STEVE HOOKER
Steve Hooker is one of Australia's greatest track and field athletes — an Olympic Gold Medallist and World Champion in the pole vault, and the first Australian man to hold both the Olympic and world titles concurrently.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Hooker became the first Australian field athlete to win Olympic gold in 60 years, the first Australian male track or field gold medallist since 1968, and the first Australian athletics gold medallist since Cathy Freeman in 2000. In dramatic fashion, he twice cleared clutch third-attempt jumps to secure the title at 5.90m, then broke the Olympic record with another heart-stopping third attempt at 5.96m.
He backed up that triumph in 2009, claiming gold at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin — a win made all the more remarkable after he tore his thigh muscle in training just 12 days before the final. Later that year, Hooker recorded his career-best jump of 6.06m in Boston.
In 2010, he dominated the sport, winning the World Indoor Championships, the IAAF Continental Cup and the Commonwealth Games in the same season. He went on to compete at his third Olympic Games in 2012, an achievement in itself given the injuries and setbacks he'd fought through to get there. Hooker remains the sixth-highest pole vaulter in history.
Hooker's achievements have been recognised beyond the track: he won 'The Don' award at the Australian Sports Awards in 2009, and was elected to the AOC Athletes' Commission in 2012.
Since retiring from competition, Hooker has channelled that same drive into a career in property development, as Founder and Director of iHi Projects, delivering social impact housing that makes a genuine difference in communities. He also serves as a board member of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, helping celebrate and support Australian sporting excellence.
Hooker is also a highly regarded media commentator, having served as track and field specialist across multiple networks, including the 2024 Paris Olympics.
A brilliant and sought-after speaker, Hooker's life story is one of inspiration. His confident, humorous delivery has made him a favourite with audiences, drawing on a career in which he was, for a period, virtually unbeatable — holding every major title in his event at once.
Steve is also a long-term ambassador for RULE Prostate Cancer, a cause close to his heart given his personal connection to the disease.
Away from work, Steve is married with three young boys who keep him active. In his spare time, you might still catch him back at the track in a pair of spikes.
Steve is available for speaking engagements, commercial partnerships and advertising campaigns.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2008 BEJING OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST MEN’S POLE VAULT
2009 WORLD CHAMPION POLE VAULT – WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPS
2009 SPORT AUSTRALIA HALL OF FAME
2010 GOLD MEDALIST DELHI COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Follow Steve
Instagram: @stevehooker
