Bob Champion
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bob" Champion MBE was born in Guisborough
, in the north of England, on 4 June 1948. He is an English jump jockey
who won the 1981 Grand National
on Aldaniti
. His triumph was made into a film Champions, with John Hurt
portraying Champion. The film is based on Champion's book Champions Story, which he wrote with close friend and racing journalist and broadcaster Jonathan Powell.
Other major races that Champion won during his career include the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup and the Whitbread Trial Chase. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1982 Queen's Birthday Honours
. In 1983 he formed the Bob Champion Cancer Trust, which has raised millions of pounds for cancer research. He retired from training horses in 1999.
in July 1979. He was treated with an orchidectomy and with the chemotherapeutic drugs bleomycin
, vinblastine
and cisplatin
, and also had an exploratory operation to identify cancer in his lymph nodes. His victory on Aldaniti
was viewed by many as a great triumph, following his previous adversity. Their victory earned them that year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award
and was chosen as one of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments by Channel 4
viewers in 2002.
Guisborough
Guisborough is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England....
, in the north of England, on 4 June 1948. He is an English jump jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
who won the 1981 Grand National
1981 Grand National
The 1981 Grand National was the 135th renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, in April 1981....
on Aldaniti
Aldaniti
Aldaniti , , was a famous racehorse who won the Grand National on 4 April 1981. Jockey Bob Champion famously recovered from cancer while Aldaniti recovered after suffering a career threatening injury. The horse was trained by Josh Gifford...
. His triumph was made into a film Champions, with John Hurt
John Hurt
John Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
portraying Champion. The film is based on Champion's book Champions Story, which he wrote with close friend and racing journalist and broadcaster Jonathan Powell.
Other major races that Champion won during his career include the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup and the Whitbread Trial Chase. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1982 Queen's Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
. In 1983 he formed the Bob Champion Cancer Trust, which has raised millions of pounds for cancer research. He retired from training horses in 1999.
Health
Champion was diagnosed with testicular cancerTesticular cancer
Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system.In the United States, between 7,500 and 8,000 diagnoses of testicular cancer are made each year. In the UK, approximately 2,000 men are diagnosed each year. Over his lifetime, a man's risk of...
in July 1979. He was treated with an orchidectomy and with the chemotherapeutic drugs bleomycin
Bleomycin
Bleomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic produced by the bacterium Streptomyces verticillus. Bleomycin refers to a family of structurally related compounds. When used as an anticancer agent, the chemotherapeutical forms are primarily bleomycin A2 and B2. It works by causing breaks in DNA...
, vinblastine
Vinblastine
Vinblastine is an antimicrotubule drug used to treat certain kinds of cancer, including Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and testicular cancer. It is also used to treat Langerhan cell histiocytosis....
and cisplatin
Cisplatin
Cisplatin, cisplatinum, or cis-diamminedichloroplatinum is a chemotherapy drug. It is used to treat various types of cancers, including sarcomas, some carcinomas , lymphomas, and germ cell tumors...
, and also had an exploratory operation to identify cancer in his lymph nodes. His victory on Aldaniti
Aldaniti
Aldaniti , , was a famous racehorse who won the Grand National on 4 April 1981. Jockey Bob Champion famously recovered from cancer while Aldaniti recovered after suffering a career threatening injury. The horse was trained by Josh Gifford...
was viewed by many as a great triumph, following his previous adversity. Their victory earned them that year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award
The BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year Award is an award given annually as part of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony each December. Currently, the award is given to the British team that "has achieved the most notable performance in British sport". The award's recipient is...
and was chosen as one of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments by Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
viewers in 2002.