Derrick Mcmanus

Derrick McManus is a former elite special operations police officer from South Australia and a globally recognized speaker on resilience and high performance. A member of the South Australian Police STAR Group (Special Task and Rescue) for many years, his career and life were irrevocably altered on May 3, 1994, during a high-risk arrest in the Barossa Valley.

While attempting to assess a glass sliding door at the property of a fraud suspect, McManus was ambushed by a shooter armed with a high-powered rifle. In less than five seconds, he was shot 14 times, sustaining catastrophic injuries to his arm, stomach, and legs, including a severed radial artery and a shattered Achilles tendon . Despite these wounds, he remained conscious on the ground for nearly three hours while the siege continued, using elite breathing and mindset techniques to manage shock and stay alive .

Miraculously, McManus survived and eventually returned to fully operational duty within the STAR Group—an unprecedented feat given his injuries. Today, he utilises his "Sustained Optimal Performance" model to coach CEOs, schools, and elite military units on how to prepare for and thrive under extreme pressure .