Cox and Dunross to challenge for 2012 Paralympics Gold

by Yachting Western Australia on 24 Feb 2011 The 2012 Paralympics campaign of Olympic Medalists Jamie Dunross and Rachael Cox has just launched.

Twelve years, an Olympic gold medal and several world records later, much acclaimed Quadraplegic sailor Jamie Dunross who, only seven months ago returned from his record breaking solo circumnavigation of Australia, has teamed with Rachael Cox with the intention to steal gold at Weymouth’s 2012 Paralympics.

With an air ticket for Miami’s OCR hot in her hand, Paralympian Rachael Cox, in an unforeseen turn of events, found with only six days to go, she not only had no boat to sail on, but no crew to sail with.

Undaunted and with a steely grit only an Olympian can muster, Rachael turned to Jamie Dunross.

Jamie, a C5 quadriplegic resulting from a gold pouring accident, recovered from near suicidal depression to rise to the peak of his sport, winning a gold medal at the 2000 Paralympic Games.

Rachael, classified an incomplete tetraplegic after a surfing accident, first represented Australia in 2006 in the 2.4mR Class, went on to win a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics in the SKUD class teamed with Queenslander Daniel Fitzgibbon.

Modest Jamie heaped the praise on Royal Perth Yacht Club; 'It’s all been made possible with the absolutely fantastic support of the Club and their Members who are so unbelievably generous'.

At the unpacking of a brand new SKUD, Royal Perth Yacht Club’s General Manager, Stuart Walton said 'We are behind the pair all the way to Weymouth. We believe in Jamie and Rachael, both proven sailors who we are confident will, with their combined talent and tenacity, bring home the Gold at the next Paralympics.'

With little more than a month to go before the boat is put into a container bound for Europe, the new SKUD 18s will, between vital training sessions, undergo a few necessary modifications and adjustments. A second brand new SKUD 18 is due from the east and will be used by training partners to prepare the pair for the Go for Gold Regatta in Weymouth in early June 2011. The Go For Gold Regatta leads directly on to the qualifying World Championship Regatta two weeks later also in Weymouth, the venue for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Whilst logistically a few hurdles such as the all important funding and ever illusive sponsorship stand in the way, the pair are confident that they have the stamina and positive determination to overcome these and to collect gold on the podium.

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