Danielle Brown MBE

Danielle’s story is about breaking through barriers.

Becoming disabled as a teenager was not part of the master plan, but Danielle was determined to live life on her terms. She looked around for a sport she could do and took up archery on her 15th birthday. This was the first step on a journey that saw her rise to Paralympic glory, dominating her field for over eight years. During this time, she also proved doctors wrong by successfully juggling a law degree and achieving first class honours.

Three years after starting archery, Danielle stepped straight onto the international circuit as World Number 1 and held this position for the rest of her career. She won 5 World Championship titles, the gold in Beijing 2008 and retained her title on home soil in London 2012. Danielle also became the first Para athlete to represent England in an able-bodied discipline at the Commonwealth Games, where she won gold in the team event.

Danielle’s career came crashing to a halt when a rule change made her disability no longer eligible to compete at the Paralympics. Reinventing herself and finding a new purpose was an altogether more difficult challenge, but her achievements post sport are equally commendable. Danielle is passionate about diversity and inclusion, looking at how we can use sport as a positive vehicle for change. She is involved with many projects that change perceptions of women and disabled people, including writing books and she will be attempting a World Record in 2021.