.

Since retiring from professional rowing in 2006, Cracknell has competed in several high prfile sporting challenges, including rowing the Atlantic alongside Ben Fogle, which was made into a TV programme called Through Hell and High Water. The pair also wrote a book about their experience, called The Crossing: Conquering the Atlantic in the World's Toughest Rowing Race.

Two years later, alongside Fogle and Dr Ed Coats, he set off on the Amundsen Omega3 South Pole Race. The BBC aired a five-part series of the adventure called On Thin Ice. The series was accompanied by a self-penned book of the race, Race to the Pole.

He competed in the 2008 European Triathlon Championships and has completed several marathons, including London, New York and the Marathon des Sables.

On 20 July 2010, Cracknell suffered a hit to the back of his head by a petrol tanker while cycling during an attempt to cycle, row, run, and swim from Los Angeles to New York in 18 days. The incident left him with severe brain injuries and in a coma for three weeks. He has attributed his survival to the fact he was wearing a cycle helmet at the time.

Six months after the accident, Cracknell competed in the Yukon Arctic Ultra. He finished second in the 430-mile race across the frozen Alaskan countryside behind British cyclist Alan Sheldon. Cracknell's participation in the race was filmed for the documentary The Coldest Race on Earth.

In 2012, Cracknell and his first wife Beverley Turner wrote Touching Distance about his life before and after his brain injury, which has left him with epilepsy and a changed personality, including a short temper.

Since the accident, James has been an active campaigner for safer sports and the prevention of head injuries, including promoting the importance of wearing helmets.

Today, Cracknell is the Rehabilitation Ambassador for HCML, one of the UK’s most comprehensive providers of rehabilitation treatment and case management solutions. From his own experience, he provides insight into how the families and friends of sportspeople who acquire a brain injury can support the individual and play an integral part in their recovery.