Rishi Persad

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Rishi Persad
Rishi Persad at Sandown Park in 2014, reporting for Channel 4 Racing
Born (1974-05-25) May 25, 1974 (age 49)
Trinidad and Tobago
EducationKing's College London
Occupation(s)Journalist and presenter
Employer(s)BBC
ITV
Channel 4
At The Races
Racing TV
SpouseHolly Persad
Children1

Rishi Persad (born May 25, 1974)[1] is a British sports television presenter.

Early life[edit]

Persad grew up in the 1980s on the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean a keen cricket and horse racing fan.[2] His parents were Indian, his mother worked as a bank manager and his father was a lawyer, but his father also bred and raced horses and would take Rishi on weekends to the stables and to race events. After moving to Britain aged 12 to attend boarding schools in England, Persad left university with a law degree from King's College London.

Career[edit]

Persad began his career in public relations before joining At The Races in May 2002. Eight months later, he would make his terrestrial TV debut on Channel 4 Racing.[3] Shortly after, he joined the BBC.[4][5]

Persad worked for a number of channels including the likes of the BBC and ITV at The Open Championship, The Masters Tournament, Wimbledon, and the World Snooker Championship.[6] Persad has also presented at global events such as the Olympics, The Ryder Cup and The Commonwealth Games.[7]

In 2012, Persad returned to Channel 4 racing, and he was the interviewer to whom AP McCoy announced his retirement as a jockey following his tenth year of 200 winners.[8][9] In 2016, it was announced ITV would be taking over coverage of terrestrial horse racing from Channel 4, and Persad was retained for the new line up.[10]

In late 2020 in Rishi Persad: Leading The Way broadcast on Sky Sports he was interviewed by Josh Apiafi to discuss their routes into broadcasting, their experiences within the sporting media industry and how horse racing can better promote diversity within the sport.[11][12]

From February 2021 Persad presented Channel 4’s live test cricket coverage of the English cricket team in India in 2020–21. He presented in the television studio alongside pundits Sir Alastair Cook and Sir Andrew Strauss.[13] Previously, Persad was a cricket presenter for the BBC at the 2011 Cricket World Cup in the Indian sub-continent.[14][15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Rishi Persad and Emma Spencer among those celebrating today | Horse Racing News | Racing Post". www.racingpost.com.
  2. ^ "BBC – Rishi Persad".
  3. ^ "Kempton Park Racecourse Committee". The Jockey Club.
  4. ^ "From Royal Ascot to the Open: Rishi Persad, TV's sporting polymath, remains an assured on-screen presence". www.telegraph.co.uk.
  5. ^ "In pictures: Grandstand: Meet the team". bbc.co.uk.
  6. ^ "'I'm not trying to threaten anybody or make anyone feel frightened' | Horse Racing News | Racing Post". www.racingpost.com.
  7. ^ Forrester, Richard (April 18, 2015). "Rishi Persaud: My amazing experience at Medinah and dream four-ball".
  8. ^ "Rishi Persaud: 'The thought in my head was 'holy s***, this is massive | Horse Racing News | Racing Post". www.racingpost.com.
  9. ^ "Channel 4 announces horseracing team". Channel 4.
  10. ^ "Turner Part of ITV Racing Team". Thoroughbred Daily News. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Rishi Persad: Leading The Way". Radio Times.
  12. ^ https://www.skysports.com/watch/prog/1354/1203/watch/tv-guide/26-12-2020 [dead link]
  13. ^ Ammon, Elizabeth (21 June 2023). "Rishi Persaud to present as Channel 4 lines up Test team" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  14. ^ "Cricket World Cup on the BBC". BBC Sport. 17 February 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  15. ^ BBC to show Cricket World Cup highlights BBC Press Office, 16 February 2011
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