What a Gold Medal Meant for Black Britain: Tessa Sanderson’s Legacy

2025-12-30

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In this Feedwarmer episode of Rigour & Flow, we share a moment of encounter: meeting sporting history in the flesh.The episode opens with us setting the scene at CLIMB 2025, where Aiwan attended a talk by Olympic gold medallist Tessa Sanderson and knew immediately she had to hear more. After that brief introduction, we move into a live conversation between Aiwan and Tessa, recorded at the AiAi Studios stand during the festival.Tessa Sanderson is the first Black British woman to win an Olympic gold...

In this Feedwarmer episode of Rigour & Flow, we share a moment of encounter: meeting sporting history in the flesh.

The episode opens with us setting the scene at CLIMB 2025, where Aiwan attended a talk by Olympic gold medallist Tessa Sanderson and knew immediately she had to hear more. After that brief introduction, we move into a live conversation between Aiwan and Tessa, recorded at the AiAi Studios stand during the festival.

Tessa Sanderson is the first Black British woman to win an Olympic gold medal. In this conversation, she reflects on her journey to the 1984 Olympics, the mindset required to win, and the reality of carrying history on her shoulders. She reflects on racism in British sport, the pressures faced by Black women athletes, and the mental discipline required to sustain excellence over time.

The conversation also moves beyond the track. Tessa shares how she has translated elite sport into business, leadership, and advocacy - from boardrooms to grassroots work - including her longer term vision to set up a Museum of Diversity and her commitment to creating pathways for young people, especially Black girls, in sport.

This is a warm, generous, and energising conversation about excellence, confidence, legacy, and what it means to meet someone whose achievements shaped generations.

🎧 In this episode:

• Tessa’s journey to Olympic gold in 1984 and the mindset behind it

• What that medal meant for Black Britain and Black women in sport

• Mental strength, self-belief, and sustaining confidence over time

• Sport as business: sponsorship, leadership, and treating yourself as an enterprise

• The Museum of Diversity and educating future generations

• Encouragement for Black women and girls to take up space and keep going

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts

🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube

🔁 Share with someone who loves sport, legacy, and Black British history

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