Sportbiographien

Maverick, innovator, entrepreneur, environmentalist and sheer force of nature, Francis Toribiong would have been a unique and significant individual no matter where in the world he was born. As it turned out, he was born in the island nation of Palau in the Western Pacific at just the right time to apply his special set of skills and attributes to the task of helping his country find its place in the world. In the 1980s and 1990s, he arguably did more than anyone to build Palau's economy and help it develop into an independent, forward-looking nation. And, improbably, he achieved this via the sport of scuba diving. Francis Toribiong is a Pacific Islander like no other. He is the father of Palau tourism, a scuba diving pioneer, and an effective, tireless ambassador for both his country and its abundant marine and land resources. He was born poor and had no academic leanings. Yet he was driven to succeed by a combination of duty, faith, a deep-seated determination to do the right thing and an absolute refusal ever to compromise his values. For his whole life, he has been a devoted friend to strangers and an implacable opponent to anybody who, through malevolence or negligence, threatens Palau's considerable natural treasures. He has also been the perfect host to generations of scuba divers from all over the world, who have visited Palau to see those treasures for themselves. And, as well as all that, he was Palau's first ever parachutist - known by his fellow islanders as "the Palauan who fell from the sky". They were speaking both literally and figuratively. He was so completely different from all of his contemporaries in terms of his demeanor, his ambitions and his vision, that it was as if he had come from outer space. Palau had never seen anybody quite like him and there was no historical precedent for what Francis Toribiong did. He had no operations manual to consult and no examples to follow. He wrote his own life. Francis Toribiong was the first Palauan ever to seek and seize the international narrative. No Palauan, in any context or field, had previously thought to go out into the world and say: - "This is Palau - what we have is wonderful. Come and see!"This is his astonishing story.

A provocative and revelatory new biography of the legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, by one of America's top college basketball writersNo college basketball coach has ever dominated the sport like John Wooden. His UCLA teams reached unprecedented heights in the 1960s and '70s capped by a run of ten NCAA championships in twelve seasons and an eighty-eight-game winning streak, records that stand to this day. Wooden also became a renowned motivational speaker and writer, revered for his "Pyramid of Success."Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports has written the definitive biography of Wooden, an unflinching portrait that draws on archival research and more than two hundred interviews with players, opponents, coaches, and even Wooden himself. Davis shows how hard Wooden strove for success, from his All-American playing days at Purdue through his early years as a high school and college coach to the glory days at UCLA, only to discover that reaching new heights brought new burdens and frustrations. Davis also reveals how at the pinnacle of his career Wooden found himself on questionable ground with alumni, referees, assistants, and even some of his players. His was a life not only of lessons taught, but also of lessons learned.Woven into the story as well are the players who powered Wooden's championship teams - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Walt Hazzard, and others - many of whom speak frankly about their coach. The portrait that emerges from Davis's remarkable biography is of a man in full, whose life story still resonates today.

Owen's wife Martha, tells the story of their life together from the days as high school sweethearts, through Owen's rise to fame in the WWF.

In January 2019, Sarah''s world was shattered by the death of a close friend and her mother''s dementia diagnosis, both within the space of two weeks. In search of solace from her living grief, she turned to her newfound hobby of wild swimming.  With a startlingly honest, authentic, and often humorous voice, Sarah takes you through a year of swimming in Orkney seas whilst adapting to a new way of life with her mother''s declining memory.  Sarah''s reflective journey will make you laugh and cry, as she discovers a truth she has always known: that healing comes in waves. 

This volume recounts the climbing expeditions of Willi Unsoeld, who became an international hero in 1963 for conquering the West Ridge of Everest. But he also suffered the loss of his daughter climbing Nandi Devi in 1976. This narrative blends action with ethics and fame with tragedy.

Drawing on dozens of articles, personal writings, recorded interviews and his daughter's unpublished biography, this book covers the life and career of an often overlooked Hall of Famer who died in a tragic boating accident at age 40.

For Chris Bonington and Charles Clarke, few mountains were more alluring than Tibet's Sepu Kangri. Tibet's Secret Mountain is their poignant account of their two expeditions there, and the people, experiences and tensions that accompanied them.

When the Chinese Mountaineering Association opened many of China's mountains to foreigners in the 1980s, Chris Bonington thought it too good an opportunity to miss. Kongur is his account of the 1981 expedition to this unexplored peak, with a formidable team including Joe Tasker, Peter Boardman, Al Rouse and Michael Ward.

Staying Strong is an immensely human story of how a working-class boy from Tyneside in the north of England became a world champion BMX dirt rider in America then went downhill through partying and drugs and alcohol, until he hit rock bottom. But, with determination and hard work, Stephen Murray had the tenacity to fight his way back to the top of his sport and, in 2007, he was once again riding in a world championship final. Then tragedy struck he crashed and broke his neck, flat-lined three times, and ended up paralysed from the shoulders down. Though he lost the use of most of his body, Stephen never lost the fighting spirit that made him world champion and saved his life. Now he fights on a different front, staying strong in the face of everyday adversities, with a super-human mental resilience that inspires quadriplegics and action sports athletes the world over. His story is inspirational and his book is a triumph of the soul. The limited edition collectors hardback is personally signed by Stephen Murray (only from www.stysrg.com) available on Amazon.

Dave Hazard is a world class martial artist. His reputation is legendary. Born into a harsh world which demanded that you learn how to look after both yourself and those around you, where your word was your bond and villains used guns not just their bare fists, Dave Hazard grew into a complex and extraordinary man.

Carl Merritt comes from a world where no rules apply, where violence has always simmered close to the surface. Still in his teens, he became trapped in a world of illegal fighting in order to survive. The men who owned Carl built him into an awesome opponent, and plunged him into a world of appalling violence, crime and retribution.

In 1999 British mountaineer Nigel Vardy lost all his toes, fingertips and suffered severe heel damage trapped overnight in a savage, life-threatening storm below the summit of Mt. McKinley, North America's highest mountain. This is an inspiring, highly-readable personal account of how he went on to climb the highest mountains on the world's seven largest islands, from the frozen Arctic to jungle-clad active volcanoes, despite his foot damage that would have crippled most of us. Nigel epitomises the life principle that "e;The only limits in our lives are those we accept ourselves"e;, challenging each of us to examine our own lives and goals once again.