Natalie Sawyer
Natalie Sawyer's passion and expertise make her a perfect fit for This Sporting Planet.
She is a leading voice in sports broadcasting, with a career spanning two decades. A familiar presence on talkSPORT Radio, she is known for her insightful commentary and engaging interviews.
Sawyer began her career at Sky Sports News, quickly becoming a fan favourite for her diverse sports knowledge and warm personality. She presented on the channel for 18 years, covering many events and building a loyal following.
In 2018, Sawyer joined talkSPORT Radio, where she co-hosted the award-winning White and Sawyer show. She presents the Weekend Sports Breakfast alongside former footballer Tony Cascarino and has become a key member of the talkSPORT team.
Her broadcasting highlights include covering the Women's World Cup, the Euros, and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Sawyer also hosted talkSPORT's first-ever Olympic coverage for Paris 2024.
As our host covering the EMEA region, Sawyer will bring her expertise and enthusiasm to "This Sporting Planet”.
My Sporting Planet Top Ten
What is your favourite sport?
Football
What is your favourite team?
Brentford FC
What are your favourite sporting venues?
Wembley (Brentford finally won a playoff there); Gtech (Brentford’s home ground) &; for quirkiness, I loved Stadium 974 at the Qatar World Cup, a temporary venue made up of 974 shipping containers. Why 974? It’s Qatar’s international dialling cod
What are your favourite sporting events?
FIFA World Cup; UEFA EURO; Olympics
What was your best-ever event on this sporting planet?
I’ve been lucky to cover many tournaments, but being in Paris for the Olympic Games 2024 is my career high. Being at the Stade de France for the athletics in the second week was a dream come true. To watch one of the best men’s 100m final, see Keely
What is your favourite sporting anthem?
At Brentford, pre-match, we always play the Beatles’ Hey Jude, with a slight tweak to the lyrics and it always gets you geared up for the game.
If you visit a ground regularly, what’s your favourite place for pre- or post-match food and/or atmosphere?
At Brentford, my family and I go to a lounge pre- & post-match for our food. As my dad is 80+ he deserves to enjoy football with some pleasantries to go with it!
Who do you think are the best supporters on this sporting planet?
Apart from Brentford fans, in terms of who makes a visual impact, there is none better than the Dutch. In their thousands, swathes of orange bouncing down the streets is an unmistakable sight.
Which team do you think will exceed expectations in 2025?
Nottingham Forest. They continue to surprise everyone and are difficult to break down. Once they take a lead in the game, good luck beating them.
Who do you think is/was the best commentator or sports reporter; whose work do you admire?
Clare Tomlinson at Sky Sports. The first female touchline reporter in football, a pioneer for women in sports broadcasting.
Remembering Natalie Sawyer’s favourite sporting highlights…
"“I’ve been lucky to cover many tournaments, but being in Paris for the Olympic Games 2024 is my career high. Being at the Stade de France for the athletics in the second week was a dream come true. To watch one of the best men’s 100m final, see Keely Hodgkinson win gold for Team GB, and Armand Duplantis break the world record in the pole vault were just incredible moments to witness.”"
That men’s 100m final at the 2024 Olympics was some race! The athletes who qualified represented probably the deepest field ever for this event. Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson had run the fastest time in the world up to that point of the year and took the early lead. But Noah Lyles, who’d said “If you don’t have main character energy, then track and field ain’t for you,” in an interview on the new Netflix docuseries SPRINT, called on that inner quality to chase him down. Lyles was determined to add an Olympic title to the six world crowns claimed between 2019 and 2023.
The finish was too close to call by the eye. The athletes stared up at the big screen and when Lyles’ name appeared first, the American held his arms out wide and then ripped off his name bib to show it to the camera. He’d achieved his ambition in a PB of 9.79, pipping Thompson by just five thousandths of a second. USA's 2022 world champion and Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Fred Kerley bagged bronze, clocking 9.81.
Keely Hodgkinson’s gold came in the women’s 800m. The 22 year old Brit was in the best form of her career and had set a new British record for the distance just a few weeks earlier. She was confident going into the final in Paris. Hodgkinson won silver in this event at Tokyo, and had two world silver medals to her name: for her, this was destiny calling. She produced one of the most dominant displays on the track at last summer’s Olympics.
Now the Manchester United fan is preparing for the European Indoor Championships in the Netherlands and World Indoor Championships in China, which both take place in March. The highlight of the outdoor season comes at the World Championships in Japan in September.
Those who know athletics believe she has something really special and could dominate the 800m for years to come.
As for Armand Duplantis, the Swede proved his world-beating calibre in high-flying style. He became the first man to retain the pole vault gold medal since American Bob Richards in 1952 and 1956 – and he did so by setting a new world record.
Duplantis, who’d achieved a world best in April of 6.24, broke the Olympic record with a jump of 6.10 and then improved on his April height by soaring over 6.25. To give that some context, it’s about 2m higher than a double decker bus and would take you well clear of a giraffe.
The Swedish pole vaulter, who was named World Sport Star of the Year for 2024 by the BBC, says his target is to jump over 6.30!